Genevieve Van Cleve

The National Democratic Redistricting Committee was founded by former Attorney General, Eric Holder, to address threats to democracy and voting rights posed by gerrymandering.

• Drafted and implemented budget and statewide plan with key performance indicators including diversity, training targets, and actions taken.
• Successfully trained 75% of all Texans who testified in writing or in person to relevant Redistricting Committees
• Utilized statewide partner network to distribute talking points and map materials. 50% of all Texans who testified used NDRC materials and talking points
• Recruited BIPOC litigants statewide to underscore Section Two VRA claims in redistricting litigation
• Created educational and online marketing materials that were used during 100+ trainings and testimony preparation sessions. The volunteer pool was statewide and diverse in age, socio-economic status, and race
• Prepared and wrote talking points for elected officials on redistricting
• Worked with both federal and state legislative staff and elected officials on best practices and challenges during redistricting
• Appeared on national panels with issue experts like Dave Wasserman, on camera in Austin Metro stations, appeared on NPR's All Things Considered, and in statewide newspapers on behalf of NDRC
• Utilized digital organizing tools – Mobilize, Thinkific, and Slack to build distributed organizing teams in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Ft. Worth, and Austin metro areas

The NDRC's PAC invested heavily in targeted races in 2022. I served on the political team and managed a political portfolio that included NV, KS, AZ, TX, CO, and NE.

• Notable wins - AZ Sec. of State Adrian Fontes, NV Sec. of State Cisco Aguilar, KS Gov. Laura Kelly, and protected a slim majority CO State Senate
• Developed detailed plans and funding recommendations based on analysis of campaign budgets, fundraising, and field planning
• Worked with national partners including DLCC, EMILY’s List, and state Democratic Caucuses to maximize strategic, national investments
• Leveraged data from partners at the National Committee for an Effective Congress and internal polling from campaigns and caucuses to recommend investment level and support

VanVella Consulting was created to provide clients with political, media, campaign, and issue advocacy strategies.

• Delivered political subject matter expertize to female and BIPOC government officials and candidates
• Placed stories and an op-ed in Houston Chronicle and organized volunteers to attend campaign events for Protect Our Care endorsed candidates
• Drafted Accountability Campaign to encourage District Attorneys to act upon criminal justice reform
• Organized and planned high level strategy during Texas State Representative Sheryl Cole's first campaign - Rep. Cole won by a majority and has been re-elected.
• Served as Texas State Senator Sarah Eckhardt's political consultant during her successful bid for Travis County Judge - She won by 10 points
• Offered strategic recommendations for training and political programs for Annie's List
• Co-Created Blue-Ribbon Lobby Day and Texas Women’s Vote Project - The first Democratic Women’s lobby day in Texas in 30 years and key to organizing during Wendy Davis’s abortion stand-off of 2013. Blue-Ribbon Lobby Day is still conducted every session.

Annie's List is a Texas PAC whose mission is to recruit, train, and elect Democratic women to public office as well as build a bench of trained staff and candidates at the local, state, and statewide level.

• Developed and executed strategic plans and programmatic budgets. I directly provided political, marketing, finance, budgeting, field, and vendor support for 21 of the 39 current incumbents and champions listed on Annie's List's website.
• Collaborated with Texas PAC, Texas Democratic Party, and the TX HDCC to recruit, interview and hire campaign managers, vendors, and staff
• Produced budget, secured in-kind support, taught, and provided logistics for yearly statewide campaign school designed to build a bench of future diverse candidates and staff.
• Collaborated with Texas experts to review Campaign School scenarios, materials and student plans. We provided constructive feedback to our students and introduced them to an array of partners, vendors, and elected officials they would encounter in their future endeavors
• Analyzed Texas PAC table and internal candidate polling, fundraising, and strategy to provide investment recommendations to Annie's List's Board
• Increased brand awareness by appearing in Texas media - on camera, in print, and radio on behalf of Annie's List
• Won horizon victories for LGBTQ, Latino, African American, and Asian female candidates including - Vy Nguyen (Ft. Bend), Rep. Mary Gonzalez, Former Houston Mayor, Annise Parker, Rep. Nicole Collier, Rep. Sheryl Cole, Rep. Mary Ann Perez, and Rep. Terry Meza

Annie's List is a Texas PAC whose mission is to recruit, train, and elect Democratic women to public office as well as build a bench of trained staff and candidates at the local, state, and statewide level.

• Identified metrics to measure endorsed campaigns effectiveness and provided round-the-clock strategic and logistical support In 2008, Annie's List won 9 seats and temporarily ended a Republican super-majority
• Led recruitment efforts for Annie's List Campaign School. Recruited applicants who were diverse, paying close attention to BIPOC and socio-economically diverse candidates
• Collaborated with elected officials and statewide Democratic partners to place graduates of Campaign School with public policy and electoral jobs. My first student, Dyana Limon Mercado is now the Travis County Clerk, in charge of elections
• Authored engaging press releases and mass emails for both Annie's List and for its endorsed candidates and champions
• Drafted speeches and provided public speaking training for candidates
• Responsible for Annie's List candidate recruitment in Austin, Houston, and Dallas. Texas is so large, that the two-person political department had to fulfill recruitment goals by breaking up the state into regions

Diana Maldonado won an impossible race by less than 1,000 votes. It was the first Texas Legislative race with a $1 million+ budget. Rep. Maldonado was the first Latina ever to be elected in Williamson County, Texas.

• Planned and executed events with public and private donors
• Utilized mass email (new tech in 2008) to fundraise to donors and organize volunteers
• Developed policy positions and wrote public statements outlining stances for the candidate
• First campaign in Williamson County to target Latino, African American voters in the field and paid media programs