SPRINGBOARD PARTNERS - Key Persons
Danielle Lewis' career in communication was foreshadowed when she surprised her parents by learning to talk at 10 months.
She hasn't stopped since then, but as a grown-up she's channeled her chattiness into helping her clients get clear on communication. As one client said, "Sometimes when you talk to people, it's like opening a can of worms, but talking with Danielle is always like shoving the worms back in the can."
Danielle is a rare specimen who started her career as a consultant and is still consulting more than 20 years later. First at McKinney & Associates, Danielle learned the ropes of media relations while working on issues from affirmative action to housing discrimination. Then after being shouted at by one too many reporters, she joined Spitfire Strategies, where she led communication planning and message trainings for nonprofits worldwide and developed the firm's approach to branding.
In 2013, Danielle founded her independent consulting practice which grew to become Springboard Partners. At Springboard, much of her work focuses on providing strategic counsel and communication support to the folks she fondly refers to as "fish people" - the foundations and conservation organizations that are making sustainable seafood the norm in North America and around the world. Danielle designs and facilitates in-person and virtual meetings that lead to clear agreements and action plans. She develops tools and trainings to increase the communication savvy of people working to end gender-based violence and keep America healthy. And she helps organizations large and small pinpoint who they are, what they do, and why it matters, and figure out how to connect with the audiences that are important to their work. Danielle authored Springboard's publication Build on Brand, making the case for organizations to use their core identities to shape their strategic plans. More recently she partnered with long-time friend of Springboard Vermont Network to develop a guide for brand updates.
Danielle lives in an octogenarian house in Silver Spring, Maryland, with her rescue chihuahua, Zadie (short for Dr. Elzada Clover, the first woman to float the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in 1938). Danielle and Zadie enjoy Zoom yoga, hiking, patio dining, and hanging out with Danielle's niece and nephew.
Ever since that cursed Rubik's Cube stumped him as a child, Ed Walz has wanted to solve problems - and he's gotten better at it since then.
For 15 years, Ed worked for Congress - for someone who likes problems, a dream job. He worked with nonprofits, businesses, and citizens, helping them navigate the bureaucracy and get results. And he helped senior Democratic lawmakers craft and advance their legislative agendas in a Republican-controlled House of Representatives, shaping legislation on health care, consumer protection, tax policy, and other issues that matter for families.
At the bipartisan children's advocacy nonprofit First Focus on Children, Ed found that children's priorities weren't on the radar screens of lawmakers or news media. His work generated news coverage on kids' issues ranging from education and child abuse and neglect to child poverty and immigration reform. Ed secured placements in The New York Times, USA Today, the Associated Press, McClatchy News, POLITICO, The Hill, Roll Call, Congressional Quarterly, and dozens of regional and trade news outlets all over the country. He's told he was also covered in the world's largest newspaper, Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun, but since he can't read a word of Japanese, it's anybody's guess.
As a communication consultant, Ed has helped nonprofits and foundations solve all sorts of communication problems. Ed led a project that helped state-based advocates make policy gains that covered more than 1.3 million uninsured kids. He crafted a plan that helped a nationwide faith-based grassroots organization raise its profile on the national political stage, and one that helped a one-woman nonprofit raise child care quality standards in Texas. He has trained nonprofit leaders on everything from writing better fact sheets to preparing for congressional testimony. And he crafted a communication strategy that built an arcane regulatory fight over immigrant families' access to health and social services into front-page news, generating thousands of media articles and millions of digital impressions. Ed has contributed to Springboard guides on working with a designer, crafting a core message for a nonprofit or foundation, and completing a media scan, among others.
Ed grew up in southeastern Wisconsin, accounting for both his badger's tenacity and his bowler's physique. He is a passionate advocate for the em dash, the serial comma, and writing the way you speak. Ed enjoys photography, is learning play the piano, and lives in New Jersey with his wife, two daughters, and a Beagle-ish dog.as
Liz joined Springboard Partners in 2015. Since then, she's been helping partners create compelling messages, implement communication plans, and run effective coalitions.
During her time at Springboard, Liz has worked with closely with foundations and nonprofit organizations to get clear on their goals and develop and implement effective plans to address them.
She has worked closely with FishChoice for almost a decade, providing communication and project management support for their two web platforms, including relaunches of both sites and the development of FisheryProgress' social responsibility policy.
She also provides strategic counsel and communication support to the Packard Foundation's Ocean Initiative as it communicates the Initiative's refreshed theory of change, and helped Vermont Network to develop a brand, logo, and launch plan for their new initiative, Amplify. Over the years, Liz has also had the privilege to work with ZERO TO THREE, the Certification & Ratings Collaboration, FishWise, Seafood Watch, the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, and Children Now, among others. Liz developed Springboard's guides to determine whether Threads is right for your organization and how to plan for a successful launch.
Prior to joining Springboard, Liz spent four years working at Spitfire, where she used research, writing, and digital outreach skills to help her clients accomplish their communication goals. As a digital communication expert, Liz worked one on one with nonprofits to improve their social media advocacy and trained state-based advocates. Prior to joining Spitfire, Liz served as the campaign manager for Debbie Phillips' successful 2010 bid to become an Ohio State representative - in addition to working on many other local and statewide campaigns.
Liz grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and she has a degree in communication studies from Ohio University. She currently lives in Whidbey Island, Washington, with her husband, daughter, and two rescue boxer dogs. In her free time, Liz enjoys reading, cooking, listening to Taylor Swift with her daughter, and wrestling her puppies.