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David Plouffe          

Obama Campaign Manager, White House Senior Advisor, Former Tech Executive for Uber & 2x New York Times Best-Selling Author

David Plouffe's journey through politics and policy work began as the campaign manager for Barack Obama's successful 2008 presidential campaign. His strategic approach, particularly his focus on the first caucus in Iowa and maximizing pledged delegates, played a significant role in the campaign's success. Plouffe's ability to maintain discipline over campaign communications and avoid publicly aired squabbles was also instrumental. Obama acknowledged the effectiveness of his strategies, praising Plouffe for building the best political campaign in the history of the United States.

Following his work on the 2008 campaign, Plouffe served as a Senior Advisor to the President from January 2011 to January 2013. After leaving the White House, he transitioned into the private sector, joining Uber as the Senior Vice President of Policy and Strategy in September 2014. In January 2017, he moved to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to lead the policy and advocacy efforts. Plouffe's expertise in policy and communication strategies was further recognized in 2019 when he was invited to join the Board of Directors of the liberal nonprofit ACRONYM.

In addition to his work in politics and policy, Plouffe is also a published author. His book, "The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory," provides an insider's view of the successful 2008 campaign. He has also made various media appearances, including on Bloomberg TV and ABC News, where he shares his insights and experiences from his years in politics. Furthermore, he hosts a podcast, Campaign HQ with David Plouffe, where he discusses campaign strategies and political issues. Despite facing some criticism for his paid speaking engagements abroad, Plouffe's comprehensive understanding of political strategy and communication continues to make him a sought-after voice in the field.

Speech Topics

The Power of the Younger Generation

David Plouffe is the “architect” of President Barack Obama's two national election victories, which had at their core a belief in young people and their desire to have their voices heard. Plouffe's strategy in the 2008 primaries relied on mobilizing new voters to turn out, going against the conventional wisdom that they would tune out and not show up at the polls. Confounding the experts, Obama's two general election wins were fueled by young voter turnout. Plouffe shares his unique insight into what motivates millennials and his passionate belief that this is a more selfless and talented generation than his own, and what that will mean not just for the millennial generation, but also for the nation and the world. Plouffe's own story of going from cleaning chimneys and selling knives door-to-door in college to eventually working next to the Oval Office shows that anyone who is interested in public service and politics can leave their mark, and he strongly encourages college students and all young people to be part of molding the future they will soon lead.

Understanding a Changing America

America’s swiftly changing demographic and technological landscapes will affect our politics, businesses and culture dramatically over the coming decades. David Plouffe shares with audiences the trajectory we are on, discusses how to adapt strategies and tactics to meet the reality of today, and projects new changes and advancements in the coming years.

Bold Strategies Every Organization Needs to Develop and Execute a Gritty Plan for Today’s Challenges

Barack Obama’s two presidential campaign wins fundamentally changed the face of politics by building the biggest grassroots movement in history and pioneering the use of the Internet and social media to mobilize voters. David Plouffe discusses how to set and stick to a strategy; properly utilize a wealth of organizational and market research; ground decision making in strategic thinking; harness the latest technology; and not relive the glory of past triumphs but rather execute a gritty plan for today’s challenges

How to Communicate and Win in a Rapidly Changing Digital Age

Every year—or even every month—brings new changes in technology and consumer and voter behavior. Delivering a consistent message to your target audience is harder today, even though there are a plethora of new avenues to reach people. David Plouffe reveals how both of the Obama campaigns and the White House leveraged each medium to maximum effect, and forecasts how the media landscape is likely to further change in the months and years ahead, and how organizations must be prepared to stay ahead of the curve.

Big Data - Knowing Instead of Guessing

Data increasingly plays a key role in politics, business and organizations across the world. David Plouffe discusses how the Obama campaign used data as never before to win an election in a tough environment. Data is, of course, available to everyone. Plouffe discusses how to integrate data throughout the organization, ensure that it is understood by decision makers and impacts all decisions, some of the tensions between modern data and traditional research, and how to blend the two. There is still an art to strategy and the tactics that flow from them, but increasingly, it is the science that leads the way.

The 2016 Elections

David Plouffe is commonly referred to as the “architect” of President Obama's two presidential campaign victories. Using his unparalleled understanding of today's changing demographics, technology and the modern electorate, he offers insights into what will be the likely impact of the Republican-controlled Congress during the remaining two years of the Obama Administration and the impact on the 2016 elections. It is never too early to begin to predict the likely contenders, their early moves and chances, and what the 2016 issues, demographics and electoral landscape will look like, as these elections will have great impact for our country, our government and our businesses in the years ahead.

News

David Plouffe joins Mark Zuckerberg's philanthropy project
Where do you go after working for the most powerful person in the world? Mark Zuckerberg...
David Plouffe News - Bloomberg
Breaking news about David Plouffe. Find the latest articles, ...

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