Anna Holmquist Davis

Anna Davis is an attorney advisor to Maureen K. Ohlhausen, Commissioner at the US Federal Trade Commission. Prior to returning to the FTC in April 2012, she worked 10 years at the Commission, heading up the Office of Congressional Relations (2001 - 06), and the Office of Public Affairs (1987 – 89) and working as an attorney in the Division of Advertising Practices (1986 – 87). From 2006 to 2012, she was the Executive Director for Government Relations at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. She serves as secretary on the Board of Women in Government Relations. She earned her JD from Georgetown University Law Center, and her BA from Scripps College.

Ellisa Dodge

Elissa Dodge is a Managing Director at Qorvis Communications, leading public affairs and grassroots for a variety of corporate, association, and non-profit clients. Since joining Qorvis in 2004, Elissa has helped her clients achieve success by managing integrated communications programs that include public relations, social media communications, crisis communications, media training, website development and redesign, grassroots advocacy, and executive visibility. In her spare time on the job, she is also a reluctant but effective event manager, developing and executing everything from trade show exhibits to international conferences featuring the likes of Hillary Clinton and Ben Affleck. Prior to joining Qorvis, Elissa managed national advocacy programs for major trade associations. She created and maintained coalition building campaigns and executed internal and external grassroots mobilization efforts. With nearly 15 year experience, Elissa has conveyed public policy positions to legislators and key media outlets on a broad range of policy issues. Elissa has served as a member of the board of directors of the Women in Government Relations and the Alexandria Boys & Girls Club.  In 2012, Elissa was awarded with Women in Government Relations highest honor, the WGR Distinguished Member Award. After graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Hofstra University with a degree in political science and marketing, Elissa attended Georgetown University for a masters in social and public policy.  Elissa commutes between D.C. and New York, where she has a second full-time job as the proud mother to a 2-year-old daughter.

Marjorie Clifton

Marjorie Clifton is principal of Clifton Consulting LLC and founder of SpiketheWaterCooler.com, has over 16 years of marketing, communications and public affairs experience. Marjorie began her career working in the technology field developing some of the first social media tools and digital imaging products for women. She later went on to become a product manager and spokesperson for Kodak and Sony. Since 2003, she has been a consultant for corporations, non-profits, political campaigns and foundations advising them on their strategic communications, branding and positioning strategies. Marjorie has worked with a range of clients including C-level executives of Fortune 100 companies, Members of Congress, presidential campaigns, political pundits, faith leaders and advocates. Her clients have included the US Department of State, the Federal Reserve, the US Department of Energy, Coca Cola, Booz Allen Hamilton, Verizon, the American Red Cross, Boeing, General Motors, Pfizer, Ebay, the American Medical Association and the Nature Conservancy. Marjorie is also a published author, speaker, and media commentator. She regularly appears on CNN, Fox, global television networks and national radio. Her passion is expanding women’s leadership and political participation. As part of this work, she builds and leads global training programs in media, communications, leadership, advocacy and organizing. Her projects have spanned five continents and nearly all fifty states. Marjorie is co-founder of Community in Her Corner, a non-profit focused on professional development and local community building for female entrepreneurs. She is also a published author and speaker who leads leadership and communications trainings across the country and internationally. She is an executive board member of Running Start and founder of their Next Step program, which trains women 22-28 in career development and politics. She is also a board member of American University’s Women in Politics Institute. Marjorie received her bachelor’s degree in Communications and Spanish from the University of Texas, where she is currently a fellow for the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Participation. She has her master’s in acting and corporate theater from Drama Studio London. Marjorie currently lives in Washington, DC.

Anne Erni

Anne Erni is an innovative and passionate leader in developing people of all backgrounds to reach their potential and contribute their best to their organizations and communities.  In January 2009 Anne joined Bloomberg LP as the Head of Leadership, Learning and Diversity, In this role, she is responsible for the vision, development and implementation of the company’s talent management strategy.  Her role includes leading such global initiatives such as succession planning, leadership development, diversity, coaching, career development, business partnering, organizational change and the transformation of Bloomberg University. Prior to joining Bloomberg, Anne was a Managing Director and Chief Diversity Officer at Lehman Brothers where she pioneered global efforts in the recruiting, retention and advancement of women and under-represented groups in financial services.  She led the development of global strategies for workforce, marketplace and supplier diversity and the work-life integration agenda.  Anne came to talent management with more than 15 years of front line banking experience in fixed income, prime brokerage sales, and in corporate banking covering both private and public sector clients. Prior to joining Lehman she worked for Bankers Trust in money market and derivative sales and Swiss Bank Corporation as a corporate lending officer for global, middle market clients. Anne is a co-chair of the Task Force for Talent Innovation and serves on several advisory boards including The Office of Personnel for The White House, The Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Financial Economics, The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Bologna Center and on the Board of Trustees at the Center for Talent Innovation. Anne received her B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and  M.A. from the School of Advanced International Studies of the Johns Hopkins University in Washington and Bologna, Italy.  Anne is married to Nicolas Erni and lives in New Jersey her two children Paulina and Noah.

Katie Vlietstra Wonnenberg

Katie serves as Director of Government Affairs for the National Association for the Self-Employed, leading the NASE’s federal advocacy strategy in representing the 22 million self-employed.  Katie’s nine years of government affairs experience, includes both successes in the legislative and regulatory arena in both the public and private sector.  While she doesn’t claim to have a favorite issue per se, she loves the process and procedure aspects of lawmaking. No stranger to the press, Katie is often called upon to comment on the pressing legislative topics of the day, including health care, tax reform, and immigration reform.  Her passion for communicating the impact of laws and regulations on America’s businesses makes her a sought after commentator.Ever committed to professional and personal development, Katie relishes in her role as President of Women in Government Relations and is committed to ensuring that WGR stays true to its commitment to empower and educate women in the government relations field. Additional volunteer service includes the board of directors for the Women Under Forty Political Action Committee and her international sorority, Phi Sigma Sigma. She also serves as a softball coach for Virginia Special Olympics.A graduate from both Chapman University (B.A.) and George Mason University (M.A.), Katie will tell anyone she experienced the best of both coasts, being born and raised on the West and pursuing her professional life on the East. Katie and her husband, David, reside on Capitol Hill with their 90lbs black Labrador, Coltrane. Most weekends you can find them roaming Eastern Market or playing a game of volleyball behind the Lincoln Memorial.

Courtney Genosi Watson

Courtney joined Raytheon in 2005 and currently serves as a Lobbyist within the Government Relations division. In her position, she represents corporate tax, benefit, environmental, education and labor policy interests before the United States Congress and the Administration. Prior to her current role, Courtney managed the Raytheon political action committee (RAYPAC), lobbying and ethics compliance, grassroots, and 501(c)(3) giving programs. During her time with Raytheon, she more than tripled RAYPAC receipts making RAYPAC one of the largest corporate PACs in America. Before coming to Raytheon, Ms. Watson served as Vice President of Michael E. Dunn & Associates (MED&A), developing and implementing PAC strategies and programs for corporate and association clients. Until 2003, Ms. Watson worked at Deloitte & Touche (D&T), LLP. While with the Firm, she lobbied accounting and pension issues before the U.S. Congress and administered the D&T Federal PAC as well as the D&T PAC-consulting business. Ms. Watson started her career with Congressman Bart Gordon (D-TN) in a plethora of capacities including Finance Director and Field Representative in his district in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and Staff Assistant on Capitol Hill. Ms. Watson earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and her Master’s degree in Political Management from the George Washington University (GWU). She resides in Arlington, Virginia with her two children, Andrew and Taylor.

Brenda Wigger

Brenda Wigger is a Senior Vice President at Voter/Consumer Research and the resident mathematician. Throughout her career at V/CR, she’s covered a wide range of both political and corporate clients, including serving as the primary polling contact for the George W. Bush White House, the Bush-Cheney ’04 campaign, and the Republican National Committee. Before joining V/CR, Brenda worked in various corporate and association statistical consulting roles, including insurance and financial services, transportation, and the healthcare industry. 

Suzanne Zurn
 
Suzanne Zurn is Senior Vice President at Adfero Group. She brings 20 years of communications experience in providing strategic counsel and campaign management to a variety of corporate, association and non-profit clients. She has also held positions at Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, Xenophon Strategies, 720 Strategies, Legislative Demographic Services and The George Washington University. Suzanne holds a degree in Political Management from The George Washington University, and graduated cum laude from Washburn University with a bachelor’s in political science and communications. In 2003, Washburn named her an Alumni Fellow to the College of Arts and Sciences (she is the youngest alumna to receive this distinction). Suzanne is currently on the Advisory Team at Call2Action and is a former Board member for Women in Government Relations.