Scott Koon is a political scientist, journalist and writer with extensive experience in grassroots organizing, survey research, data analysis, and writing. He has a PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Davis and has held positions teaching at Missouri State University and as a teaching assistant at UC Davis. He has experience conducting survey research and analyzing data for political campaigns and financial services clients. He also has a background in journalism, having served as editor-in-chief of his college newspaper.

1. Scott Koon
2017 Bayleaf Drive
Durham, NC, 27712
(919) 685-5700
drsrkoon@gmail.com
OVERVIEW
Political scientist, journalist and writer with extensive experience volunteering in grassroots organizing and the
community. Experience in public opinion and market research in academic and commercial settings, and in conveying
findings to client boards. Empirical skillset developed in graduate education using STATA, SPSS and a variety of other
programs to analyze and report findings on a variety of political and econometric data. Writing background in academia,
journalism and marketing.
CORE STRENGTHS
● Survey Research ● Quantitative Analysis
● Writing ● Desktop Publishing
● Website Maintenance ● Field Operations
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Political Organizing
Founding member of Durham for Kerry and Durham for Obama. Devised early voting strategy that helped increase
voter turnout from 50% in 2000 to over 70% in 2004 and 2008. Utilized voter data from Board of Elections to develop
plan targeting the six lowest turnout precincts, which expanded to twelve and eventually countywide. Trained twelve
precinct captains and 500+ volunteers to contact voters, register voters, and protect voters' rights.
Data Analysis
Independently conducted all phases of survey research of the entire graduating senior class to assess their backgrounds,
satisfaction with the college experience, and how to improve student services. Conducted and analyzed survey research
amongst customers for financial services industry clients gauging satisfaction in existing financial products, the market
potential for early adoption of new service technologies, and helped client boards develop and target innovative
financial services for customers. Trained in SPSS and STATA, but have used other statistical packages in a variety of
settings.
Writing and Journalism
Served as Editor-in-Chief of college newspaper, collaborating with Art Department of the Washington Post to
modernize layout and graphic design infrastructure. Managed budget that had been in the red for seven years and took
it into surplus. Wrote copy for hundreds of articles and direct-mail advertisements for financial services industry clients.
EDUCATION
PhD: Political Science 2005
University of California at Davis, Davis, California
Master of Arts: Political Science 1999
Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Bachelor of Arts: Political Science 1995
Washington College, Chestertown, Maryland
High School Diploma 1986
John F. Kennedy Schule, Berlin, Germany

2. SKILLS
EMPIRICAL RESEARCH
Extensive training in wide variety of research techniques including survey research, quantitative comparative
research and qualitative research methods. Coursework in program evaluation, public administration,
comparative international political economy, and public opinion. Training in SPSS, STATA, and Excel and
experience with Firebird, R, StatView, and LibreOffice Calc. I have applied these skills in different contexts:
● Washington College Senior Survey
● Freelance Financial Services Survey
● Field Organizing
WRITING
During my time as the Editor, I became proficient at desktop publishing, using QuarkXpress to lay out our
weekly newspaper. I have been both a producer and consumer of press releases. For five years, I worked as an
advertising copywriter, producing newsletters, financial disclosures, annual reports and a variety of marketing
products for over 150 clients in the financial service industry. Proven attention to detail, as many of the
documents written and edited were legally binding.
LEADERSHIP
I have served in leadership roles for the last 20 years. I have served as a teacher, in which capacity I have had
experience supervising graduate assistants. I have served as an assistant den leader for the last three years in
my son's cub scout pack helping to supervise and mentor over 75 children. I have also been elected as a
precinct chair in the Durham County Democratic Party, representing over 2,000 registered Democrats. The
venue which has developed my leadership skills the most has been grassroots political campaigning: in field
organizing, you're working mainly with volunteers, who must be trained to communicate with voters. Partly,
this entails developing strategic messaging to mobilize voters, but it also includes teaching volunteers to
effectively manage the many contingencies that arise spontaneously in interactions with the public.
TEACHING
The essence of teaching consists of taking students as they are, engaging their interest, and emphasizing the
processes and methods of inquiry as much as the foundational facts that have been established in the
literature. I have taught undergraduates at a selective public university in California and a regional state
university in Missouri, using PowerPoint and Blackboard as an adjunct to lectures and assigned readings. I
have also demonstrated an ability to teach students at the third through fifth grade level while volunteering as
a volunteer coach for the North Carolina Science Olympiad Program at Easley Elementary School, helping
our team achieve top-two finishes for the last two years.
WEBSITE MAINTENANCE
For the last two years, I maintained the website of my son's cub scout pack on a volunteer basis. This has
entailed regularly updating the calendar, posting notifications for events, managing rosters of scouts,
volunteers and parents, and being responsive to requests from other leaders, as well as integrating our
communications with social media.
LANGUAGE
Read/Write/Speak/Translate: German
DISSERTATION
In Defense of the State: Carl Schmitt's Critique of Liberalism as the Ideology of Civil Society

3. EXPERIENCE
Missouri State University
Springfield, Missouri
Lecturer July 2002-June 2003
Taught four sections of American Democracy and Citizenship, lecturing and making use of instructional technology, consulting with
individual students, writing letters of recommendation, and instructing students in U.S. and Missouri government in accordance
with Missouri state law, promoting the values of a liberal education in accordance with Missouri State University's mission of
developing educated persons who have an appreciation of the common vocation of citizenship.
University of California
Davis, California
Teaching Assistant July 1999-May 2002
Led weekly discussion sections, graded coursework and examinations, conducted review sessions, delivered lectures, consulted with
individual students and wrote letters of recommendation in the following courses: Introduction to American Government (4 times),
Basic Concepts in Political Theory, Introduction to Comparative Politics and Problems in Contemporary Politics.
Freelance Survey Research
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Survey Researcher October 1995-June 1999
Conducted survey research of customers for clients in the financial services industry. Worked with clients' management
to develop appropriate survey instruments to measure customer demographics, client satisfaction with service delivery,
interest in new financial service products, and to develop data useful to developing a long-term strategic plan for growth
and marketing. Input the data generated by responses, analyzed data using SPSS, generated reports, presented findings
to client boards.
CU Marketing
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Writer October 1995-June 1999
Wrote and proofread a wide variety of materials for a client base of over 150 credit unions in twelve states. Materials
produced include print ads, quarterly newsletters, direct mail ads, posters, annual reports, applications, terms and
conditions and financial disclosures. Regularly met tight production deadlines while meeting strict standards for quality
and originality. Top performer in the Writing Department who regularly exceeded quarterly goals.
Washington College Elm
Chestertown, Maryland
Editor-in-Chief August, 1993-July, 1994
Supervised a staff of over twenty student writers, editors and photographers at our college's weekly newspaper.
Mentored student staff to ensure that the paper would continue to meet high standards at the end of my tenure.
Maintained editorial responsibility for the entire publication, balanced the budget, wrote features, news articles and
editorials, laid out the paper using QuarkXpress. Attended and covered a wide variety of College events, including
meetings of the Board of Visitors and Governors.
Kent County News
Chestertown, Maryland
Intern May 1993-August 1993
Followed up on press releases, wrote news articles and features, took photographs, proofread and performed numerous
other duties at a small newspaper in the county seat of Kent County, Maryland.
Washington College
Chestertown, Maryland
Teaching/Research Assistant January 1991-June 1993
Conducted individual tutorials on data entry and analysis, gave guest lectures and helped to administer the Washington
College Senior Survey, a survey of the population of the graduating class aimed at measuring the demographic
characteristics of the population, their satisfaction with the college experience, and their plans upon graduation.

4. VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
Pack 424
Durham, North Carolina
Webmaster August 2013-March 2016
Maintained website for the largest Cub Scout Pack in the Occonneechee District, responding to requests from other
leaders, maintaining rosters, updating calendar, publicizing events and managing social media profiles.
Pack 424
Durham, North Carolina
Assistant Den Leader August 2014-March 2016
Co-led biweekly den meetings for Den 5 of Pack 424. Helped to lead and mentor a growing pack of over 70 Durham
County youth by serving as a positive role model, providing supervision, leading programming in a wide variety of
subjects and areas, including citizenship, woodworking, outdoorsmanship and science.
Easley Elementary
Durham, North Carolina
Coach August 2013-present
Coached an event team for the Easley Elementary Science Olympiad team, helping to lead the team to top-two finishes
two years running. Events coached include events in engineering, human digestion and physical geology.
Durham for Kerry/Durham for Obama
Durham, North Carolina
Founding Member, Executive Committee Member January 2008-November 2012
Founding member of both Durham for Kerry and Durham for Obama. Responsible for overall data operations and
strategic planning. Used public voter data to identify low-turnout precincts, developed plan to register voters and get
them to the polls, selected and trained precinct captains, trained hundreds of volunteers, assumed control of countywide
get-out-the-vote operations.
Durham County Democratic Party
Durham, North Carolina
Precinct Chair, Precinct 21 January 2006-May 2008
Elected to represent over 2,000 registered Democrats at county and district conventions. Registered voters, maintained
organization, ran canvassing operations, mentored grassroots political activists.
References
Dr. Edward Weissman Timothy McKeown Kate Fellman
PO Box 144 Professor of Political Science, UNC 4 Misty Morning Ct.
Dorset, VT 05251 302 Hamilton Hall Durham, NC, 27712
(802) 867-0269 Chapel Hill NC 27599 Katefellmannc@gmail.com
tim_mckeown@unc.edu (919) 274-9117
(919) 962-0399