Kari Moe, PhD, has played a central role in the legacy of three historic leaders in progressive politics: Mayor Harold Washington of Chicago, US Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, and Rep. Keith Ellison of the 5th Congressional District of Minnesota.  As a long-serving Chief of Staff and Deputy Mayor, she led both the campaign and governing organizations for all three political leaders.

Kari’s first big organizing victory occurred when she led a successful effort to reinstate Professor Paul Wellstone’s job after the college did not renew his teaching contract due to political activism.  

Kari believes that elected leaders must combine vision, values, courage and know-how. She has effectively guided strategy, policy agendas and communications. Kari has built high-performing organizations for cutting edge leaders who want to make a positive difference in peoples’ lives and expand progressive political organizing.

Kari’s work is focused on the following areas.

• The transition from campaigning to progressive governing for newly elected officials at the federal, state and local levels and their staff.
• How to lead boldly and effectively as a newly elected official, including building high performing teams, providing strategic leadership, and contributing to a durable Democratic majority.
• Recruiting and training Rising American Electorate young leaders to be elected officials and their senior staff over the next decade.  Train at least 100 Chiefs of Staff.

Kari is an accomplished strategist, organizational leader, policy analyst, trainer and coach. In addition to Democracy Partners, she is the Founder of Lead Blue, LLC, and the Political Strategy Fellow for the New Leaders Council.  She is also a Faculty Fellow for The George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership. 

Kari earned a PhD in Public Leadership at The George Washington University, a Masters Degree in Urban Planning and Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a BA from Carleton College.