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

Amanda leads Rising Tide Interactive’s creative department made up of Graphic Design, Video Production, and Content Strategy teams. With a background in design and creative direction, she specializes in crafting digital-first creative that drives action. Amanda bridges creative vision with political impact by managing RTI’s creative projects and guiding complex ideas from concept to execution.

Amanda holds over a decade of experience in political creative. She’s produced award-winning creative for both advocacy organizations and political campaigns including gun violence prevention group Giffords and Senator Jacky Rosen’s campaigns. Amanda has led creative for Senate, gubernatorial, and congressional campaigns, as well as PACs, independent expenditures, party committees, and Get Out The Vote efforts.

Outside of work you’ll find Amanda 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

Annie has over 15 years of campaign experience. Annie was Rising Tide Interactive’s first employee and was made Partner in 2012. 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, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and 314 Action. Annie has also run digital strategy for the successful reelection of Governors Kate Brown and Gretchen Whitmer and Senators Mark Kelly and Tammy Baldwin, as well as for Senator Amy Klobuchar’s Senate and presidential campaigns. Annie is a graduate of the University of Michigan and lives in Washington, D.C.

Account Manager

Akash Apte

As an Account Manager, Akash helps craft and execute effective digital strategies for a variety of political and non-profit clients. Prior to joining RTI, Akash worked in digital fundraising for progressive campaigns, helping secure the Senate for Democrats in 2022 and raising funds for aid efforts in the wake of global crises. Outside of work, Akash enjoys making music, cooking, and biking aimlessly around DC.

Associate Director of Content Strategy

Amy Bolick

As Associate Director of Content Strategy, Amy specializes in crafting high-impact digital copy at the pace of campaigns. She’s written for clients like the DCCC, Voto Latino, Movement Labs, Haley Voters for Harris, Senator Amy Klobuchar, Congresswoman Sharice Davids, World Central Kitchen, and even celebrities like Amy Poehler. Amy’s ads contrasting Trump’s inflationary deficit spending with Harris’s pro-business agenda were among the highest testing independent spots in the final weeks of the 2024 cycle.

Director of Client Strategy

Rachel Clark

Rachel has over a decade of experience leading innovative digital persuasion, mobilization, and fundraising programs, raising millions of dollars online for organizations including World Central Kitchen and the DCCC. Rachel’s successful digital persuasion efforts include working on the candidate side to reelect Senator Jacky Rosen, Rep. Sharice Davids, and Rep. Greg Stanton, and on the independent side to persuade swing voters in Wisconsin and Iowa and to pass a public health care option in Nevada. Rachel is a proud native of Central New York and a graduate of Stony Brook University. One time she won on Jeopardy.

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 Client Strategy

Jordan Harris

As Associate Director of Client Strategy, 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, Kaine for Virginia, Mark Warner for Senate, the Legal Defense Fund, and an independent persuasion experiment that helped flip Wisconsin in the 2020 presidential election. Before 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!).

Design Director

Krista Hunsicker

As 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

As an Account Manager, Nadia handles day-to-day client communication, campaign optimization, and project quality assurance. She has significant experience running cross-channel direct response advertising campaigns to raise millions of dollars and has built digital programs from the ground up using novel acquisition strategies. Nadia is a key part of RTI’s non-profit client teams, and has staffed some of our largest cause-driven accounts. She has also worked on building out experimental persuasion campaigns for candidates, committees, interest groups, and PACs. Before joining RTI, Nadia worked in traditional marketing and held several positions on political campaigns in New Hampshire. Nadia takes pride in working on value-driven projects that aim to make the world a better place. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Emmanuel College in Boston, and in her spare time you can find her at the local movie theater sipping a blue raspberry slurpee and watching the latest indies.

Account Manager

Bronson Kamei

As an Account Manager, Bronson is an integral part of the strategic development and execution of direct response campaigns. Whether it’s raising millions of dollars or registering thousands of voters, he has a proven track record of helping clients drive action online. Bronson was born and raised in Southern California; despite this, he (mostly) manages to refrain from criticizing DC’s weather or its Mexican food.

Director of Media

Nina Kaplan

Nina is RTI’s 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.

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.

Director of Human Resources and Operations

Blake Kubin

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.

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.

Lead Media Strategist

Chloe Stavrianos

As a Lead Media Strategist, Chloe is responsible for creating, implementing, and analyzing media plans to ensure we deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time. Originally from nearby Rockville, Maryland; she studied Political Science at American University and worked in RTI’s Client Strategy department for two election cycles before joining the media team. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, running, and exploring DC’s restaurants and museums with friends.

Account Manager

Nick Marshall

As an Account Manager at RTI, Nick serves as the day-to-day contact for clients and is responsible for managing clients’ digital campaigns. Previously, Nick worked at Purple Strategies where he helped execute multifaceted communications campaigns. He also worked as an Advance Associate at The White House, ensuring that the President’s speaking events went off without a hitch. In his free time, Nick enjoys spending time outdoors, playing golf, and cheering on the Boston sports teams.

Account Manager

Matt McGee

As an Account Manager, Matt works closely with clients to run direct response campaigns across a variety of mediums and enjoys being hands-on throughout every step of the process, from ideation to production. Over his few years at RTI, Matt has contributed to fundraising programs for clients like the Legal Defense Fund, National Democratic Redistricting Committee, and House Majority PAC. In 2024, he helped spearhead the highly successful email, SMS, and social ad fundraising programs for Senator Amy Klobuchar, contributing to her standout election win, where she outperformed all other Senate Democrats in margin of victory. Matt is a nearly lifelong Massachusetts resident, with the exception of a brief adventure to the arctic region known as “Upstate New York” to earn his B.S. in Information Management & Technology at Syracuse University.

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.

Associate Director of Client Strategy

Claire O’Brien

As Associate Director of Client Strategy, 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.

Staff Accountant

Maggie Paja

As a Staff Accountant, Maggie supports the day-to-day operational activities of the firm’s accounts receivable and accounts payable functions. She also handles all accounting inquiries and requests from the client and media team. She started as an Operations/Accounting Intern at Rising Tide while getting her Business Administration degree with Finance specialization in University of Baltimore. In her free time, she loves visiting local coffee shops on the weekends with her pup, Enzo, or you can find her lifting in the gym.

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

Maheen brings nearly a decade of social media management, organic media studies, trend analysis, non-profit and campaigns experience to Rising Tide. As Advertising Operations Manager, they craft client success through ad trafficking, technical support, creative ideation, and campaign optimization. They also work to keep teams up to date on advancements in digital strategy and platform updates through developing department trainings, resources, and self-help guides. Maheen is a proud product of the Washington, D.C. area and holds a degree in Gender Sexuality and Women’s Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University. When they’re not facing another mysterious Facebook error, you can find them enjoying global cuisines, curating their vintage glassware collection, and stanning Beyoncé.

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.