Speaker

Shaniqua McClendon is the Vice President of Politics for Crooked Media (home to the popular podcast, Pod Save America), a political strategist and sought-after speaker and commentator on media, politics, voting, and race. At Crooked Media, she leads their political strategy and civic engagement program (Vote Save America), and also created their successful 2020 volunteer engagement and fundraising program  (Adopt a State).

Prior to Crooked Media, Shaniqua served on Capitol Hill as a policy advisor to Senator Kay R. Hagan and Legislative Director to Congresswoman Alma S. Adams. While working for Rep. Adams, McClendon spearheaded the creation of the first-ever Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus. She began her career as a White House Intern for President Barack Obama.

Shaniqua is originally from North Carolina where she earned a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She received her Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, where she was honored with the Robert F. Kennedy Award for Excellence in Service. Shaniqua was 2021 Fall Fellow at the USC Center for the Political Future and serves on the board of Register Her.

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