Jess O’Connell
CO-FOUNDER & CEO
Jess O’Connell is a national political strategist, founder, and builder who has spent more than two decades helping leaders navigate moments of significant political and social change. She brings deep experience at the intersection of politics, leadership, and advocacy, with an ability to anticipate emerging challenges and help organizations prepare for what comes next.
O’Connell is the co-founder and CEO of NEWCO Strategies, a strategy and leadership firm that helps political, nonprofit, advocacy, and civic organizations. For nearly nine years, NEWCO has worked with leaders, executives, authors, and organizers on over 400 projects nationwide.
Jess O’Connell has held senior leadership roles at the highest levels of American politics. As CEO of the Democratic National Committee, she led a major organizational reset and modernization while helping drive significant electoral gains and advances in the party’s data and voter-contact infrastructure. As Senior Advisor to Pete Buttigieg, she led an early-state strategy that produced a historic first-place finish in Iowa and second-place finish in New Hampshire. Previously, as Executive Director of EMILY’s List, she oversaw national, state, and local programs that helped elect more than 250 women. She’s also served as a Senior Advisor to Hillary Clinton.
Through the Democracy Security Project and the Community Shop, she has created new approaches to some of the most pressing challenges facing leaders, movements, and communities.
In 2024, O’Connell co-founded the Democracy Security Project, to address a critical infrastructure gap: the growing need for safety, security, preparedness, and support for the people working on the front lines of democracy. DSP has trained and supported over 20,000 people and reached over 3,000 organizations across 50 states.
In 2026, Jess founded the Community Shop, an innovative approach to civic engagement that utilizes merch, culture, and community events to reach people with ideas and test messages in places traditional political communications often cannot.
O’Connell recently launched Our Next Move is an AI newsletter for those leading and working in nonprofits, advocacy organizations, and campaigns to translate the AI landscape into what matters and what you can do about it for your mission, your team, and your work.
Throughout her career, Jess has worked across politics, advocacy, organizing, and civic engagement—from Center for American Progress and the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition to campaigns and large-scale public events. She produced and organized the 2020 National COVID-19 Remembrance on the National Mall, bringing 20,000 empty chairs to the Ellipse in one of the most widely covered public memorials of the pandemic.
Jess has appeared on BBC, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, & more. She is on the Board of the DC United Foundation.
Washington, D.C. & Phoenix, AZ
LinkedIn: Jess O’Connell
