Stephanie Cutter

A trusted advisor to America’s most powerful democratic leaders, Stephanie Cutter has been at the center of every major policy and political debate for the last 20 years. Continuing to reinvent today’s political communications as the first-ever virtual Democratic National Convention’s Chief Program Executive and Executive Producer of President Biden’s Inauguration, she is the former Deputy Campaign Manager for Obama 2012 and one of his chief strategists in the White House. Called “one of the most prominent voices in the [Democratic] party, and one of its top strategists and crisis managers” by Politico—and named one of the “50 Most Powerful People in Washington” by GQ—Stephanie has crafted high-level communications, reputation and crisis-management strategies for two U.S. Presidents, U.S. Senate leaders, and the nation’s highest profile political campaigns and Fortune 500 corporations. The New York Times called her “the polished, sometimes scarily organized strategist who gets things done” and noted her “long and favorable reputation with some of the most influential journalists and opinion makers in Washington. Stephanie is revered for her gritty perseverance and straightforward approach to analyzing the difficult issues and political headlines of the day. In speeches, she offers an enlightening and “behind-the-curtain” look at the current state of politics. Stephanie served as Deputy Campaign Manager for President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign, where she played a pivotal role in designing and executing a game-changing campaign that broke barriers in understanding, reaching, and connecting with more Americans than any election in history. Previously, Stephanie served in various senior positions within the Obama administration and campaign, from managing the President's message strategy and issue development in the White House, to serving as First Lady Michelle Obama's Chief of Staff, to counselor to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. In 2020, Stephanie once again changed the political communications game as the Chief Program Executive for the first-ever virtual Democratic National Convention and Executive Producer of President Biden’s Inauguration. As Chief Program Executive, Stephanie conceived of the overall virtual format, day to day messaging, and live and pre-recorded content for the two-hour primetime program each night of the 4-day event. According to the Washington Post, the Convention was worthy of “Emmy consideration,” and a “production that knew exactly what story it wanted to tell and how to use the tools of electronic persuasion to tell it.” As the Executive Producer of the 2021 presidential inauguration, she again reimagined a historic event taking place amid a pandemic and in the wake of an insurrection. From crafting the first-ever nationwide COVID memorial, to designing a sea of flags art installation on the National Mall and producing the “Celebrating America” special at the Lincoln Memorial watched by more than 100 million people, she reinvented the long-held inauguration traditions to fit the times. Stephanie is the founding partner of Precision Strategies, an award-winning integrated strategy and marketing agency in Washington, D.C. and New York City. At Precision, Stephanie has revolutionized the integration of data-driven communications with digital and campaign style organizing to improve reputations, change public opinion, manage crises, and drive people to action. She has improved the brand of one of the nation’s largest health insurers during a controversial merger; successfully launched a news network; restored the reputation of a multinational financial institution; reshaped a national storyline on behalf of a leading NFL quarterback; and successfully managed a global crisis for a well-known consumer tech platform. Before the Obama administration, Stephanie served as a senior advisor to Minority Leader Harry Reid and Democratic Senator Edward M. Kennedy. In 2004, she served as Communications Director for the John Kerry for President Campaign. She also held various positions within the Clinton Administration, including President Clinton’s White House Deputy Communications Director. Stephanie is a former co-host of CNN’s Crossfire show and a former contributor to ABC News. She appears frequently on cable and network television providing her thoughts on current events. A Massachusetts native, she lives in Washington, D.C. with her son, and is a graduate of Smith College and Georgetown University Law Center.