Andrew Villeneuve is an American political activist and entrepreneur. He is the founder and executive director of the Northwest Progressive Institute, a WordPress security consultant, civic affairs facilitator, and a member of the Washington State Democratic Central Committee (WSDCC).

Villeneuve also serves on the board of the NWroots Fellowship, a network of activists working to elect more and better Democrats, and was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2012 for Barack Obama. He is a regular contributor to Reporter Newspapers.

A lifelong Washingtonian, Villeneuve was raised by his parents in Redmond, Washington and attended three Lake Washington District schools prior to graduating from Redmond High School in 2005.

His interest in community service and technology took root while he was a freshman. During the 2001-2002 school year, he served as leader of Redmond Junior High’s web team, responsible for designing and managing the school’s website.

At Redmond High School, Villeneuve was instrumental in helping to form the Eastside Liberal Students group, which he led as President during his senior year. Villeneuve was also a member of Redmond High School DECA, an active chapter of the national business and marketing association, where he served on the Executive Board as the Technology officer (2003-2004) and Public Relations officer (2004-2005).

Villeneuve’s involvement in state politics began following the passage Tim Eyman’s Initiative 695, which cut funding for roads, transit, and ferries. (The initiative was thrown out by Washington’s Supreme Court as unconstitutional, but reinstated by the Legislature in 2000). In 2002, not long after Eyman announced I-776 (billed by Eyman as the “Son of 695″),Villeneuve formed Permanent Defense to publicly oppose Eyman’s initiatives, which continues to fight against senseless schemes to wreck government. Permanent Defense subsequently became a key project of the Northwest Progressive Institute when NPI was launched in August 2003.

Villeneuve has helped organize opposition efforts to a long list of statewide initiatives, beginning with I-776. Since 2002, his perspective has been sought by many of Washington State’s best-known newspapers, television, and radio stations.

Under Villeneuve’s leadership, the Northwest Progressive Institute has grown from a simple idea to a nimble political startup influential in the politics of the Pacific Northwest, with a strong presence on the Internet.

NPI’s principal publication, The Advocate, is indexed by Google News, syndicated by Newstex, and listed as one of The Washington Post’s Best State Political Blogs. In his ten years as an activist, advocate, and writer, Villeneuve has covered many noteworthy events, including the 2008 and 2012 Democratic National Conventions, the 2009 inauguration of Barack Obama, the FCC’s final public hearing on media ownership in 2007, the Wake Up Walmart bus tour in 2006, and seven consecutive Netroots Nation gatherings, beginning in 2006.

Villeneuve has long been active in his community; he twice participated in the City of Redmond’s Youth in Government Day and worked on the city’s Transportation Master Plan. For his community involvement, he received the Mayor’s Circle of Leadership Award from past Mayor Rosemarie Ives in 2005.