Ellie Klerlein

Ellie brings more than a decade of experience in strategic communication, digital strategy, coalition management, and advocacy communication to Spitfire. She loves to conquer new challenges and enjoys working with clients who are willing to experiment and try new approaches to take on society’s toughest problems. She currently works with the Ford Foundation on a groundbreaking effort to prop up the field of public interest technology. She works closely with the foundation president and international director of Technology and Society to make the case for the field across four sectors: academia, government, civil society, and the private sector. She also works closely with several civil rights organizations, led by the Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights, to protect the 2020 Census from disinformation threats.

Ellie helps organizations craft strategic digital communication to achieve their policy objectives and enhance their advocacy campaigns. She applied her digital chops to supporting Just Label It, a campaign to pressure big food companies to support mandatory labeling of GMOs. She also partnered with the Campion Foundation, Alaska Wilderness League and like-minded conservation organizations on a campaign to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Ellie trains numerous organizations on digital strategy and implementation, including grantees of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), Office of Adolescent Health and Blank Foundation, participants in Spitfire’s Executive Training Program, and local partner organizations of the United Way and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.