Mike McCabe

Mike McCabe brings a farming background and a professional lifetime of experience in politics, journalism, public sector management and nonprofit leadership to his work. He is founder and president of Blue Jean Nation and for 15 years ran the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a nonpartisan watchdog group that tracks the money in state elections and works for reforms making people matter more than money in politics. In that role, Mike was a leading whistle blower and among the nation’s best political money trackers. He was recognized by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and the Society of Professional Journalists as the “Citizen Openness Advocate of the Year” for 2012. His efforts have attracted the attention of national news networks including ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, NBC, MSNBC, NPR and Al-Jazeera English, as well as newspapers including “The New York Times”, “Washington Post”, “USA Today” and “Wall Street Journal”, and magazines such as “Time” and “New Yorker.” Among the many media organizations citing Mike’s work or quoting him in their stories are national news services such as The Associated Press, Bloomberg News, McClatchy and Reuters, and online political news sites like Politico.com, Slate.com, and Huffington Post. A much sought-after public speaker, Mike has made more than 1,500 presentations to a wide range of audiences over the course of his career.