Stephanie Berger

STEPHANIE BERGER

In less than a decade, Stephanie Berger has risen to the highest ranks of the public policy arena, on both political fundraising and advocacy fronts. A veteran of three Presidential Campaigns, she has devoted herself to furthering the principles of the Democratic Party and its members through development and strategy efforts on such critical issues as education, the environment, energy and pediatric AIDS.

Over the years, Stephanie has developed successful strategies for numerous political candidates and advocacy organizations, helping to elect public officials nationwide as well as tangibly raising public awareness of the client's purpose. She delivers to her clients an overall, precise strategy on how to best raise both public awareness and increase financial capital. Finally, she leaves her clients with the permanent infrastructure and know-how to continue fundraising. Among Stephanie's accomplishments are:

- In the 2008 Presidential Primary, she provided strategic fundraising advice to the Dodd for President Team and was responsible for overseeing the $15 million national fundraising operation.

- In just under three months, she raised $15 million for the DNC Battleground Victory Fund. These funds were used to fund all the Get Out The Vote (GOTV) efforts in the battleground states for the 2004 Presidential election.

-In four months, she raised $90 million as the National Co-Finance Director of John Kerry for President, and managed a team of 90 finance staff nationally.

- As the Associate Vice President of Development for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, she raised $6 million while managing a national team of 6 development officers. She also produced 3 signature fundraising events: A Target Time for Heroes in LA, Kids for Kids in NY and A Night to Unite in DC.

- In less than six months, she help raised $23.8 million as the National Finance Director of the Democratic National Committee, while managing a national team of 40 finance staff members.

She was responsible for the $100,000 donors as the Director of the Jefferson Trust for the Democratic National Committee.

EXPERIENCE

Since 2004, Stephanie has focused her energies on building the client base and reputation of Berger Hirschberg Strategies, a nationally renowned political consulting firm. Stephanie manages the daily operations of the firm and, because of her previous professional success, has worked with some of the most prominent Democratic officials in the United States, including Governor Christine Gregoire, Governor Jennifer Granholm, Governor and designee Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, and Senator Christopher Dodd, to name few.

The second practicing arm of Berger Hirschberg Strategies involves the firm's work with non profit and issue advocacy organizations. As a former Development Director in the non-profit sector Stephanie has used her expertise to advise some of the largest and most influential non-profit organizations and advocacy groups such as: The Martin Luther King Memorial Foundation, MoveOn.org, Planned Parenthood for America, Rock the Vote and the Heinz Family Philanthropies.

Her work with the Democratic Party, outside her tenure as Finance Director, has recently included consulting for the Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, and South Carolina Democratic Parties, and in August of 2008, Stephanie of the 2008 Democratic National Convention Committee in Denver, Colorado.

During the 2004 Presidential Election, Stephanie helped to raise money for the campaigns of Senator Bob Graham and General Wesley Clark before being named the Co-Finance Director of John Kerry for President. During the March convention, Stephanie oversaw a $90 million fundraising campaign. Working in this capacity, Stephanie assembled and led a team that raised more than $15 million in three months for the critically important 2004 DNC Battleground States Project, in what many consider among the closest and most important Presidential Campaigns in our nation's history. She also worked closely on the development of strategy with Senator Kerry, his top advisors, and the Democratic Party's upper echelon of political strategists for the duration of the 2004 Presidential Campaign.

From November 2001 to January 2003, Stephanie was the Associate Vice-President of Development for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, where she led the national effort to raise public awareness and financial contributions to end the AIDS epidemic among children throughout the world. During this time, Stephanie and her team raised $6 million for the education and prevention of pediatric AIDS in both the United States and Africa.

As the National Finance Director for the Democratic National Committee in Washington DC, Stephanie led the Presidential Campaign fundraising effort, where she raised a record $23.8 million dollars in the first six months of 2001. In addition to her fundraising duties, Stephanie also served as the primary liaison between the Party and its core constituency groups in labor, corporate America, and tier-one individual donors, as well as the National Finance Board of Advisors.

Stephanie began her career with the DNC in June 1998 as the National Director of the Jefferson Trust, the Party's $100,000 donor council. Stephanie is credited with restructuring the council and greatly expanding its leadership and membership. In 1999, Stephanie was appointed Finance Director for the Southwest region, where she successfully raised over $18 million for the 2000 Gore Presidential Campaign. Stephanie also served as the principle contact between constituents and the White House during the campaign.

Stephanie earned a master's degree in public administration from the University of Colorado, with a concentration in public policy analysis. She received a bachelor of arts in political science and anthropology from Sweet Briar College, where she was a Dean's List student and won the Student Government Service Award.

In addition, Stephanie is an Adjunct Professor at George Washington University for the Semester in Washington Program, served as the Vice Chairmen of the Environmental Working GroupC4 Action Board, served as a board member of the Women's and Political Institute of American University, and has led numerous fundraising and leadership seminars for the following programs: George Washington University's Graduate School of Public Management, American University Campaign School, the
Center for Environmental Citizenship's Summer Training Academy, Moving America Forward, the Victory Fund Institute, and The Women's Campaign Fund and the White House Project.