ELIZABETH POWER

Campaign Strategist | Communications Director | PR Specialist | Creative Storyteller

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ABOUT ME

As a political strategist with Bearstar Strategies in San Francisco for over 4.5 years, I specialize in communications, press relations, and paid media for clients in public, private, and non-profit sectors. I've produced dozens of winning ad campaigns and served as communications director/spokesperson for campaigns at the local, state, and federal levels. I also advise private companies and high profile individuals on public relations, government affairs, and crisis communications. In my free time, you can find me rock climbing in the summer, skiing in the winter, and enjoying all the incredible restaurants near my home in the Mission!

About Me

RECENT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

SENIOR ASSOCIATE, BEARSTAR STRATEGIES

July 2020 - Present

Produced media campaigns with budgets of up to $100M for clients including the San Francisco 49ers, Uber, and over a dozen politicians and ballot measures, resulting in a “win” rate of over 90%
Served as campaign communications director and spokesperson for the successful campaigns of Rep. Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Assemblymember Matt Haney (AD-17), and SF District Attorney Brooke Jenkins
Pitched and shaped news stories and op-eds; Fostered and maintained strong relationships with reporters from local, state, and national outlets; Managed inbound press requests; Led interview prep and wrote talking points for principals
Created and implemented crisis communications and public affairs plans for private sector and nonprofit clients
Directed photo and video shoots across the budget spectrum; Assisted with location scouting, talent hiring, scripting, and post-production workflows; Facilitated client review process and legal approvals before shipping finished products
Managed hiring and onboarding of campaign staff, such as potential campaign managers, finance directors, and communications staff
Developed campaign branding and materials including logos, websites, signage, written communications, social media content, and photography
Collaborated across teams such as legal, compliance, finance, internal legislative and policy staff, digital, and research to manage campaign issues and ensure success

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY INTERN, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

September 2019 - June 2020

Identified and interviewed participants of international DOS programs with compelling success stories, such as female entrepreneurs in India and press freedom activists in the Balkans
Published blog posts profiling notable program alumni to promote programs internally within the DOS and attract future participants

PUBLIC AFFAIRS INTERN, LIGHTHOUSE PUBLIC AFFAIRS

June 2019 - August 2019

Managed a public outreach project on behalf of NASA, Planetary Ventures (Google) and the Environmental Protection Agency in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act
Conducted a variety of research projects on potential clients, public officials, local organizations, and legislation

CAMPAIGN INTERN, BEARSTAR STRATEGIES

MAY 2018 - AUGUST 2018

Drafted press releases, op-eds, and correspondence on behalf of candidates and their campaigns for outreach initiatives
Compiled daily media mentions of candidates and their opponents to allow for a swift response to negative press
Tracked donations in NGP to maximize donations from individual donors
Gathered data on voter turnout and election results through PDI and organized data in Excel by county and demographic

Professional Experience

DEVELOPMENT INNOVATION VENTURES INTERN, USAID

August 2017 - May 2018

Tracked and promoted DIV grantees on Twitter and in the news to publicize their innovations
Managed a database of "evergreen" tweets in Google Sheets for the @GlobalDevLab Twitter account
Wrote marketing materials and blogs for newsletters and USAID publications
Assisted with logistics and execution of USAID's Global Innovation Week, an innovation and development conference