Francessa Wakem Cox

Francessa has influenced political, financial, and issue advocacy for more than two decades. As Managing Partner of Direct Connect Consulting, LLC and Partner and Co-Founder of Cox Petersen LLC, she creates communications, research, fundraising, and event planning solutions for corporate, political, and non-profit organizations.

Francessa’s past projects have included issue advocacy work, first with The MWW Group working on behalf of their corporate clients, and then in the launch of Americans for Gun Safety (AGS) a non-profit created to find practical solutions to the gun safety and ownership debate. Post AGS, Francessa served as a consultant to Fleishman-Hillard International Communications, where she created and expanded successful public-private partnership programs surrounding a variety of issues and causes for clients such as the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the Social Security Administration (SSA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the expansion of Library of Congress (LOC) programs.

Francessa started her career in 1993 at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) where she raised funds and managed events for the Clinton Administration and was the Deputy Finance Director. Post the DNC, Francessa’s former clients have included Member of Congress Collin Petersen (D-MN), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Elijah Cummings (D-MD), former Members of Congress Mel Watt (D-NC), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Al Wynn (D-MD), James Oberstar (D-MN), and Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH). Since 1996, Francessa has also planned events at the national political conventions in Chicago, Boston, New York, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Denver, Charlotte, and Philadelphia for various Fortune 100 companies, trade associations, not for profits and law firms.

fran@blueconventions.com

Stephanie Mellinger

Stephanie has over 22 years of experience creating, coordinating and executing fundraising plans as well as small and large scale events for politicians, political parties and non-profits. In July, 2001, she started The Mellinger Group, LLC to provide fundraising, campaign and event management services to political candidates and other organizations.

In 1997, Stephanie began working as a junior then senior associate for a prominent political consulting firm in Baltimore. She then became the legislative director for a Maryland State Senator in November, 1999. In April of 2000, Stephanie organized and directed the annual awards gala for the Maryland Democratic Party, at the time the single largest fundraiser for the Party. On the heels of this success, in June, 2000 the Maryland Democratic Party hired Stephanie to be the Finance Director for the 2000 Coordinated Campaign. Stephanie developed and managed the fundraising programs to secure the resources for the campaign and operating budgets totaling $1.1 million for the 2000 Coordinated Campaign and Democratic National Convention activities.

On July 1, 2001, Stephanie founded The Mellinger Group, LLC (TMG). Her first contract was to produce the Annual Maryland Legislative Black Caucus Gala where she doubled the previous fundraising record. TMG has organized and executed finance plans as well as large and small scale events for clients such as Federal Hill Main Street, The Christa Beverly Foundation, multiple events at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Members of Congress Matt Cartwright (D-PA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Collin Peterson (D-MN), former US Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Rushern L. Baker, Democratic Candidate for Georgia Lt. Governor Sarah Riggs Amico, Democratic Candidate for Delaware Lt. Governor Kathy McGuiness, Democratic Candidates for Congress Glenn Ivey (D-MD), Upendra Chivukula (D-NJ) and Swati Dandekar (D-IA), the Pennsylvania and Maryland State Senate Democratic Campaign Committees, Democratic Candidate for Charleston Mayor State Rep. Leon Stavrinakis, Former Members of Congress Bobby Bright (D-AL) and Albert Wynn (D-MD), Mfume for US Senate, Baltimore City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young and many others.

stephanie@blueconventions.com

Maggie Olaimey Jones

With over 25 years of experience working with nonprofits, corporate government affairs, and the legislative and executive branch, Maggie Olaimey Jones is uniquely qualified to manage multifaceted events and offers an invaluable asset to assembling the best possible team and resources for each event.

From 2004 to 2018, Maggie served as the Program Director for the American Academy of Achievement, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., where she was responsible for producing their annual International Achievement Summits in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Kona, HI, Cape Town and Kruger National Park, South Africa, and London, England. The multi-day summit hosts hundreds of guests including Presidents, Prime Ministers, U.S. Supreme Court Justices, Fortune 500 CEOs, Oscar, Grammy, Nobel and Pulitzer Prize recipients, leaders in medicine and education, sports legends and countless others who represent the pinnacle of achievement in their respective fields. Additionally, Maggie provided valuable on-site logistical and program management support for special partnership events with Ford’s Theatre Society, National Geographic Society, The Newseum, and The National Portrait Gallery. She also managed all aspects of the Academy’s multi-million dollar program budget and foundation operations.

Maggie began her career in 1992 in Washington, D.C. working as a staff assistant on Capitol Hill for U.S. Senator David Pryor and then joined The Walt Disney Company’s Office of Government Relations organizing special events. In 2000, she returned to public service with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). After HUD, she worked for three years in the Federal and International Affairs division at Weyerhaeuser Company focusing on efforts to develop industry relationships within the trade association community and coalition activities.

Maggie’s newly created Olaimey Jones, LLC partners with each client to execute a unique and seamless event specifically designed to your needs. Through her many years of organizing events and building trusted relationships, Maggie has maintained a network of talented and reliable vendors with whom she partners to create exceptional experiences for clients and their guests. Olaimey Jones, LLC specializes in managing all conceptual and logistical elements of events ranging from board meetings, conferences, fundraising galas, intimate dinners, and more. Maggie’s demonstrated work and understanding of special events, along with her gracious style and attention to detail, is sure to deliver a memorable experience for all.

maggie@blueconventions.com

Adam Shubert

Adam Shubert has over 20 years of experience in public policy strategies, organizational management, event and conference planning, and business development. He has wide-ranging experience in working to achieve policy and fundraising goals for political and private sector clients as well as non-governmental and non-profit organizations. He has managed logistics for events from 6 to 6,000 participants with a special emphasis on registration management, worked on high-profile fundraising events, and helped clients to expand and enhance their public affairs and political profiles.

In addition to Blue Convention Strategies, Adam serves as Senior Associate/Program Manager at Zayas Hendrick Mediaworks, LLC, a media production and event management company. Previously, Adam was senior program manager at TerraCom, Inc., a public relations, government relations and event management firm, managing the public outreach and registration processes for numerous events, assisting clients on public strategies, and advising the CEO on firm operations. Prior to TerraCom, he spent six years at Mercer & Associates, Inc., a public affairs and campaign finance firm, helping to start the firm and build its operations and client base. Before joining Mercer, Adam worked in the Democratic National Committee’s Finance Division and served in numerous capacities throughout 1996 and 1997. Adam was also Information Manager of the Office of the Finance Chair for the 53rd Presidential Inaugural Committee.

adam@blueconventions.com