Connected PACs and the 2024 Election—Be Prepared for a Stormy Season 

Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy & Practice Gathers Experts to Discuss Reimagining America’s Approach to Well-Being

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Gridlock, Culture Wars and Social Disruption:  What is Really Going on With AI Legislation 

The rise of ChatGPT and other large language models has catapulted AI into the limelight. Sure, AI has been around for decades. It’s behind Google searches, anti-virus software, Netflix, fraud detection, face ID, and more. It’s so prevalent it can hardly be called new, but most have not been paying attention to the man behind the curtain – until now.

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Navigating Election Debates at All Levels

Now more than ever, businesses in nearly every industry must be especially cognizant of the influence of politics on their reputations and their ability to operate the way they need to. Not only is the partisan divide widening over key issues, both Republicans and Democrats mutually acknowledge the parties’ inability to collaborate as a pressing challenge.

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DDC and Portland Create New Multinational Public Affairs Initiative: Fortify Global

DDC Public Affairs, an Omnicom PR Group (OPRG) agency, in partnership with fellow OPRG firm Portland, is proud to launch Fortify Global, a first-of-its-kind, multi-national risk and reputation management solution. DDC and Portland have collaborated to offer the marketplace a holistic and more effective way to approach market and stakeholder engagement.

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Connecting with Stakeholders Has Never Been So Vital—or So Challenging

Tectonic shifts taking place in our culture, economy, and government are confronting businesses and industries with challenges and opportunities that traditional business decision-making frameworks are not equipped to handle. Organizations seeking to make positive strides must be constantly vigilant about the ripple effect their business decisions in one area have in all the others. From a reputational and policy perspective, organizations have to think and act in much more nuanced ways in everything from their investment and marketing strategies to how they engage their employees and how they navigate business and social issues.

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Dan Sweet Joins DDC Public Affairs as Senior Vice President, Focusing on Company’s Growing Healthcare Work

DDC Public Affairs has welcomed strategic communications veteran Dan Sweet as its new Senior Vice President as DDC continues to grow its presence in the healthcare space.

“Dan brings over two decades of experience creating and leading successful strategic communications and public affairs campaigns for some of the world’s leading healthcare brands and associations,” said DDC CEO Michael Fleischer.

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What Successful Crisis Communications and Advocacy Campaigns Have in Common

At their core, whether you are communicating around a crisis or trying to achieve a desired policy outcome, crisis comms and advocacy are all about effective stakeholder engagement.  And when trying to engage stakeholders, you need to be prepared, know who you’re talking to, and have a flexible plan in place that allows for both proactive and reactive communications in a timely fashion. 

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Gina Cherwin Joins DDC Public Affairs as Chief Operating and People Officer

“Gina is that rare leader who has excelled in politics, public affairs and strategic communications and the non-profit sector,” said DDC CEO Michael Fleischer. “She knows how to bring the best parts of each of those worlds together in ways that will benefit clients across DDC. As important, she understands the connection between employee experience, client success and the bottom line. We are thrilled she is bringing her vision and energy to DDC.”

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Post-Redistricting Opportunities for Public Affairs Efforts

In November, state and federal legislators ran for the first time in districts changed by the decennial redistricting process. The scale of these changes ranged from barely significant to so stark that some incumbents simply decided not to run in their dramatically altered districts. For many re-elected legislators, their margins of victory shrank substantially from what they had become accustomed to seeing prior to redistricting.

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DDC Public Affairs Announces New Strategic Communications Hires, Expansion of Technical Support Team

DDC Public Affairs, an Omnicom Public Relations Group (OPRG) agency, has announced several key additions to the company’s Campaigns, Advocacy and Corporate Communications practice: Jill Hudson as a Senior Vice President; Abbey Rogers, who will be joining DDC as an Account Supervisor; and Molly Douglas, who has been consulting with DDC for two years and is joining the firm full-time as a Senior Vice President. DDC is also expanding its technical support team as the agency broadens its product stack and technology offerings.

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Congratulations to our Q2 Employee of the Quarter, Franny-Peterson-Sand

Say hello to our Q2 EOQ, Franny Peterson-Sand. Since she started at DDC many of us knew she had great potential. She has thrived on the Creative team and in the past year she has stepped up in various capacities, especially with recent departures. She continues to maintain a high quality of work on the Creative team, ensuring efficiency of workflows on requests. Most recently she has further developed her program management skills under Carolyn’s support. All of which has paid off on deliverables for our clients requiring program management and she will continue to lean into that role.

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DDC and WLF – Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

DDC, a division of Omnicom Public Relations Group and one of the nation’s leading public affairs and strategic communications firms, joined together today with hundreds of other businesses, non-profit groups, community-based organizations, and individuals to participate in the American Cancer Society’s annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Washington, D.C.

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DDC’s New PACWeb Platform: Technology Designed for Today’s PAC Managers

PAC managers have a tough job, made only tougher by the current political and social climate. As organizations reimagine the purpose and goals of their PAC, many are strategizing not only for growth but greater transparency and better analytics when it comes to understanding what is happening with their PAC, and what is possible.

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Omnicom PR Group Taps Public & Corporate Affairs Veteran Michael Fleischer to Lead DDC 

Omnicom Public Relations Group (OPRG) today announced the appointment of Michael Fleischer as CEO of DDC, one of the nation’s leading public affairs and strategic communications firms. Fleischer joined the agency on August 22 and reports to Chris Foster, CEO of OPRG. Fleischer takes the reins from B.R McConnon, who founded the agency 26 years ago, and is set to depart at the end of the month.

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Digital Advertising in Public Affairs: Navigate an Ever-Changing Ecosystem

Social networks including Facebook, Twitter, and now TikTok, as of late, have taken steps over the last two years to limit misinformation ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. After facing substantial criticism in 2020, many platforms are creating policies to limit or in some cases ban paid content that falls under a broad “political, electoral, or social issue” category.  

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Congratulations to our Q1 Employee of the Quarter, Kiym Gardner

Say hello to our Q1 EOQ, Kiym Gardner. As Director of Engagement and Senior AVP, Kiym has years of experience leading grassroots advocacy outreach for Fortune 100, trade association, and non-profit clients spanning a variety of industries from healthcare to energy.

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Assessing Your Advocacy Program’s Impact—and Potential

We’re in the middle of a midterm election year. There’s a war in Europe for the first time since World War II. The dynamics between employers and employees are undergoing a tectonic shift. Supply chains are being disrupted. Inflation is rampant.

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Congratulations to our Q4 Employee of the Quarter, Ryan Coughter

Say hello to our Q4 EOQ, Ryan Coughter. As the project management lead for the Creative team, Ryan quite literally leads the charge keeping that team on track, hitting all deadlines, hitting all budgets, and always being accountable for what we’ve been asked to produce.

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Celebrating 2021 at DDC

A few weeks ago, Thanksgiving kicked off the Holiday Season—a time of year full of celebrations, family and hope. In that same spirit, I want to take this opportunity to reflect on what this time of year means for me personally and for all of us at DDC.

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Historic Infrastructure Bill Bridges Divides to Build a Stronger Economy

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) President Biden signed into law in late November was a truly landmark piece of legislation.

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Congratulations to our Q3 Employee of the Quarter, Colleen Zelenakas

Say hello to our Q3 EOQ, Colleen Zelenakas. In her time as a member of the PAC services team, she has shown true grit by championing our client works and being an enthusiastic and valuable team player.

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DDC Creative Spotlight: Bridging the Gap Between Strategy and Design

Amid our 25th anniversary celebrations, we’re excited to add another achievement to celebrate: our incredible creative team being recognized by Graphic Design USA (GDUSA) with two major award wins. Our creative department has been instrumental in helping DDC shape its market position as an agency that specializes in creating advocacy and PAC brands that foster conversations and drive audience engagement.

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Congratulations to our Q2 Employee of the Quarter, Elizabeth Racke

Say hello to our Q2 EOQ, Elizabeth Racke. In her short time as a member of the client relations team, she has shown true grit by championing our client works and being an enthusiastic and valuable team player.

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DDC Public Affairs Celebrates 25th Anniversary

From a tech startup to the largest full-service public affairs firm in North America, DDC celebrates 25 years of service and a culture of innovation.

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Introducing TechTalks – Our New Podcast for All Things Tech

Jake Chapiesky, Product Manager & Joey Smith, Vice President of Technology Delivery, dive into DDC tech innovation, trends in advocacy and PACs, and how we‘re revolutionizing the public affairs industry.

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Introducing our new Vice President of Client Relations, Kellin Heron

Kellin Heron, our new Vice President of Client Relations, brings over a decade of experience in PAC strategy, grassroots and advocacy to our team.

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Project Catalyst: How DDC is Driving the Next Generation of Public Affairs Technology

Joey Smith, Vice President of Technology Delivery, discusses how DDC’s new technology methodology allows us to innovate more rapidly and cost-effectively – to ensure our clients are continually ahead of trends in politics & communications.

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Honoring Service Members with a Washington Tradition

B.R. McConnon, III, Chairman and CEO of DDC, recalls the No Greater Sacrifice Congressional Invitational’s early history, and how it reached new heights through the Beltway’s competitive spirit.

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Successfully Navigating the Changes to Regulations.gov and Making Your Voice Heard

Dan Murphy, Senior Vice President, discusses the updated Regulations.gov, and how DDC is helping our clients advocate efficiently and effectively.

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DDC Public Affairs Welcomes Katie Chipps, Vice President of PAC Services

Our new Vice President of PAC Services, Katie Chipps, brings nearly 20 years of experience and leadership in PAC compliance and reporting.

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DDirect Mobile: The Power of Data at Your Fingertips

Jake Chapiesky, Product Manager, tells the story of DDirect Mobile and the power of accessing your public affairs data anytime, anywhere.

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Creating a Strategy for Infrastructure Advocacy

Teresa Stepic & Katie Wright, SVPs of Client Relations, discuss Biden’s American Jobs Plan and the challenges it presents for key industries, such as energy, transportation and infrastructure.

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President Biden’s Open Table Bodes Well for Our Collective Future

Teresa Stepic, SVP of Client Relations, shares her thoughts on why Secretary Pete’s unique personal and professional voice will expand what’s possible for America’s transportation systems.

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Moving Your PAC Successfully through a Challenging Political Landscape

SVP of Strategic Communications & Engagement Shannon Manning presents her take on how to keep PACs moving forward in the aftermath of the 2020 election.

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Accurate PAC Compliance Takes on New Importance for 2022

To say the 2020 election cycle was tumultuous is putting it mildly. In this heightened political environment, accurate compliance at both federal and state levels needs to remain a priority.

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Advocacy is Bigger than Letters to Legislators

DDC is leading a new era of advocacy engagement by leveraging technology, and understanding the power of advocacy to influence policy and business goals.

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CLIMB: Key Learnings from OPRG’s Global DE&I Officer, Soon Mee Kim

Soon Mee Kim, Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer at Omnicom Public Relations Group, shared the key areas of focus for its plan toward greater diversity and inclusion.

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Why Building Tomorrow Must Begin Today

Shannon Manning, SVP, Strategic Communications & Engagement, describes after years of debate, why it is critical now more than ever before that legislators focus on bipartisanship to make a deal on infrastructure.

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5 Common Issues in PAC Compliance

Peter Sherman, SVP of PAC Services, reviews five areas that organizations must master when managing their PACs.

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