| Debbie Willhite | |
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| Basic facts | |
| Role: | Political strategist and consultant |
| Location: | Little Rock, Ark. |
| Affiliation: | Democratic |
| Education: | •Lyon College (B.A. political science, 1974) |
Debbie Willhite is a Democratic strategist and political consultant, and was the chief operating officer for the Arkansas Insurance Department, which regulates insurance companies in Arkansas. She became prominent in Arkansas and national Democratic Party politics working for former President Bill Clinton.
Career[edit]
Willhite earned a B.A. in political science from Lyon College in 1974. According to The Denver Post, she "has been working on Democratic campaigns going back to President Jimmy Carter's re-election bid" in 1980.[1][2]
She was the policy director for the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1987 to 1992.[3]
In 1997, she was executive director for Denver Summit of the Eight, "the first meeting of the G7 to include Russia." The G7 is a diplomatic forum comprised of the leaders of major industrialized nations. Its members include the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada.[3][4][5]
In 1998, she began working for the United States Postal Service, eventually becoming senior vice president. She remained in that position until 2003.[2]
In 2002, Willhite became a partner at FieldWorks, a grassroots organizing company based in Washington, D.C., that aims to create "campaigns that combine innovative grassroots strategies, the newest online and communication technologies, and time-tested shoe leather tactics" to help its clients. She was a partner at FieldWorks until 2008.[6][2]
In 2006, the Denver, Colo., host committee bidding for Denver to be the location of the 2008 Democratic National Convention hired Willhite to be its executive director. The co-chair of the committee said, "She sure stands out in terms of people who have the right connections in the Democratic Party - both locally and nationally."[1]
In 2009, Willhite founded the Go Fight Win Group, Inc., a former political consulting firm based in Little Rock, Ark. She worked there until 2012. At Go Fight Win Group, Inc, Willhite worked as a general consultant for Carol Boigon when Boigon ran for mayor of Denver, Colo., in 2011.[2][7][4]
DKW Strategies, a former Arkansas Democratic Party consulting firm, was founded by Willhite in 2011 in Little Rock, Ark. Campaigns & Elections placed Willhite on their "Influencers 500" list for 2013 as a top Democratic Party political insider in Arkansas.[2][8]
The Arkansas Insurance Department hired Willhite as its chief operating officer in September 2013. According to its website, the department "is part of the U.S. insurance regulatory framework which is a highly coordinated state-based national system designed to protect policyholders and to serve the greater public interest through the effective regulation of the U.S. insurance marketplace."[9]
Work with Bill Clinton[edit]
From 1992 to 1996, Willhite served as the coordinated campaign director for the Bill Clinton presidential campaign. She also worked as a field director for Clinton's Arkansas gubernatorial campaign. Both times that Clinton won the presidential election, Willhite helped run his inauguration as event director.[2][1]
Top influencers by state[edit]
- See also: Top influencers by state
Influencers in American politics are power players who help get candidates elected, put through policy proposals, cause ideological changes, and affect popular perceptions. They can take on many forms: politicians, lobbyists, advisors, donors, corporations, industry groups, labor unions, single-issue organizations, nonprofits, to name a few.
In 2015, Ballotpedia identified Debbie Willhite as a top influencer by state. We identified top influencers across the country through several means, including the following:
- Local knowledge of our professional staff
- Surveys of activists, thought leaders and journalists from across the country and political spectrum
- Outreach to political journalists in each state who helped refine our lists
Recent news[edit]
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Debbie Willhite Arkansas. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Denver Post, "Heavy hitter hired to lure Dems," July 27, 2006
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Linkedin, "Debbie Willhite," accessed November 4, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Linkedin, "Debbie Willhite," (older profile) accessed November 4, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Denver Post, "Boigon getting advice from Little Rock," December 21, 2010
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "G-7 Agrees to Exclude Russia, Increase Sanctions," March 25, 2014
- ↑ FieldWorks, "About Us," accessed November 4, 2015
- ↑ Facebook.com, "Go Fight Win Group," accessed November 4, 2015
- ↑ Talk Business & Politics, "Campaigns & Elections Picks 10 Arkansas Politicos," February 5, 2013
- ↑ Arkansas Insurance Department, "Mission Statement," accessed November 4, 2015
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