SCHEDULE

Day 1

10:30 am | Welcome Trivia

Hosted by Avery Dillon & Daniel Malgran

The hit session of 2021 Wonk Week is back! Join Avery and Daniel for trivia to kickoff Wonk Week and win great prizes!

11:00 am | How the NHL’s Legislative Affairs Strategy Supports The League’s Social Impact Efforts

Rob Wooley, Senior Director of Legislative Affairs, Public Policy and Partnership Development, NHL & Jeff Scott, VP of Community Development and Growth, NHL

Learn about the NHL’s success in lobbying for a Congressional Medal for the first Black player in the NHL, Willie O’Ree. You’ll also hear about the league’s social impact work and where this Congressional Medal fits into their wider strategy.

12:00 pm | Interactive Session: Building a Campaign Plan in 60 Minutes Or Less

Alex Dickinson, Senior Vice President,  Beekeeper Group

Join Alex Dickinson from the Beekeeper Group for an interactive session where you’ll leave with a plan for your next lobbying or advocacy campaign — all in under an hour.

1:00 pm | Incorporating Media Relations Into Your Public Affairs Strategy

Jonathan Scharff, Director of Insights, Kivvit & Arielle Goren, Managing Director, Kivvit

Your public affairs strategy includes meetings with officials, grassroots campaigns, and stakeholder events, but are you properly incorporating the media into your outreach plans? Hear from leading strategic communications firm, Kivvit, to build your media relations strategy.

2:00 pm | Building AI Across America

Austin Carson, Founder & President, SeedAI

Learn how Austin helps translate complex topics for policymaker audiences. Do you have trouble communicating your issue to members of Congress and state lawmakers who aren’t experts in your issue? Learn from Austin how to make it accessible.

3:00 pm | Pull Up Your CHAIR: Growing Your Career in Public Affairs

Cicely Simpson, Founder & CEO, Summit Public Affairs

Cicely Simpson has a long career in both public affairs and career coaching, and here she brings the two together. The Great Resignation has changed the way folks approach job hunting and career growth — how can public affairs professionals prepare for their next move? Join for a chance to win a copy of Cicely’s book, Pull Up Your C.H.A.I.R — Five Strategies to Change the Trajectory of Your Career.

Day 2

9:30 am – Brussels vs. Washington D.C.: What Works, What Doesn’t, And Why?

Nick DeSarno, Director, Digital and Policy Communications, Public Affairs Council & Joao Sousa,  Managing Director, European Office, Public Affairs Council

US and EU public affairs teams often use different strategies to achieve their goals. For example, grassroots advocacy hasn’t quite caught on yet in Europe. Join to hear what US teams can learn from EU teams, and vice versa. This will be a discussion-heavy session, so bring your questions!

10:30 am – Welcome Trivia
Hosted by Avery Dillon & Daniel Malgran

And you thought we’d leave you with only one day of trivia?! Join for a second chance at prizes and fun!

11:00 am – Communicating About Cannabis: Lessons from New Jersey’s Legalization

Toni-Anne Blake, Director of Communications, New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission

Everything about this communication is new – even the language. Communicators will have to navigate around federal regulations, internet blocks, political winds to deliver messages to stakeholders with sometimes conflicting interests. Learn from Toni-Anne’s experience in New Jersey and how political communicators can learn from her efforts.

12:00 pm – Session Details Coming Soon!

1:00 pm – Shoe Leather Lobbying in the States: Prepping for New Faces in State Legislatures

 Pierce Haley, Partner, Serlin Haley LLP

With new lawmakers elected in the midterms and new priorities passed down from the Supreme Court, hear from state lobbying expert Pierce Haley on how to maximize your state legislative affairs efforts in 2023.

2:00 pm – How to Build and Grow an Effective Key Contact Advocate Program

Austin O’Boyle, Senior Manager, Grassroots Advocacy & Stakeholder Engagement, National Apartment Association

Over the past year, the National Apartment Association has grown its Key Contact program and learned a number of lessons along the way. Learn from what they’ve seen in building out new grasstops and what their next steps are to make an impact with key contacts.

3:00 pm – Building a 50-State Grassroots Strategy From Scratch

Mindy Barham, Government Relations Manager, Western Governors University

Looking to use grassroots to make an impact on your organization’s issues at the state level? Learn how Mindy Barham and Western Governors University are building high-impact campaigns across all 50-states.

Day 3

10:30 am – Welcome Trivia
Hosted by Avery Dillon & Daniel Malgran

Day three of trivia will be the biggest and the best! The hardest questions, the biggest prizes! Don’t miss it!

11:00 am – From GR to Corporate Communications: Building the Skills That Support Both Functions

Michelle Erbeyi, Manager, Global Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability, Mary Kay Inc & Suzanne Swink, Head, Content and Creative Communications, bp

Hear from two speakers who have transitioned their careers from lobbying to corporate communications, and how the transition was made easy by key overlapping skills. Lobbying and communications departments are working closer than ever with the growth of corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and ESG efforts, and you’ll learn how to prepare for that shift in this session.

12:00 pm – KEYNOTE: Politics and Policy Briefing with Punchbowl News

Jake Sherman, Founder,  and Anna Palmer, Founder and CEO, Punchbowl News

1:00 pm – How Everytown for Gun Safety Tracks Key State Legislation

Megan Simmons, Law and Policy Coordinator, Everytown for Gun Safety & Pete Vujovich, Regional Director, State Government Affairs, Everytown for Gun Safety

Everytown for Gun Safety has state legislative affairs professionals across the country managing state government affairs for different regions. See how they share strategies across the country with their state bill tracking workflow.

2:00 pm – Expanding PAC Engagement with Employee Resource Groups

Michael Kennedy, Senior Vice President, Global Government Relations and Public Policy, VMWare

See how VMWare has brought Employee Resource Groups into the strategy building for their Political Action Committee in order to grow their impact.