Allison Griffin -  Former Guest Speaker at the Leadership Institute

With more than 17 years of experience in local, state and national issues, Allison Griffin is the president of Griffin Strategies, Inc. (www.griffinstrategies.com) offering message development, media relations, issue advocacy, grassroots development, marketing campaigns and video production for corporate, governmental and political clients since 2003. She also is the president of MobilizeMe LLC (www.mobilizeme.tv), founded in 2009 to develop and deploy interactive, multi-media mobile applications for advocacy and political organizations.

Previously, Ms. Griffin was the Austin Director of Allyn & Company, a Dallas-based public relations, public affairs and political consulting firm, where she served a variety of clients on issues ranging from insurance reform and electric deregulation to school finance, telecommunications and transportation.

Before joining the firm, Ms. Griffin was Media Relations Manager for the Texas Medical Association, where she served as a spokesperson on numerous health and insurance issues. She also coordinated statewide campaign and grassroots activities for the group’s political arm. Prior to that, Ms. Griffin handled media relations and positioning for the Texas Board of Criminal Justice and served as Texas Communications Director for the 1996 Dole-Kemp presidential campaign.

In the nation's capital, Ms. Griffin served as Director of the Republican National Committee’s "Truth Squad," where she guided efforts to counterbalance Clinton-Gore campaign messages in nationwide news reports and coordinated the GOP’s official daily on-site media response during the 1996 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Prior to that, she spent three years as Press Secretary to U.S. Representative Henry Bonilla (R-San Antonio), earning the distinction of being named a "Rising Star" by National Journal. Ms. Griffin began her career at the Republican Party of Texas, where she served as Deputy to Executive Director Karen Hughes, assisting with media and public relations.

In her volunteer life, Ms. Griffin is a member of the Junior League of Dallas, serves as a Junior Achievement instructor, and has served in various positions with the Junior Leagues of Austin and Washington, D.C. A past president of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation’s Austin Affiliate, she established the affiliate’s first office, hired staff, developed its website and helped launch the Komen Foundation’s national public policy project. She also led a recent rebranding and communications overhaul at her church and serves on the steering committee for its new building campaign.

Ms. Griffin grew up in Casper, Wyoming and graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with degrees in journalism and government. She lives in Dallas with her husband, Wade, and their children, Scott and Caroline.

 

Allison Griffin