Our presenters

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Ashlee Rich Stephenson is vice president and national political director of Political Affairs and Federation Relations at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Stephenson leads the Chamber’s voter education program, which includes directing the endorsement process on behalf of pro-business candidates for federal office and guiding the Chamber’s independent expenditure effort.

Stephenson is a nationally respected and highly experienced political strategist and pollster, with expertise working on high-level candidate campaigns, with independent expenditures, and on behalf of public affairs and corporate interests. She has worked for four presidential campaigns, including serving as the polling director for Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s 2008 campaign and as a political strategy advisor for Governor Scott Walker’s 2016 effort.

Previously president of Just Win Strategies, a national political strategy firm, and most recently principal and chief strategy officer at the polling and analytics company WPA Intelligence, she started her career in the Strategy Department at the Republican National Committee.

Named a Rising Star in 2014 by Campaigns & Elections magazine and inducted into the inaugural American Association of Political Consultants 40 under 40 class of 2015, Stephenson is a regularly requested panelist and commentator at political industry events to discuss evolving trends in the political tactics of public opinion research, data, digital, message development and marketing. Stephenson serves on the board of The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management.

Camille Olson is a partner with Seyfarth Shaw LLP, co-chair of its National Complex Litigation practice group and national chair of its Complex Discrimination Litigation practice group. She serves on the firm's National Labor and Employment Law Steering Committee, and is the past national chair of the Labor & Employment practice department. Since 2013, she has served as chair of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Equal Employment Opportunity Subcommittee. For nearly 30 years, she has represented companies nationwide in all areas of litigation, with an emphasis on employment discrimination and harassment, wage-and-hour matters and independent contractor status.  She serves on the board of directors of America's Newspapers.

Dean Ridings is CEO of America's Newspapers.  Previously, Ridings served for two decades as president and CEO of the Florida Press Association. He managed five state media associations and Intersect Media Solutions, a $40 million for-profit enterprise providing marketing research and media solutions to regional and national clients. He also initiated new forums and events, most notably hosting debates for state and national level political office.