Responsibilities: On a day-to-day basis, Moodie-Mills writes and publishes policy reports and issue briefs, and educates and makes recommendations to policymakers. In addition to working to change federal policies, she works to expand and diversify public discourse. This includes delivering messages through media and strengthening the ability of local grassroots organizations to advocate.
Driven by passion: While a policy analyst at the Center for Education Reform in 2000, the politically conservative environment caused Moodie-Mills to shift gears. “The fate of education policy at that time was going to be determined by whoever won the presidential election,†she says. “That made me realize that I wanted to be the person who was helping the right people get elected because that would trickle into who was making policies I cared about.†She went on to serve as regional finance director at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and as executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus PAC before founding the Synergy Strategy Group in 2006, a political and public affairs consultancy, to help build relationships between minority-owned businesses and the government. Through her firm, she also served as political adviser, private—sector liaison, and campaign fundraiser to more than 50 members of Congress, including six senators. “I’ve always been most passionate about helping people who have been traditionally marginalized have a voice in the policymaking process,†Moodie-Mills says. “Those wealthy, well-connected people and corporations are the ones who know how to get access, which is why there’s often a disconnect between the policies that are passed and the actual needs and interests of the people that they affect. And my goal is to bridge the gap.â€
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