Sean Dobson began his career as an Issues Staffer on the Dukakis for President Campaign. He then earned a Ph.D. in modern Western European history from Columbia University, where he focused his research on 20th Century Social Democratic movements. His thesis was awarded "distinction" and will be published this year by the Columbia University Press. Before joining the NEC, he worked as an historian at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and as an Assistant Professor of History at Portland State University in Oregon.