Tess Hembree Email & Phone Number

Washington D.C. Metro Area

- Singlehandedly develop and implement Congressional strategy for national organization with over 40,000 members - Dramatically expand organization grassroots, raising individual participation of members by over 70 percent and increasing advocacy letters sent from 3,000 per year to over 13,000 letters sent in a single month- Achieve legislative success that increased funding for housing programs by 10 percent during austerity, removed unnecessary regulatory barriers, and preserved key programs at risk of elimination - Manage department budget- Position and prepare witnesses to testify before Congress- Lead membership-based legislative and rural-focused committees- Develop advocacy mobile app and re-develop web-based advocacy tools- Conference planning, improving attendee experience and increasing conference value to organization- Navigated organization through longest government shutdown in history, broadening media exposure, strengthening Congressional reputation, and providing members with critical information- Currently leading organization through COVID-19, secured over $12 billion in emergency funding and regulatory flexibility for housing programs, increased member engagement, and pivoted an in-person conference on Capitol Hill to a virtual experience including over 220 Congressional meetings

Washington D.C. Metro Area

-Primary in-house policy and government relations advisor, staff liaison, and public representative for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials and the American Planning Association- Registered lobbyist focusing on housing appropriations and authorization committees for two national clients- Develop and grow grassroots networks for several national clients- Develop and implement legislative and advocacy strategy plans- Manage large membership networks partnering directly with members to craft, strategize, and achieve the client’s legislative goals - Organize and assist on lead team that runs large-scale legislative conferences- Advocacy trainer with experience speaking in front of thousands of conference attendees- Partner with several national coalitions on behalf of clients

Executive Mpa

Political Science, Political Science And Journalism

Activities and Societies: Editor and reporter for the "Western Front" student newspaper