Who We Are

Partner

Stephanie Grasmick

In recent cycles, Stephanie has served as the chief digital strategist on campaigns, independent expenditure programs and ballot initiatives from the national to the local level, and she currently manages digital media for a portfolio of political and public affairs clients, including FWD.us, Rewiring America, Unite Here, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In 2021, she led RTI’s Voters and Media Survey, analyzing changing media consumption patterns among both persuadable likely voters and first-time voters. Her work frequently focuses on the intersection of digital measurement, data visualization and automation, and she frequently collaborates on cutting-edge studies of digital media in elections. Prior to joining Rising Tide in 2011, Stephanie served as a press aide in the U.S. Senate, digital content producer at DMG World Media, and deputy new media director at the DCCC. Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Journalism in Strategic Communication from the University of Missouri, and can usually be found in front of a fire or under a blanket.

Partner, Creative

Amanda Gravely

For nearly a decade Amanda has led our creative department made up of Design, Video, and Content Strategy teams. With a background in graphic design and creative direction, she specializes in high impact digital-first creative that drives people to action and manages creative projects from concept to execution. Amanda oversaw Reed award-winning creative for Jacky Rosen’s successful Senate campaign in 2018 and Pollie award-winning creative for Giffords in 2020. In her 6 cycles of political creative work, she’s led creative for: 35+ PACs, independent expenditures, and Democratic party committees, 35+ Senate, gubernatorial, and congressional candidates, and 40+ GOTV efforts. Amanda holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Radford University. Most of her time outside of work is spent managing her cat Pepper’s social media presence.

Founding Partner

Eli Kaplan

Rolling Stone Magazine has recognized Eli as a millennial who is “making a mark” on how the left wins elections. That’s because for the past 12 years, Eli has been at the forefront of digital marketing innovations in Democratic politics. As a founding partner of both Rising Tide Interactive and DSPolitical, he’s pioneered some of the best practices for using “big data” in the world of online political advertising — both for email acquisition and fundraising, and for voter persuasion and mobilization. He’s helped Democrats win some of the most hard-fought political races in the country — including U.S. Senate and gubernatorial contests in Colorado, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and more. Prior to founding Rising Tide Interactive, Eli managed digital media operations for a series of extremely competitive statewide political campaigns. He’s been honored with awards by the Association of American Political Consultants and Campaigns & Elections magazine.  He’s spoken at conferences such as AdMonsters OPS, Netroots Nation, and CampaignTech, and guest-lectured at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania.

Partner

Annie Levene

Under Annie’s leadership, Rising Tide Interactive has guided clients to develop both cutting-edge digital creative that is authentic and effective and media programs that reach, persuade, and turn out critical voters. Annie has carved a niche by building winning strategies in tough races, including executing the digital persuasion and GOTV programs for Senators Jacky Rosen, Kyrsten Sinema, Heidi Heitkamp, and Jeanne Shaheen, as well as the Independent Expenditure programs for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, End Citizens United and 314 Action. Annie has also run digital strategy for the successful reelection of Governors Kate Brown and Gretchen Whitmer and Senator Mark Kelly, as well as for Senator Amy Klobuchar’s Senate and presidential campaigns.

Partner

Jake Sticka

As Partner, Jake leads our client-facing teams in developing digital solutions that meet our clients’ needs. Since joining the firm in 2014, Jake has led innovative digital campaigns for national nonprofits (like the Southern Poverty Law Center), issue advocacy organizations (including FWD.us and the National Democratic Redistricting Committee), and political groups (like the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee). During the 2020 cycle, Jake took a leave of absence from the firm to serve as Digital Director and Paid Media Advisor for Amy Klobuchar’s presidential campaign. Under Jake’s leadership, the campaign executed a digital program grounded in authentic content, data-driven strategy and innovative tactics, ultimately raising more than $42 million online. Jake is a native of San Diego, a graduate of Georgetown University, a suffering fan of Padres baseball and Hoyas basketball, and a minigolf enthusiast.

Associate Director of Content Strategy

Amy Bolick

As Associate Director of Content Strategy, Amy specializes in crafting high-impact fundraising and persuasion copy at the pace of campaigns. She’s written for a wide range of clients including the DCCC, House Majority PAC, Senator Amy Klobuchar,  Congresswoman Sharice Davids, World Central Kitchen, and even celebrities like Amy Poehler. Amy is a Philadelphia native (Go Iggles!), holds a Master’s Degree in Rhetoric and Writing from the University of South Florida, and currently lives in Baltimore with her wife and their barky beagle, Franklin.

Director of Client Strategy & Experience

Hadley Chase

As Director of Client Strategy & Experience, Hadley works tirelessly to help her clients achieve their goals online and find new ways to stay ahead of the game. Hadley started her career at Rising Tide Interactive and then went to Aisle 518 Strategies to be their Senior Digital Strategist. Now she’s back and ready for new challenges!

Hadley is a Boston native and graduate of Wellesley College. When she’s not working you will find her knitting, reading and/or laying on the couch with her two dogs

Director of Client Strategy

Steph Densberger

Steph finds innovative offerings to help her clients raise money, make an impact, and win. She has worked with advocacy organizations, nonprofits, and many red-state Democrats. Steph is originally from Indiana and prefers walking as a form of transportation.

Associate Director of Video Production

Kristen Grosshans

Kristen is a video production expert with nearly a decade of agency and corporate experience focusing predominantly in health communications. She has cut video ads and created content for national health organizations including the NIH, as well as developed social content for advocacy groups focusing on issues from reproductive rights to fighting surprise medical billing. Kristen has managed crews of up to 20 people and directed on sets ranging from single camera intimate productions to multi day, multi episode series. Kristen holds a Bachelor of Science in Media Production from Radford University.

Associate Director of Media

Sebastian Hamirani

Sebastian Hamirani is an Associate Director of Media at RTI. He has helped progressive causes use paid media since 2018, and partnered with Democratic campaigns at every level, from school board to presidential. Outside of work, Sebastian enjoys shopping at Capitol Hill Books and visiting historical sites in the DC area. He is a graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Lead Strategist

Jordan Harris

As Lead Strategist, Jordan has experience managing digital media programs and turning client goals into actionable strategies for advertising and email programs. Jordan has worked on top-flight digital programs for the Democratic Party of Virginia, Mark Warner for Senate, Amy for America, the DCCC, and an independent persuasion experiment that helped flip Wisconsin in the 2020 presidential election. Prior to working at RTI, Jordan worked on a congressional campaign in Virginia’s 5th district and interned at the Virginia General Assembly. Out of the office, he enjoys playing sports, cooking new meals, and watching UVA basketball games (Go Hoos!).

Associate Design Director

Krista Hunsicker

As an Associate Design Director, Krista delivers clever results and great design strategy to influence people for the betterment of society. She holds a degree in Graphic Design from the University of Central Florida and has worked in various design roles at RTI since 2016, helping to pass legislation for orgs like NDRC, DCCC, and 314 Action, helping to elect Steve Bullock Governor of Montana, Jacky Rosen as Senator of Nevada, reelect Stephanie Murphy as a House member, and many more. Krista is a cinephile, enjoys watching the Oscars every year, and being inspired by old movie title sequences. She is a proud geek, halloween enthusiast, and thinks that trivia knowledge is a superpower.

Account Manager

Nadia Jaferey

Nadia worked for a variety of progressive campaigns electing Democrats at the local, state, and national level before joining the team at RTI. Nadia is a graduate of Emmanuel College in Boston, where she graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and a concentration in International Relations & Comparative Politics. She has almost a decade of experience in marketing, grasstops organizing, and campaign management. As an Account Manager at RTI, Nadia is responsible for managing digital media strategy for clients’ email and advertising programs. In her free time, you can find her browsing the shelves at local bookstores, exploring history museums, playing around in Photoshop, and checking out new restaurants she found on Yelp.

Client Strategy Associate

Bronson Kamei

Bronson is a Client Strategy Associate at RTI, where he monitors the performance of clients’ email and ad campaigns. Previously, he worked as a Communications Assistant for Congresswoman Katie Porter and a Research Intern at the Hub Project. Bronson is a native of Orange County, California, and enjoys spending time with friends, trying new places to eat, sports, and all the other stuff everybody else likes.

Associate Director of Media

Nina Kaplan

Nina is an Associate Director of Media focused on creating, implementing, and analyzing digital campaigns for a range of political candidates and advocacy organizations including NDRC, Be Change Now, Southern Poverty Law Center, DCCC, and Voting Rights Lab. Nina moved from Massachusetts to study strategic communications at American University. Outside of work, she enjoys cooking and hiking with her dog.

Junior Accountant

Maggie Kasa

Vice President, Client Strategy

Neeraja Koneru

Neeraja has nearly a decade of experience leading the strategy and execution of digital campaigns. As the Vice President of our Client Strategy department, she handles some of our biggest online fundraising, voter persuasion, and Get Out The Vote programs. She worked with the Democratic Party of Georgia to help raise record-breaking amounts of money online prior to the January 2021 runoffs as well as to lead a digital turnout program that helped flip the U.S. Senate. In 2020, she led voter persuasion efforts in Wisconsin that hurt Donald Trump’s numbers. And, in 2018, she led the digital persuasion efforts that helped Governor Whitmer flip the governorship of Michigan blue. Additionally, she has worked with organizations and campaigns including Southern Poverty Law Center, National Democratic Redistricting Committee, Texas Democratic Party, and MJ for Texas to help raise millions of dollars online.

Neeraja is from Austin where she attended the University of Texas at Austin. She enjoys Scrabble, standup, spicy food, and Slack emojis.

Video and Motion Graphics Editor

Jon Lim

Jon is an award-winning multimedia producer and motion designer with over seven years of experience. In 2018, he stepped into the world of political advertising, focusing on GOTV initiatives and voter education. He’s produced numerous digital spots for various progressive initiatives and campaigns, such as ACLU, Amy for America, Dr. Barbara Bollier for U.S. Senate, Clean Missouri, and Vote.PA. From 2014 to 2017, he worked at a global nonprofit called Unbound, bringing stories from families in 19 different countries through multimedia projects. Some of his key projects at Unbound have been recognized at places like HOW Design Magazine, Non-profit Connect, and TEDxKC. Jon holds a Bachelor of Fine Art in Digital Filmmaking from Kansas City Art Institute.

Client Strategy Associate

Matt McGee

As a Client Strategy Associate, Matt produces the emails and assists with digital strategy for several progressive campaigns and organizations. Prior to joining RTI, Matt worked with other progressive organizations, with a particular focus on combating economic inequality, rethinking traditional corporate hierarchy, and advocating against pseudoscientific encroachments on public policy. Matt is a 2016 graduate of Syracuse University in New York, where he studied Information Management & Technology and Philosophy. Outside of work, Matt enjoys writing and listening to rock music and playing video games with friends.

Associate Director of Client Strategy and Mobilization

Lidya Mesgna

As Associate Director of Client Strategy and Mobilization, Lidya works with clients to implement successful digital media strategies for their advertising and email programs. Prior to joining the team, she served as the Social Media Director on the 2019 Mississippi Democratic gubernatorial campaign and as a Digital Campaigns Associate at Blueprint Interactive during the 2018 cycle. Lidya holds a B.A. in International Studies from Boston College.

Account Manager

Annelise Miranda

As an Account Manager Annelise serves as the day-to-day contact for clients and manages the execution of their digital strategy in email and advertising programs. In her time at RTI, she has developed new methods for reporting to provide clients with the most comprehensive and useful data analysis that can inform future decisions to meet client goals. Before joining our team, Annelise earned her B.A. in Politics from the University of Virginia. When not at work, she can usually be found experimenting with a new hobby, working through her list of local restaurants to try with friends, or aggressively checking social media.

Lead Strategist

Claire O’Brien

As Lead Strategist, Claire has worked on persuasion, turnout, fundraising, and advocacy programs for clients like Jacky Rosen, Democratic Party of Georgia, and FWD.us. A graduate of George Mason University, Claire has previously worked in both the campaign and non-profit world, including with Hillary for America, the Ohio Democratic Party, and Demand Justice. In her free time she can be found reading, testing new recipes, and hanging out with her menagerie of pets.

Lead Strategist

Kathryn Requa

As a Lead Strategist, Katie is responsible for overseeing the development and execution of cutting edge digital campaign strategies for her clients. Katie draws from nearly a decade of previous experiences in Democratic campaigns and progressive tech to bring innovative and advanced solutions to her programs. During her time at RTI, Katie has helped build high profile digital programs that include Charlie Crist for Governor, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Science Moms. She holds a B.A  in Political Science from Southern Oregon University and a MA in Political Management from The George Washington University.

Director of Advertising Operations

Fabio Rubiera

Fabio joined RTI in 2018 as the company’s first ad ops specialist and has since grown to lead the team responsible for creating and maintaining digital ad campaigns for all our clients. The Ad Ops team ensures that ad campaigns effectively execute the client’s digital strategy by following platform specific data driven best practices and works closely with the Client Strategy department to build, launch, and optimize these campaigns. He has worked in digital marketing since 2014, previously in the hospitality and automotive sectors. He graduated from Florida International University with a degree in political science. In his free time, Fabio enjoys watching historical documentaries and keeping up with the DC local music scene.

Advertising Operations Manager

Maheen Shahid

As Advertising Operations Manager, Maheen trafficks ads on a variety of digital platforms and advises on platform-specific best practices. Their background includes growing up in the Washington, D.C. area, a degree in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University, and freelanced social media management. When not facing another obscure Facebook error, you can find Maheen enjoying Pan-Asian cuisine, curating her vintage glassware collection, and stanning Beyoncé.

Director of Human Resources and Operations

Blake Smith

Blake is the Director of Human Resources and Operations at RTI, where he works to manage and improve the employee experience. He got his start working in operations on numerous political campaigns, including Pete Buttigieg’s historic 2020 presidential run, and most recently in his home state of Virginia. Blake graduated from the George Washington University with a BA in Economics and Political Science focused on Public Policy.

Account Manager

Chloe Stavrianos

As an Account Manager, Chloe is responsible for managing digital media strategy for clients’ email and advertising programs. Originally from Maryland, she studied Political Science at American University and interned at RTI before starting work here full time. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with friends and volunteering for Democratic candidates.

Director of Accounting

Monica Summers

Monica is the Director of Accounting at RTI.  She handles the day-to-day financial operations, maintains financial records, and performs general bookkeeping functions.  Monica has 8+ years of accounting experience. Prior to coming to RTI she performed accounting functions for a large government contracting research corporation with a concentration in the advancement of space and science technology.  Monica is an avid roller skater and a die-hard Redskins fan. She also enjoys cooking, jewelry making and interior decorating.