About Congress Merge

Congress Merge was formed by Michael J. Waters who has more 30 years experience in Washington. He came to Washington as a reporter with The Associated Press and covered the White House, Supreme Court, and Congress. Mr. Waters also has worked all aspects of Washington public affairs, from public relations to lobbying and grassroots management. It was during his public affairs tenure that Mr. Waters became aware of technical services designed to assist lobbyists, grassroots managers, and Washington representatives. Being on the purchasing side of the desk at the time, he determined that cost-effective and accurate data services could be provided, a sharp contrast to existing providers, and Congress Merge was formed. His experience on the purchasing side of the desk also contributed significantly to the Congress Merge's operating philosophy.

Where Capitol Hill is Mr. Waters' specialty, he has excellent programmers working with him, Juan Cabanela, Ph.D., and Paul Reilly and Chris Dornfeld of Unitz, which is a web development and programming firm located in Arlington, VA. They have assisted Congress Merge with projects ranging from database maintenance and technology consulting to development of the vote tracking system. Unitz is operated by Chris Dornfeld and Paul Reilly and specializes in working with small businesses.

Mr. Dornfeld graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2001 with a double major in computer science and German and with a minor in business administration. Mr. Reilly graduated in 2001 from The College of William and Mary with a degree in computer science and a minor in information technology.

In addition, Mr. Waters works closely with Grace York at the University of Michigan. Ms. York has one of best listings of congressional e-mails available on the internet.