GU Politics is thrilled to announce five new members joining our Advisory Board, all of whom have been closely involved with the Institute, including four former GU Politics Fellows. Cristóbal Alex (Fall ‘23), Patti Solis Doyle, Mike Dubke (Fall ‘17), Katie Harbath (Fall ‘22), Katie Walsh Shields (Spring ‘18) will join a board of public servants, political operatives and leaders in politics, media and government affairs to advise GU Politics programming and grow the Institute’s visibility in the greater DC community.
Meet our new Advisory Board members!
Cristóbal Alex
Cristóbal Alex is a senior government, political and advocacy leader. He is a Partner and Head of the DC Office at Tusk Strategies, a public affairs firm. He currently leads Latino engagement for Future Forward, the Super PAC supporting President Biden. Cristóbal previously served as White House Deputy Cabinet Secretary and as a Senior Advisor to Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign. He was founding President of the Latino Victory Fund and is a well-respected voice on MSNBC and other major outlets and publications. Cristóbal was a Fall 2023 GU Politics Fellow.
Patti Solis Doyle
Patti Solis Doyle is a veteran political advisor and commentator, with more than 30 years of experience in politics, presidential campaigns and public service. Patti joined the Washington, DC office of the Brunswick Group in October 2019 as a Partner and Head of the U.S. Public Affairs office. She previously served as an advisor to the Obama-Biden presidential campaign during the 2012 presidential election and was chief of staff for vice presidential operations during the 2008 general election. A senior advisor to Hillary Clinton during President Clinton’s two terms in the White House, Patti was later the campaign manager for Senator Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid in 2007-2008. She is also a CNN Political Commentator.
Mike Dubke
Mike Dubke is a veteran communications operative and has been involved in local, state and federal politics, as well as issue and public policy advocacy since 1992. His experience has brought him a unique understanding of the relationship between media strategy and public policy development. Mike served as Assistant to the President for Communications during the Trump administration. In 2009, he was founding partner of the Black Rock Group, and in 2001, Mike founded a group of media services firms including Main Street Media Group, Crossroads Media and Herd Media. Mike was a Fall 2017 GU Politics Fellow.
Katie Harbath
Katie is the Chief Global Affairs Officer at Duco. A global leader at the intersection of policy, democracy and technology, Katie’s career spans political campaigns, civil society and technology. Katie spent ten years at Facebook, where she built and led global teams that managed elections and helped government and political figures use the social network to connect with their constituents. Prior to joining Duco, Katie founded civic tech strategies firm, Anchor Change, and was director of technology and democracy for the International Republican Institute. Katie was a Fall 2022 GU Politics Fellow.
Katie Walsh Shields
Katie Walsh Shields is a national political strategist with more than 15 years of experience working at the highest levels of national politics, including Presidential and U.S. Senate campaigns, national party committees and the White House. Katie currently runs her own boutique political consulting and fundraising firm, KWS Strategies. Katie previously served as Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy Chief of Staff in the Trump administration following her service as a senior advisor to the Trump-Pence Presidential Transition Team. Katie was RNC Chief of Staff from 2015-2016 and served as national strategist for RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel during the 2018 and 2020 cycles. Katie was recently named by the National Journal as “One of the 50 People Changing the Game in Washington.” Katie was a Spring 2018 GU Politics Fellow.