Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Timeline
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Kalynn "Kay" Cook

Nashville,TN

Summary

Knowledgeable Program Director with proven track record in leading non-profit organizations. Results-driven professional with strong emphasis on strategic planning, program development, and operational excellence. Demonstrates exceptional leadership in fostering team collaboration and delivering impactful outcomes. Adaptable and reliable, bringing critical skills in project management, stakeholder engagement, and resource optimization. Known for effective communication, problem-solving, and focus on achieving organizational goals.

Overview

10
10
years of professional experience

Work History

President

Kay Cook Consulting
01.2019 - Current
  • Quadrupled Power the Polls' engagement in less than a year by expanding poll worker needs tracking from 577 jurisdictions to 2,555 jurisdictions across 50 states, recruiting >225K potential poll workers in 2023-24, exceeding goals with 40% less funding
  • Managed election administrator outreach and poll worker engagement for Power the Polls by coordinating more than 36 strategic partnerships and engaging with hundreds of election officials to recruit >200K poll workers in 2022
  • Tripled membership for the Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions in four months by centering client services, designing engaging and interactive webinars and co-organizing an in-person convening of >100 stakeholders, hailed by donors and partnering CEOs as the best convening they had attended in 30 years in the elections industry
  • Drove a new, state-based advocacy nonprofit by fundraising >$130,000, directing lobbying team on >20 bills, and passing a priority bill in its first five months
  • Created a first-of-its-kind, collaborative list-building campaign with six partners to educate thousands of Tennesseans across more than 35 counties, engaging >12,000 new supporters, and passing two bills in two years
  • Led fundraising consulting work for eight local-level clients, organizing over 25 fundraisers and raising >$350K in three months - more than doubling the average amount the client was fundraising prior to the contract start
  • Trained 12 staff across clients to sustain successful campaign fundraising, saving each client's campaign >$50K

Senior Director of Advocacy

Voting Rights Lab
01.2021 - 01.2022
  • Oversaw >1,000 bills across 19 states with >350 anti-voter and >400 pro-voter bills, while defeating or mitigating 267 bills, managing a department spend of $38MM/yr and an organizational operating budget of $80MM/yr in 2022
  • Led teams of >65 staff, including managing contracts and performance for 55 consultants in 19 states, while undergoing an organizational rebranding, with all staff meeting or exceeding KPIs and 100% retention rate year-over-year
  • Spearheaded 14 paid media campaigns across five states in eight months, directing spend totaling >$3MM, driving thousands of calls to key legislators and hundreds of thousands of impressions/ads served to target constituencies
  • Selected based on successful track record to direct content of weekly updates to the White House on >40 priority bill movements and advocacy campaigns and advised the administration on the growing threat of election subversion and solutions, resulting in 'election subversion' as the central theme of two speeches by the administration
  • Managed 16 coalitions totaling >325 partner organizations across six states and the national landscape while working with consultants on strategic communications that resulted in >100 media hits in eight months
  • Directed the investment of $6.6MM across six states, including >$1.5MM in re-grants to on the ground, in-state partners while presenting to major donors as part of fundraising efforts, directly yielding >$3MM in additional investments
  • Cultivated a culture of innovation by promoting creative thinking and encouraging employees to take calculated risks in pursuit of solutions.
  • Optimized project timelines by effectively delegating tasks and prioritizing workload among team members.

Florida State Director

The Impact Project
01.2019 - 01.2021
  • Tracked >100 bills per legislative session across healthcare, economic, and voting rights/election policy while disbursing a Florida investment budget of >$1.5MM/yr and leading a statewide coalition of more than 100 partners
  • Managed 15 consultants and 15 grantees across the state with 100% retention rate while overseeing four media contracts that produced 56 op-eds, 10 Letters to the Editor, six editorials, and 332 new stories on priority issues in two years
  • Led a bilingual, $400K multimedia campaign, garnering 17.7M impressions and 5.5M video views
  • Defeated a priority consumer lending bill, filed eight proactive messaging bills, and worked alongside eight sponsors to raise the profile of priorities through media campaigns

Vice President

Edge Communications
01.2015 - 01.2019
  • Oversaw 24 state and local campaigns with budgets ranging from $30K to >$10MM, directing a total spend of >$26MM with 21 digital campaigns, 22 field campaigns, 3 TV paid media campaigns, and 25 mail programs
  • Led a team of >70 staff and > 200 volunteers, ensuring team KPIs were met or exceeded while managing an annual budget of $1.5MM
  • Mentored 22 progressive candidates running for office across South Florida, winning over 72% of campaigns despite the political challenges while raising over $4MM for state and local candidates through more than 50 fundraising events
  • Launched and led a grassroots field campaign that resulted in being the first Mayoral candidate in Miami-Dade history to qualify for the ballot by petition with over 20,000 signatures, raising >$1MM in the first month of the campaign

Education

Bachelor of Arts - Politics

Brandeis University

Skills

  • Campaign Coordination
  • Strategic Project Management
  • Process Optimization
  • Cost Efficiency Strategies
  • Interdepartmental Coordination
  • Strategic Partnership Development
  • Employee Training
  • Growth Strategy Development
  • Fundraising Expertise
  • Relationship Development
  • Team Leadership
  • Analytical Decision Making
  • Collaborative Problem-Solving

Timeline

Senior Director of Advocacy

Voting Rights Lab
01.2021 - 01.2022

President

Kay Cook Consulting
01.2019 - Current

Florida State Director

The Impact Project
01.2019 - 01.2021

Vice President

Edge Communications
01.2015 - 01.2019

Bachelor of Arts - Politics

Brandeis University

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Kalynn "Kay" Cook