Leaders

As head of public affairs at McKinsey, Danielle oversees the reputation and fosters relationships. With Danielle’s guidance, the public affairs team works energetically to establish McKinsey as a trusted resource within the community .Previously, she led US Federal Affairs at a rideshare company, influencing transportation legislation. With extensive Capitol Hill experience, she served under House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senator Jon Kyl. Additionally, she is a board member of The Campaign School at Yale and the University of Maine Cohen Institute.

Stephen Hartell is Vice President of Public Policy Americas, leading the Federal Affairs team. Before joining Amazon, Steve worked in similar positions at Cisco Systems, Inc., and EMC Corporation. Prior to joining the private sector, he worked for the late Senator Ernest F. Hollings (D-SC) and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Steve serves on several boards, including the Congressional Award Foundation, the Franklin Center, and Good Shepherd Housing. Steve has B.A. from the University of South Carolina and a M.A. from The George Washington University.

María Teresa Kumar is the co-founder and President of Voto Latino, the nation’s largest Latino voter registration and youth advocacy organization. Under her leadership, Voto Latino has registered over 1.4 million voters in key battleground states, with 79% casting ballots. The organization has pioneered the use of technology, social media, and influencers to expand the Latino electorate and combat disinformation, reaching over 6 million Americans monthly.

A recognized political strategist, María Teresa has advised President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing and serves on the National Task Force on Election Crises. She is an Emmy-nominated MSNBC analyst and serves on the boards of Steve Madden, Emily’s List, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. A first-generation Harvard Kennedy School graduate, she has been named among Bloomberg’s 100 Influential Latinos and Washingtonian’s Top Political Influencers.

An award-winning entrepreneur, philanthropist, political appointee, and economic activist, Natalie has provided some of the nation's most prominent CEOs of billion-dollar organizations, executives of global brands, senior advisors to the White House, mayors of leading national cities, and community activists and leaders with inspiration, insight and advisement. She currently serves as the President & CEO for the Association for Enterprise Opportunity, a national organization to advance entrepreneurship across the nation.

Maryam Mujica is the Chief Public Policy Officer at General Catalyst, a global investment & transformation company. Maryam began her career as a litigation attorney but as a first-generation American, she felt mission-driven to work for the US government, working at The White House National Security Council & State Department focused on the Middle East. She first joined Twitter’s Public Policy team followed by leading Google’s Emerging Markets portfolio for their International Government Affairs team. Maryam has also led global policy teams at Shopify and Booking Holdings.

Heather Podesta is the founder and CEO of Invariant, where she counsels the country’s most influential business leaders. A renowned advisor and attorney, Heather draws on decades of business and Washington experience to help clients navigate high-stakes and rapidly changing environments. From Fortune 500 companies to innovative startups, Heather helps companies manage risk, make money faster, and build their brands. Heather is regularly sought out by political candidates and officeholders for her strategic counsel.

James leads the advocacy, communications and external affairs portfolios for Arnold Ventures. In this role, James oversees investments and strategy at the state and federal levels to achieve evidence-based policy solutions and curates strategies to support lawmakers and advocates working on bipartisan initiatives. Previously, James served as the Vice President for Criminal Justice Advocacy at Arnold Ventures, where he directed the state and federal advocacy portfolio for bipartisan criminal justice reform.

LEADERS