Mike O’Connell – Chief Executive Officer
Mike O’Connell brings extensive statewide, Congressional, and municipal campaign and program management experience to Black Diamond Outreach (BDO). Mike is proud to manage Colorado’s largest ongoing public education campaign, Coloradans for Responsible Energy Development (CRED). In this role, Mike directs grassroots and grasstops outreach, oversees a robust continuing statewide field program, coordinates program targeting and analytics, advises the CRED management team, and integrates outreach into the broader program.
Through BDO, Mike oversaw the outreach campaign for Your Choice Colorado in 2016. By implementing a targeted, site-based and door- to-door canvass program, Mike’s team played an integral role in the success of Colorado’s most comprehensive liquor law update in decades. In the most recent election cycle, Mike managed the petition circulation process for two statewide ballot measures, the first cycle requiring signature collection in all 35 Colorado State Senate districts. Additionally, Mike is responsible for BDO’s sister company, Donor Development Strategies, which conducts a nationwide fundraising canvass program for Public Broadcast affiliates.
Mike previously worked for the Colorado AFL-CIO, serving as the member program director in 2012. There he was responsible for all voter contact, member mobilization, release staff program, worksite program, campaign metrics, and accountability reporting. He is a targeting and data management expert, which, when combined with extensive experience running field campaigns, ensures that every project is uniquely tailored to its specific needs.