The Advocacy 101 Webinar

Career Level: Basic-, intermediate-, and advanced-level career services, university relations and recruiting, and business affiliate professionals
Competency: Civic and community engagement
Fee: FREE (member); $89 (nonmember);

Summary
The Advocacy 101 webinar will educate NACE members on the importance of advocacy at the federal level. Through this webinar, you will learn how to be an effective advocate, gain an understanding of the flow of Congress, explore how to prepare for Congressional meetings, and learn how to tailor your message in a divided government and an election year. Attendees will also receive a brief overview of current federal education and workforce development priorities along with tips for how to effectively engage with federal policymakers both at home and in Washington.

Following this program, you will be able to:
- Understand the importance of advocacy as career services and hiring professionals;
- Gain insights into federal education and workforce priorities impacting your work;
- Get tips for how to be an effective advocate;
- Discover how to engage federal policymakers both at home and in Washington;
- Explore how to develop/strengthen relations with your internal government relations team;
- Learn how to prepare and tailor effective talking points and messages that resonate with policymakers on Capitol Hill; and
- Gain knowledge of legislation being discussed at the federal level that impact education and the workforce.
Presenters

Mary Gatta, Director of Research and Public Policy, NACE
Mary Gatta, Ph.D., is the director of research and policy at the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), where she leads research on the employment of the college educated, and forecasts hiring and trends in the job market; tracks starting salaries, recruiting and hiring practices, and student attitudes and outcomes; and identifies best practices and benchmarks. She has more than 20 years of teaching, research, and advocacy experience working on issues of career education and workforce development in colleges and nonprofit associations. Prior to joining NACE, Dr. Gatta served as an associate professor of sociology at City University of New York-Guttman and faculty director of the Ethnographies of Work program. In addition, she was the research director at the Rutgers University Center for Women and Work and a senior scholar at Wider Opportunities for Women in Washington D.C. She has written numerous books, articles, and policy papers on education and work. Dr. Gatta also served on NJ Governor Phil Murphy's Labor and Workforce Development Transition Team. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social science from Providence College and a master’s degree and doctorate in sociology from Rutgers University.

Alanna Suda, Senior Vice President, MWW Group
Alanna Suda, vice president at MWW, works in government and public affairs, with a focus on legislative strategy, issues management, and government relations. Prior to joining MWW in 2008, she served as a legislative adviser at Jorden Burt LLP. She holds a bachelor's degree in politics from Catholic University. She is the co-chair of the Health & Social Policies Task Force of Women in Government Relations, Inc. (WGR), one of the most respected nonprofit, non-partisan government relations associations in the Washington metropolitan area. Suda is known and respected for her thoroughness and effectiveness in working with the federal government and her proficiency in using both the legislative and regulatory processes to achieve client-specific objectives. She specializes in affecting broad policy changes through authorizing legislation; increasing federal funding and influencing future agency opportunities through the appropriations process; and working with clients to create strategic partnerships with federal agencies, the White House, and professional associations in Washington, DC.