Carrie Pugh is an experienced strategist and serves as a senior advisor on campaigns, civic engagement, and stakeholder management.  Her reputation as a key go-to expert gives her a range of clients from top names in Democratic politics, political organizations, organized labor, philanthropy, national and local advocacy groups, AAPI community organizations, and national issue campaigns. 

While serving as Director of External Affairs in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services she was the main liaison for the Office of the Secretary to the Department’s stakeholders ranging from business groups, trade associations, healthcare providers, labor unions, Women’s organizations, and consumer organizations. She helped rebuild a department that had been severely diminished under the prior administration and expanded its outreach under HHS Secretary Becerra. 

Previously, as Senior Director of the National Education Association’s Campaigns & Elections Department, Pugh successfully directed four presidential campaign efforts and oversaw three midterm elections. She ran numerous campaigns for the largest union in the country, including launching their See Educators Run candidate training program and served as a key strategist on numerous national and state issue fights, such as the Red for Ed budget fights.  In addition to overseeing numerous programs, she initiated numerous electoral innovations while at the NEA and served as its chief political person across the union’s governance bodies.

Prior to joining NEA in 2007, Pugh spent more than six years at the Service Employees International Union, serving as the national field director and Midwest political director, and culminating in the position of Deputy Political Director and Presidential Program Manager in 2007. It was there that she helped launch the famous Walk a Day program now used by organizations across the country, as well as the 2004 SEIU Heroes program which deployed 2004 SEIU members full time on the ground in the race to 270 electoral votes. 

Pugh believes that we must not just win but also build and is dedicated to long-term organizing that builds capacity- not merely short-term wins.  She has been a key catalyst shaping progressive infrastructure and the pipeline of progressive public officials through her role as political director and through numerous boards, such as the Democracy Alliance’s New American Majority Board, the Democratic Attorney’s General Association’s Progressive State Leaders Committee,  the Strategic Victory Fund and as a member of the DNC. An Innovator in the workspace and a mentor to up and coming leaders, she is well known for helping to position organizations and Principals in key areas for influence in Washington DC and beyond. Her singular life and work experiences have made Pugh one of Washington’s most in-demand Democratic consultants.

Carrie Pugh is a graduate of Ball State University and lives in Washington, DC with her husband and two children.