Sujata is a campaign and communications professional with 16 years of both political and issue-based campaign management, strategic communications, cause-related and corporate marketing, research, training, and event management experience.
Sujata has worked extensively managing campaigns, communications and research for a number of congressional candidates and elected officials, including the late Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone (1996) and Georgia Senator Max Cleland (2002). In 2006 in Tennessee, she ran the Election Protection program and Boiler room in Shelby County for the Harold Ford Jr. for Senate. In 2004, she ran the DemocraticGAIN convention training in Boston, and then was Director of Targeted Communications for the Democratic National Committee, where she managed all direct mail and phones for battleground states for Kerry-Edwards. In 2003 she was National Communications Director for America Coming Together. She was Communications Director in Virginia 4th Congressional District's 2001 special election. In 2000, she managed an upset primary win and general election campaign for a Democrat in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District.
Among the many issue advocacy and social marketing campaigns Sujata has worked on, she most recently developed and implemented the Protecting Our Health campaign for 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East - an awareness campaign for the Fund's 200,000+ members. She also designed and implemented a 10-city marketing tour for the Discovery Channel's Greatest American television series. For the past 5 years, she has also been involved in Cover the Uninsured campaigns sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, first as National Field Director in 2003.
Sujata is also an experienced trainer and facilitator, coordinating and training political strategists, activists and candidates for the Ohio Democratic Party, Wellstone Action!, EMILY's List , The White House Project, Hopefund, Campaign Corps, New Organizing Institute, Democratic GAIN, the Democratic National Committee, America Coming Together, and the Human Rights Campaign.
A first-generation Indian American, Sujata was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee and holds a B.A. in International Studies from Vassar College. She currently lives in New York City, where she enjoys all things pop culture - from TV to movies to music, books to Broadway. She believes her voracious consumption of pop culture makes her especially suited to shaping messages that connect with the wider public.