Zack Exley

Exley was raised in West Hartford, Connecticut. He studied abroad at Shanxi Normal University before earning his B.A. in Social Thought and Political Economy from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1993. He also attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government.{{Cite web |title=Zack Exley |url=https://www.influencewatch.org/person/zack-exley/ |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=www.influencewatch.org |language=en-US}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.umassalumni.com/s/1640/rd17/leftCol.aspx?sid=1640&gid=2&pgid=106&cid=283&cat_id=13&mode=search|title=Class Notes|website=www.umassalumni.com|language=en|access-date=2020-01-10}}

Around the 2000 election controversy, Exley used a website to allow citizens to self-organize more than 100 protests around the United States.Exley, "Organizing Online" Mother Jones, December 9, 2000 from https://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2000/12/countercoup.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203124123/http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2000/12/countercoup.html|date=2008-12-03}}

In 2004, he was the Director of Online Communications and Organizing on the John Kerry 2004 presidential campaign, and directed internet operations for the UK Labour Party's re-election campaign in 2005.The Independent (UK), "No 10 in new dirty tricks row over role of US 'garbage man'," February 27, 2005; RNC Press release, "Zack Attack!", April 5, 2004.

Exley served as the Chief Revenue Officer (formerly Chief Community Officer) at the Wikimedia Foundation from 2010 to 2013. He continued to provide contracted fundraising consultation until 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/June_2010_Wikimedia_Foundation_appoints_new_CCO_and_CGDO|title=Wikimedia Foundation appoints new CCO and CDGO|date=2010-06-03|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100606040816/http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/June_2010_Wikimedia_Foundation_appoints_new_CCO_and_CGDO|archive-date=2010-06-06|access-date=2010-06-03}}{{cite web|url=https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Staff_and_contractors|title=Wikimedia Foundation staff and contractors|date=2012-11-07|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602224407/https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Staff_and_contractors|archive-date=2016-06-02|access-date=2012-12-01}} Before that, he worked at ThoughtWorks, a global IT consultancy.{{Cite web|url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/mag/article.pl?articleId=29386|title=ThoughtWorks|author=Michelle Evans|date=2008-03-03|publisher=Crain's Chicago Business|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323105537/http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/mag/article.pl?articleId=29386|archive-date=2010-03-23|access-date=2010-06-03}} He is also the co-founder and former president of the New Organizing Institute, a progressive political technology training organization.{{cite book|title=Please Don't Bomb the Suburbs: A Midterm Report on My Generation and the Future of Our Super Movement|last1=Wimsatt|first1=William|date=2010|publisher=Akashic Books|isbn=9781617750113|page=133}} Politico reported in August 2015 that Exley had joined the 2016 Bernie Sanders presidential campaign as a senior advisor responsible for digital communications.{{Cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/bernie-sanders-2016-increases-digital-operation-121488|title=Bernie Sanders bulks up his digital operation|website=POLITICO|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208040904/http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/bernie-sanders-2016-increases-digital-operation-121488|archive-date=2015-12-08|access-date=2015-11-27}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.texastribune.org/2015/11/11/sanders-campaign-ramps-texas/|title=Sanders Campaign Ramps Up in Texas, by Patrick Svitek|last=Svitek|first=Patrick|website=The Texas Tribune|date=11 November 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208154242/https://www.texastribune.org/2015/11/11/sanders-campaign-ramps-texas/|archive-date=2015-12-08|access-date=2015-11-27}} He co-founded the Justice Democrats and Brand New Congress.{{Cite web|url=https://www.influencewatch.org/person/zack-exley/|title=Zack Exley|website=www.influencewatch.org|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-10}}

Exley was Organizing Director at MoveOn.org during the group's campaign to prevent the Iraq War, and during its controversial involvement with the Howard Dean 2004 presidential campaign. He was criticized for "rigging" the "MoveOn Primary" in favor of Dean, a charge the group rejected.Franke-Ruta, "Zero Sum," American Prospect, June 6, 2003 from http://www.prospect.org/webfeatures/2003/06/franke-ruta-g-06-25.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060514035919/http://prospect.org/webfeatures/2003/06/franke-ruta-g-06-25.html |date=2006-05-14 }}

Prior to working for MoveOn, Exley created the political parody website, GWBush.com, as well as cnndn.com, a site that parodied financial reporting. Both sites attracted legal action by Bush's 2000 election campaign and CNN, respectively. CNN successfully closed cnndn.com, but legal action from the Bush campaign led to increased publicity for Exley's site and set legal precedent that has allowed political websites to operate without Federal Election Commission regulation.Techlaw Journal from http://www.techlawjournal.com/election/20000420.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813202531/http://www.techlawjournal.com/election/20000420.htm|date=2006-08-13}} In response to GWBush.com, then-candidate George W. Bush called Exley a "garbage man" and said he believed the website should be forced to shut down, arguing "There ought to be limits to freedom."Associated Press, May 21, 1999; Dallas Morning News, May 21, 1999; Jefferson Muzzle Award from http://www.tjcenter.org/past2000.html#item01 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060929042836/http://www.tjcenter.org/past2000.html#item01 |date=2006-09-29 }}{{Cite web |title=Satirical Web Site Poses Political Test |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-11/29/002r-112999-idx.html |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=www.washingtonpost.com}}

Exley previously managed Revolution in Jesusland, a blog that sought to create dialog between the secular left and groups within Evangelical Christianity that promote economic and social justice as a matter of faith.{{cite web |author=Cory Doctorow |url=http://boingboing.net/2007/10/05/revolution-in-jesusl.html/ |title=Revolution in Jesusland: building bridges between progressives and born-agains |website=BoingBoing |date=October 5, 2007 |access-date=April 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207012729/http://boingboing.net/2007/10/05/revolution-in-jesusl.html |archive-date=December 7, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}

After the 2016 United States presidential election, Exley, Saikat Chakrabarti, a former fellow Bernie Sanders presidential campaign executive, Kyle Kulinski of Secular Talk and Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks created the Justice Democrats to reform the Democratic Party and challenge President Donald Trump.{{cite book|last1=Grigoryan|first1=Nune|last2=Suetzl|first2=Wolfgang|chapter=Hybridized political participation|editor1-last=Atkinson|editor1-first=Joshua D.|editor2-last=Kenix|editor2-first=Linda|title=Alternative Media Meets Mainstream Politics: Activist Nation Rising|year=2019|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9781498584357|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D_CYDwAAQBAJ&q=Exley|pages=190}}{{cite news |author=David Weigel |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/01/23/progressives-launch-justice-democrats-to-counter-primary-corporate-legislators/ |title=Progressives launch 'Justice Democrats' to counter party's 'corporate' legislators |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=January 23, 2017 |access-date=April 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330162649/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/01/23/progressives-launch-justice-democrats-to-counter-primary-corporate-legislators/ |archive-date=March 30, 2019 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} Exley co-founded Middle Seat, which worked extensively with Justice Democrats.

As of 2025, Exley was managing Chakrabarti's campaign to challenge Nancy Pelosi in the Democratic primary for California's 11th congressional district.https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/tech-millionaire-saikat-chakrabarti-faces-pelosi-20298729.php

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080822044318/http://revolutioninjesusland.com/ Revolution in Jesusland(.com)] - Exley's blog on new Evangelical politics. Archived from the [http://revolutioninjesusland.com original] on Aug 22, 2008.
• [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zack-exley Exley's blog posts at Huffington Post]

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