Dennis Sills Email & Phone Number

Kirkland, Wa, Us

• Executive leader: Member of 12-person executive leadership team responsible for development of strategic plan, annual budget, organizational structure, Board relations, and strategic initiatives. Elevated to manage team including external affairs professionals, contract lobbyist, and grant writer. • Cultivate and grow funding streams: Secured $22+ million in public support through competitive grants, credits, and other incentives. Increased public funding by more than $10m in 2023 (more than 15%) and secured $1.7 million through two federal grants. Helped develop JumpStart grant with City of Seattle to enable pay equity increases for more than 150 frontline staff. Completed successful rapid acquisition application for $2.8m in recurring funding to pilot a new permanent supportive housing property with a new staffing model. • Strengthen alliances and collaboration: Serve as agency’s primary public liaison, including roles as member of the Seattle Housing Levy Technical Advisory Committee, Housing Development Consortium’s Policy Advisory Group, Washington State Department of Commerce’s housing cost study member, Third Door Coalition Board, and additional state and regional coalitions. • Shape and lead advocacy: Develop and advance advocacy and policy priorities at federal, state, county, regional, and local levels for large housing non-profit with 1,400+ residents and 400+ staff. • Develop agency’s strategic direction: Primary staff member for Board’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusionand Advocacy Committee and served on Board’s Strategic Planning Committee. Developed 3-year agency strategic plan with the Committee and the Executive Leadership Team.• Forge resilient and inclusive communities: Lead expansion into new communities through working with new jurisdictions on housing policies, funding streams, and regulatory reform.• Build new agency capabilities: Develop annual plan, public relations strategies, and external engagement plan.

Greater Seattle Area

• Manage statewide operations: Direct Washington state operations for a senior Representative on the House Ways and Means Committee and Chair of the New Democrat Coalition.• Support employee growth: Supervise a six-person team responsible for handling constituent inquiries for federal agencies, engaging with constituents across four counties, and developing and communicating legislative priorities. Manage human resources issues to include providing performance appraisals, establishing individual and team strategic goals, and assisting staff with problem-solving. • Serve as trusted public representative: Speak publicly with elected officials and local group leaders on behalf of the Representative; meet with federal and district government agencies and focus on maintaining important stakeholder relationships.• Facilitate widely attended events: Plan, strategize, and execute events throughout Washington state to include logistics, staffing, security, planning and policy for a Seattle visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.• Strengthen media relations: Serve as a media liaison and contribute to, edit, and recommend opportunities to include interviews, press releases, and social media.• Allocate budget: Assist in managing the Members Representational Allowance ($1+ million budget). • Deliver rapid response: Spearheaded constituent guide series to communicate legislative accomplishments that responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Oversaw creation of outreach, casework strategies, and series of Town Hall meetings with key officials to include leaders from the U.S. Small Business Administration and the State of Washington Employment Security Department. • Launch civil rights efforts: Developed a Town Hall with Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Karen Bass (D-CA) following racial justice protests in 2020 and assisted with creating an outreach strategy to build relationships with additional civil rights groups to include Black Lives Matter and the NAACP.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Directed legislative operation: Managed four-person legislative team responsible for formulating the policy positions and agenda for a senior Representative on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Drafted amendments and legislation and advanced the Representative’s agenda through working with Congressional offices, Committee staff, Presidential administrations and external stakeholders. • Collaborated with diverse communities: From 2014 through 2016, the Representative was elected Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). Helped shape the Chairman’s CBC priorities and coordinated with 46 CBC personal Member offices on issue areas to include: expanding access to world-class education; expanding access to quality, affordable health care and eliminating racial health disparities; expanding access to technologies including broadband; and strengthening protections for workers.• Navigated broad legislative portfolio: Promoted four times in legislative positions and responsible for advising Representative on legislation considered by the House Energy and Commerce Committee to include: Medicare and Medicaid; biomedical research and development; food, drug, device and cosmetic safety; environmental protection, clean air and climate change; safe drinking water; renewable energy and conservation; electronic communications and the internet; broadcast and cable television; privacy; cybersecurity and data security; consumer protection and product safety; motor vehicle safety; and commerce.• Achieved legislative victories: Drafted more than 30 pieces of legislation and passed more than 10 bipartisan proposals into law. • Coordinated strategic communications: Reviewed all outgoing correspondence to include press releases, newsletters, social media, interview scripts, and speeches. Spoke publicly on behalf of the Representative at widely attended events to include panel discussions and meetings in the District.

Greater Los Angeles Area

• Led sizable teams: Promoted three times and became supervisor of largest department in company with 80 warehouse logistics employees after supervising department of 40 customer service employees. • Managed resources and personnel: Contributed to the administration of a $4 million annual budget, developed workflow strategies, and handled personnel issues including scheduling and evaluation. • Improved operational efficiency: Designed and implemented new warehouse system that increased efficiency and saved $200,000 annually. Monitored 10,000 daily shipments and developed strategies to reduce delays by 50 percent.

Ba, Public Policy, Journalism, History

Activities and Societies: Dean's List with Distinction, Public Policy Honors Program, Sigma Phi Epsilon, America Reads, America Counts.

Master'S Degree, Business Administration And Management, General

Activities and Societies: International consulting project participant in Singapore, data modeling and predictive analytics track.