About KNI Communications
Whether we are creating websites for entrepreneurial businesses in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood – where our office is located – or assisting economic development efforts in South Sudan, the world’s newest nation, we bring passion, energy, dedication and creativity to our work.
We have worked with political campaigns at every level of government - from School Board to President of the United States. We have led advocacy efforts on issues including tobacco prevention, workplace safety, genocide education and breast cancer research. We hope you will learn more about our work through this website, and that you will contact us if we can ever be of service to you.
Our Team
KNI Communications President
Our Historic Office
Sean Tenner has spent his career working for organizations and officials dedicated to social justice and the public interest. Tenner served on President Obama’s campaign staff during both his U.S. Senate and Presidential campaigns and has worked for over 25 years to successfully elect Democrats at every level of government. He has held leadership roles in a wide variety of innovative non-profit organizations addressing both local and global issues. He is the recipient of the Saul Mendelson Social Justice Award from IVI-IPO, the Community Renewal Society Leadership Award, the Voice of the People Champions Award, the Friend of the Diaspora Award from the Shiloh Institute and the Belfast (Northern Ireland) Ambassador Medal., The Community Renewal Society Leadership Award, the Friend of the Diaspora Award from the Shiloh Institute and the Belfast (Northern Ireland) Ambassador Medal.
One of Tenner’s personal passions is addressing the alarming rise of hate crimes, bigotry and intolerance in our current political climate. He has led Illinois public policy initiatives for The Simon Wiesenthal Center, one of the world’s leading anti-hate groups. The Center runs the acclaimed Museum of Tolerance and carries on the legacy of the Holocaust survivor and acclaimed Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal. He and the KNI Communications team also assist organizations including Asian Human Services and the Zakat Foundation of America to raise awareness about their philanthropic missions and accomplishments.
Tenner was appointed by Illinois Governors of both parties to the Illinois Holocaust and Genocide Commission following years of human rights work. On the Commission, he worked alongside legislators and other state leaders to develop initiatives related to holocaust and genocide education. He was an early leader in the Save Darfur movement in Illinois and works closely with refugees from the violence in Darfur and South Sudan who have built new lives in Chicago. Tenner also works with Chicagoans who fled Apartheid in South Africa, serving on the Board of Color Me Africa Fine Arts which brings Apartheid-era protest artists to Chicagoland to share their stories and their lessons in perseverance. He assists the Uweza Foundation and Art Gallery in the Kibera community of Nairobi, Kenya as it works to help young people with a variety of programs.
Tenner has done work related to post-conflict reconciliation in both Rwanda and Northern Ireland, and has also been profiled by CNN for his work founding the Uptown-based Abolition Institute, which has successfully advocated for over $10 million in federal funding to fight modern day slavery in West Africa.
As a former President of Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s Chicagoland Affiliate, Tenner worked for years with state leaders including former Illinois House Majority Leader Greg Harris and State Senator Sara Feigenholtz to pass landmark pieces of breast cancer legislation in the Illinois General Assembly: requiring insurance coverage of breast cancer screenings recommended by physicians, requiring insurance coverage of medical costs related to cancer clinical trials, establishing numerous crucial new state programs to fight breast cancer through the “Reducing Breast Cancer Disparities Act,” and requiring insurance coverage and state standards for potentially lifesaving clinical breast exams. Tenner also works to address the epidemic of youth suicides through his work with the Hope for Us Network.
He has worked for some of the most prominent elected officials and organizations in Illinois and Washington, DC - including President Barack Obama (US Senate Primary and General Elections, 2004 and Presidential Campaign, 2008), the Illinois House of Representatives Democratic Majority, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Joy Cunningham, Washington, DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson and over 50 Illinois Judges. He has helped elect numerous members of the Illinois legislature, the Chicago City Council and the Washington, DC City Council. News outlets have touted Tenner’s “enviable record of success in the judicial campaigns he’s quarterbacked.” Unafraid of unique and challenging elections, he served as lead consultant on the successful 2018 campaign of Cam Davis, President Obama’s Great Lakes protection lead, who won the largest number of write-in votes in modern Illinois history - beating a state record previously held by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In 2020 and 2024, voters in his home 46th Ward of Chicago elected him Democratic Committeeperson.
Tenner is a native of Naperville, Illinois and a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He lives in the Buena Park neighborhood of Chicago with his wife Shiwali, who founded the non-profit Uptown Rhythms to highlight performance artists from diverse backgrounds. He is proud of his mother Nancy, a former pre-school teacher and his father Gene who has been honored by the City of Chicago as 46th Ward Senior of the Year for his tireless community work.
Sean Tenner has spent his career working for organizations and officials dedicated to social justice and the public interest. Tenner served on President Obama’s campaign staff during both his U.S. Senate and Presidential campaigns and has worked for over 25 years to successfully elect Democrats at every level of government. He has held leadership roles in a wide variety of innovative non-profit organizations addressing both local and global issues. He is the recipient of the Saul Mendelson Social Justice Award from IVI-IPO, the Community Renewal Society Leadership Award, the Voice of the People Champions Award, the Friend of the Diaspora Award from the Shiloh Institute and the Belfast (Northern Ireland) Ambassador Medal., The Community Renewal Society Leadership Award, the Friend of the Diaspora Award from the Shiloh Institute and the Belfast (Northern Ireland) Ambassador Medal.
One of Tenner’s personal passions is addressing the alarming rise of hate crimes, bigotry and intolerance in our current political climate. He has led Illinois public policy initiatives for The Simon Wiesenthal Center, one of the world’s leading anti-hate groups. The Center runs the acclaimed Museum of Tolerance and carries on the legacy of the Holocaust survivor and acclaimed Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal. He and the KNI Communications team also assist organizations including Asian Human Services and the Zakat Foundation of America to raise awareness about their philanthropic missions and accomplishments.
Tenner was appointed by Illinois Governors of both parties to the Illinois Holocaust and Genocide Commission following years of human rights work. On the Commission, he worked alongside legislators and other state leaders to develop initiatives related to holocaust and genocide education. He was an early leader in the Save Darfur movement in Illinois and works closely with refugees from the violence in Darfur and South Sudan who have built new lives in Chicago. Tenner also works with Chicagoans who fled Apartheid in South Africa, serving on the Board of Color Me Africa Fine Arts which brings Apartheid-era protest artists to Chicagoland to share their stories and their lessons in perseverance. He assists the Uweza Foundation and Art Gallery in the Kibera community of Nairobi, Kenya as it works to help young people with a variety of programs.
Tenner has done work related to post-conflict reconciliation in both Rwanda and Northern Ireland, and has also been profiled by CNN for his work founding the Uptown-based Abolition Institute, which has successfully advocated for over $10 million in federal funding to fight modern day slavery in West Africa.
As a former President of Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s Chicagoland Affiliate, Tenner worked for years with state leaders including former Illinois House Majority Leader Greg Harris and State Senator Sara Feigenholtz to pass landmark pieces of breast cancer legislation in the Illinois General Assembly: requiring insurance coverage of breast cancer screenings recommended by physicians, requiring insurance coverage of medical costs related to cancer clinical trials, establishing numerous crucial new state programs to fight breast cancer through the “Reducing Breast Cancer Disparities Act,” and requiring insurance coverage and state standards for potentially lifesaving clinical breast exams. Tenner also works to address the epidemic of youth suicides through his work with the Hope for Us Network.
He has worked for some of the most prominent elected officials and organizations in Illinois and Washington, DC - including President Barack Obama (US Senate Primary and General Elections, 2004 and Presidential Campaign, 2008), the Illinois House of Representatives Democratic Majority, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Joy Cunningham, Washington, DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson and over 50 Illinois Judges. He has helped elect numerous members of the Illinois legislature, the Chicago City Council and the Washington, DC City Council. News outlets have touted Tenner’s “enviable record of success in the judicial campaigns he’s quarterbacked.” Unafraid of unique and challenging elections, he served as lead consultant on the successful 2018 campaign of Cam Davis, President Obama’s Great Lakes protection lead, who won the largest number of write-in votes in modern Illinois history - beating a state record previously held by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In 2020 and 2024, voters in his home 46th Ward of Chicago elected him Democratic Committeeperson.
Tenner is a native of Naperville, Illinois and a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He lives in the Buena Park neighborhood of Chicago with his wife Shiwali, who founded the non-profit Uptown Rhythms to highlight performance artists from diverse backgrounds. He is proud of his mother Nancy, a former pre-school teacher and his father Gene who has been honored by the City of Chicago as 46th Ward Senior of the Year for his tireless community work.
Martin Doherty grew up in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, the son of an Irish immigrant and union carpenter. He was raised around community, politics and public service. Doherty has been involved in campaigns at all levels of government including Presidential primaries and races for the state legislature, Cook County Board, Chicago City Council, Circuit Court, Appellate Court and Supreme Court.
Marty began his campaign and issue advocacy work as a college student. While attending the University of Kansas, he worked as Government Relations Director for the university’s Student Senate - one of the most powerful and autonomous student governments in the United States, with control over a $25 million budget and important university policies - where he organized GOTV drives that aided in record youth turnout in the midterm elections. In that position, he also lobbied both the Kansas State Legislature and the United States Congress to support strengthening Title IX and giving institutions clear guidelines on how to address cases of sexual misconduct. Additionally, he fought for crucial higher education funding restorations and funding for the expansion of mental health services at higher education institutions nationwide.
Martin has run successful social media and digital advertising operations for numerous political campaigns and works with clients to develop tailored approaches to meet their political or advocacy objectives.
Bridget Dooley is a public affairs and communications consultant with over 20 years of experience. She has developed highly effective campaigns for elected officials, non-profit organizations and ballot initiatives.
A former union organizer for AFSCME Council 31 and National Nurses United, Bridget has a strong background in grassroots organizing. She also served as the Public Information Officer for the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, managing crisis communications during COVID-19.
An engaging trainer and public speaker, Bridget has conducted nationwide seminars on political and public affairs campaigns. As a National Trainer for Democracy for America Campaign Academy, she has taught diverse audiences about fundraising, organizing, and communications.
Bridget serves on the Executive Board of UPS for DownS, a nonprofit organization supporting individuals with Down syndrome and their families.
KNI Communications office in Chicago’s historic Uptown neighborhood has a unique and colorful history. It is located in the heart of the Uptown entertainment district at the intersection of Broadway and Lawrence Avenue, directly above the famous Green Mill Jazz Club, the oldest continuously running jazz club in the United States.
The Green Mill, founded in 1907, has been featured in films for decades, including such favorites as High Fidelity, The Breakup and 1981’s The Thief, in which it is famously blown up by a mobster played by James Caan. The Green Mill was one of Al Capone’s favorite hangouts and visitors to our building can still sit in his favorite booth, located behind the main bar in order to facilitate his easy escape to underground tunnels to evade law enforcement.
While Capone dominated headlines in the 1920s, bank robber John Dillinger – who became the FBI’s first “Public Enemy Number One” – was the most famous criminal of the 1930s. Bold as Dillinger was (he had robbed 24 banks and four police stations), by Spring of 1934 he had grown increasingly concerned about being recognized and captured. He arranged to have his face dramatically altered and his fingerprints burned off with acid by using the services of underworld surgeons.
KNI Communications’ office above the Green Mill was, in the 1930s, the office of Dr. Harold Cassidy who helped perform the notorious procedure on Dillinger in June of 1934. Dr. Cassidy’s best days may have been behind him however, as he gave Dillinger an overdose of ether which nearly led to his death.
Despite going to such extreme lengths to avoid recognition and capture, John Dillinger was a loyal Cubs fan to the end and couldn’t resist going to Wrigley Field where he would have been seen by tens of thousands of Chicagoans. Almost immediately after the surgery he attended Cubs home games on June 8th (a 4-3 loss to the Reds) and June 26th (a 5-2 win over the Dodgers). Dillinger’s good mood over that Cubs victory was short lived however; he was found and killed by federal agents outside the Biograph theatre on July 22nd, 1934.
Our office has unique Dillinger photos and artifacts (a gift from a happy client / history fan) as well as a wide array of local and international political memorabilia including the original Chicago Tribune “Dewey Defeats Truman” newspaper from the 1948 Presidential Election.
We hope you will contact us to talk Chicago history and politics – and discuss ways in which we can work together!
