Mervyn Marcano

An accomplished communicator and organizer, Mervyn Marcano has worked on a variety of local and national campaigns.

Most recently, Mervyn was Communications Director at ColorOfChange.org, the 400,000 member Black online advocacy group founded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He provided leadership in building the organization's profile with high-level media outlets, while strengthening relationships with the net/Blackroots. Mervyn steered difficult media cycles spurred by the organization's work to free the Jena 6, pushed Black media to talk about online Black activism and leadership, and provided a new frame for national media who wanted to talk about superdelegates & the Black vote. Mervyn also led the organization's PR in the primary election cycle, providing a consistent talking point on race-baiting, voter disenfranchisement, and Black political engagement.

Mervyn is the current Training Director at the Center for Media Justice. Previously, Mervyn trained community organizations and advocates on the basics of PR as a Communications Strategist at The Spin Project. He helped dozens of groups around the country refine their goals, reach out to major press about unpopular causes and define their work more clearly. Before that, Mervyn served as Communications Director at The League of Young Voters, a progressive young voter group. The League was one of several groups credited with helping to take back Congress in 2006, thanks to the overwhelming turnout of the youth vote.

Before joining The League, Mervyn was Communications Director for the Right to Vote Campaign, a national collaboration of eight major civil rights organizations dedicated to ending felony disenfranchisement. His work there helped to overturn discriminatory laws and policies, enabling thousands of people to vote again.

Mervyn began his career in communications work organizing with community groups in New York City and after a short stint in private PR.