Anne Lewis
Chief Executive Officer
Anne has developed policy and managed strategic communications at the White House, on Capitol Hill, in federal agencies, with nonprofit organizations, on political campaigns, for a major political party committee and in the private sector. With her partner, Maura Walsh, Anne has worked with The Washington Post, National Parks Conservation Association, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, CARE, Alley Cat Allies, the Democratic Governors Association and a host of others to set online fundraising records on overall revenue of more than $200 million.
Anne founded Anne Lewis Strategies in early 2005 to provide strategic consulting for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s online direct marketing program, which now accounts for 20 percent of the Committee’s overall revenue. She also built email lists of hundreds of thousands of individuals for Hillary Clinton and the Environmental Working Group.
Previously, Anne served as special assistant to the president on the National Economic Council staff at the Clinton White House and was twice confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate (under both Republican and Democratic majorities) as an assistant secretary of labor. She also served as chief of staff to U.S. Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) and as legislative director for U.S. Senator Harris Wofford (D-PA). Anne has been a principal at Podesta.com, vice president at the Council for Excellence in Government, director of Great American Media (the $75 million paid media effort for Bill Clinton and then Clinton-Gore during the 1991-1992 campaign), deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services, and state director in New Hampshire and Virginia for Democratic candidates for president.
Maura E. Walsh
Senior Vice President
Maura Walsh, a principal at Anne Lewis Strategies, is an online marketing expert with a decade’s worth of experience in direct email marketing and fundraising. She’s worked with clients such as the Environmental Working Group, The Washington Post, Hillary Clinton for President, and and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee List to develop record-setting online marketing and fundraising programs. host of others to set online fundraising records on overall revenue of more than $200 million.
Prior to joining Anne Lewis Strategies in January 2007, Maura was the director of account management for Plus Three, a technology company that provides website, email and fundraising technologies for nonprofit and political clients.
Maura also served as an Internet strategist for APCO Worldwide, a public affairs and public relations company, and as a senior account manager for Bigfoot Interactive (now Epsilon Interactive), a leading email marketing agency, where she managed direct email campaigns for the company’s top accounts, including Capital One, H&R Block, and MTV.
Todd Plants
Chief Technology Officer
Todd Plants has worked with Anne Lewis Strategies for more than five years to improve online engagement and email fundraising for clients including National Parks Conservation Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Stroke Association, and The Washington Post. He has written online communications for presidents, four-star generals, Oscar winners, and Hall of Fame sports stars.
Todd is an experienced manager of technical projects, having developed sophisticated testing and segmentation regimens to guide robust email marketing campaigns and having overseen the creation of industry-leading statistical models used to target and energize potential donors and activists. He’s also an expert in ensuring client emails get delivered to supporters’ inboxes.
Previously, Todd coordinated the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s online fundraising program in 2006 and worked as a community organizer for People for the American Way. He is a graduate of Harvard University.
Tyler S. Douse
Senior Account Executive
Tyler Douse is an experienced online communications professional with expertise in developing and executing Web-based strategies for nonprofit organizations and political campaigns. He’s worked with clients such as Minnesotans United for All Families, Ben Cardin for Senate, Klobuchar for Minnesota, Menendez for Senate, and The National Parks Conservation Association to develop record-breaking online organizing campaigns and fundraising programs.
Prior to joining Anne Lewis Strategies in March 2011, Tyler served as online communications director for U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln, new media director for Andrew Rice for U.S. Senate, communications director for Oklahoma State Senator Al McAffrey, and online communications consultant for The ONE Campaign.
Hailing from Pryor Creek, Oklahoma, Tyler graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and Communications from Oklahoma Baptist University, where he served as president of his class, and studied Economics & Public Policy at Georgetown University through The Fund for American Studies.
Drew Seman
Senior Account Executive
Drew Seman joined Anne Lewis Strategies in 2011 as a senior account executive, working on the expansion and engagement of online supporters for a wide range of clients – from Alley Cat Allies to the Democratic Governors Association.
Previously, Drew worked as an interactive marketing consultant at Beaconfire Consulting, where he managed the online marketing programs of nonprofit organizations including Feeding America, Direct Relief International and the American Lung Association. In 2010, he ran the online fundraising and direct-mail operations for Alex Sink’s gubernatorial campaign in Florida.
Prior to that, he worked as an online communications associate at the Center for American Progress, a media buyer at Mundy Katowitz Media, executive director of Immigrant’s List and a finance staff member on Tammy Duckworth’s congressional campaign.
Drew has a B.A. in political science from Loyola University Chicago and a Masters in political management from George Washington University. He grew up in New Bern, North Carolina.
Nat Binns
Senior Account Executive
Nat Binns joins Anne Lewis Strategies after serving as a senior aide to former U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, developing and executing comprehensive media and political plans for two Congressional races and Murphy’s campaign for Pennsylvania attorney general.
Through an aggressive communications strategy, Nat helped generate unprecedented coverage for an Attorney General race in Pennsylvania. He was also responsible for earning the support of the AFL-CIO, the Fraternal Order of Police and dozens of county Democratic organizations in a fiercely contested primary. In addition, he helped raise hundreds of thousands through online communications and managed the campaign’s social media presence.
As Rep. Murphy’s District Director, Nat ran the Congressman’s economic development agenda, including the rehabilitation of a formerly abandoned industrial site into small business incubator and the creation of a Green Jobs Academy. All told, Nat helped the Congressman create or save 3,000 jobs in the district.
Prior to that Nat was the Press Secretary for Rep. Murphy’s successful 2008 reelection. He grew up in Pennsylvania’s Coal Country before attending the University of Rhode Island, where he studied Journalism.
Molly Shapiro
Writer
Molly Shapiro has almost 20 years of experience writing and editing for some of the most prestigious companies, nonprofits and publications in the country.
Molly writes fundraising emails for a wide variety of Anne Lewis Strategies clients, including the Environmental Working Group, the League of Conservation Voters, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and EMILY’s List. She has written on behalf of President Bill Clinton, President Barack Obama, Vice President Al Gore, Senator Al Franken, Madeleine Albright, Bonnie Raitt and many others.
In addition to her work for Anne Lewis Strategies, Molly provides strategic communications support to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, working on initiatives that promote better high schools for the nation’s youth, increased access to technology in public libraries and financial services for the poor.
Molly’s corporate experience includes working in Microsoft’s MSN division, where she wrote and produced a monthly newsletter that was sent to more than 30 million Hotmail customers. As the writer/editor for iCat/Intel Corporation, she wrote, produced and launched the company’s new website. As a journalist, Molly has written for ABCNews.com, Variety magazine and Dow Jones Business Information Services, and served as associate editor of American Bookseller magazine.
As a creative writer, Molly has been commissioned for screenplays including “The Bob Marley Story” and is the author of a book of short stories titled “Eternal City,” the winner of the Willa Cather Fiction Prize. Her first novel, Point, Click, Love, was published by Ballantine Books in December 2011, and she was recently named an “Emerging Author” by Target.
Molly earned her bachelor of arts in semiotics from Brown University and a master of fine arts in creative writing from Columbia University, where she was the recipient of a Writing Division fellowship.
Clarissa Stark
Account Executive and Production Manager
Clarissa Stark joined Anne Lewis Strategies in 2011 as junior account executive and production manager, bringing with her technical and new media skills. Currently, she works with several nonprofit advocacy organizations including Alley Cat Allies and the Environmental Working Group.
Previously, Clarissa worked for Joe Trippi & Associates, where she provided support to the media and communication teams. She assisted in new media strategy development for the American Cancer Society’s More Birthdays campaign and maintained its social media channels on Facebook and Twitter. Her contributions also included designing Web and email graphics for Jerry Brown’s gubernatorial bid and editing video for Rep. Tim Holden’s successful re-election campaign. She also assisted in new media strategy development for the American Cancer Society’s More Birthdays campaign and maintained its social media channels on Facebook and Twitter.
Clarissa grew up outside of Pittsburgh and attended Brandeis University, where she graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in psychology and English. Since February 2009, she has devoted her Saturday mornings to volunteering as an abortion clinic escort in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Bob Albrecht
Writer/Editor
Bob Albrecht is a multi-platform writer with experience in political reporting and marketing. He has worked for renowned organizations including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, where he blogged on the 2008 presidential election, and LivingSocial, where he wrote and edited for cities spanning Louisville to Seattle.
He was previously a fellow with the Washington Center for Politics and Journalism, where he participated in discussions with consultant Tad Devine, Gwen Ifill and Colin Powell.
As a reporter, he won a 2010 C.B. Blethen Memorial Award for investigative reporting.
In Portland, Oregon, he led free creative writing workshops for under-privileged populations.
Since joining Anne Lewis Strategies, Bob has ghost-written for former Vice President Walter Mondale, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Sen. John Kerry and other top office-holders. He writes for the entire roster of Anne Lewis clients, including the Democratic Governors Association, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Alley Cat Allies.
Ben L. Long
Political Technology Consultant
Ben Long has been working with Anne Lewis Strategies since March 2012. With over ten years of professional experience in web technologies, including the launch of three successful companies of his own, Ben now advises nonprofits, small businesses, and political organizations on their marketing and technology strategies. He specializes in technology management and translating complex technical concepts for non-technical audiences.
In 2008, Ben co-founded and served as Executive Director for a Portland, Oregon nonprofit designed to organize and energize the local partner-dance community. Along with directing a weekly dance event with 100 – 200 attendees, his chief responsibility was ensuring the sustainability of the nonprofit organization and its leadership.
Ben started in politics as a Special Assistant for Rep. Kurt Schrader’s 2010 campaign where he drafted campaign communications, administered the donor database, and oversaw the campaign’s new media presence. Ben’s other political experiences include an internship with Rep. Jay Inslee’s at his DC office where he figuratively and literally re-wrote the book on being an intern.
Ben graduated magna cum laude with a BA in Marketing from Portland State University.
Melanie Buck
Junior Account Executive
Melanie Buck is a junior account executive at Anne Lewis Strategies, where she assists our client teams throughout the production process. Her clients include the Democratic Governors Association and the National Stroke Association.
Melanie has a strong background in nonprofit work. Her most recent position was at the Sunlight Foundation, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing transparency and accountability to all levels of government. She helped coordinate Sunlight’s advocacy efforts, frequently blogged on relevant policy topics, and encouraged community growth around open government ideals.
Melanie brings a wide range of experience to the team, having worked previously in online publishing, business development, and as a Congressional intern for Congressman John F. Tierney (6th district of Massachusetts). Originally from Gloucester, Massachusetts, Melanie graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Communications, Law, Economics, and Government and a M.A. in Political Communication from American University.
Ryan Aquilina
Production Manager
Ryan Aquilina joined Anne Lewis Strategies in June 2012 as production manager, assisting in the creation of online communication materials for clients including the Democratic Governors Association and a list of Democratic senators.
Ryan’s previous experience includes both political and nonprofit work. He previously directed media relations and new media strategies for a local-level candidate in Michigan representing over 1.2 million constituents. Prior to that, he managed the communications of SAVE Dade, a nonprofit in Miami-Dade that is the largest LGBT advocacy organization of its kind. His role there included everything from web video production to email communication.
Ryan graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Communication and Political Science from the University of Miami, where he served as the student government’s inaugural press secretary and managed every successful student presidential campaign during his tenure. Ryan was born and raised outside Detroit, Michigan.
