WHO we ARE

Stacy Blakeley brings 25 years of professional experience to her role as the CEO of The Policy Circle. Her career commenced at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. as a staffer for the House Majority Leader Dick Armey. She transitioned from planning events for political leaders and diplomats to event marketing for corporations including Dean Foods, BMW, ATT and Exxon. In 2004, Stacy pursued her life-long dream to become an attorney and graduated from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. As a commercial litigator, Stacy’s practice focused on federal class action, construction and corporate disputes. In 2013, Stacy launched KSG, an event and consulting firm that served international ministries, national nonprofits and corporations. As President of KSG, Stacy and her team built and executed communications and event strategies to fundraise, launch products and build brand awareness. As a nonprofit consultant, Stacy has helped numerous nonprofits raise millions of dollars. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Wezmore, Marketing & Communications Task Force for Girls, Inc., C-Level Advisory Board for 4word, and the Legacy Council for Fair Park.  Stacy and her husband Jeff Blakeley have two teen daughters, 2 adult stepchildren and 5 grandchildren.

Kristy serves as the Chief Strategy and Operations Officer, overseeing The Policy Circle’s growing and diverse Membership and engagement programs, and expansion initiatives. Kristy has devoted her career to making an impact through her work in the non-profit sector, bringing more than 20 years of experience focused in organizational building, along with creation and implementation of programs, membership and engagement strategies. Her previous work has been focused in healthcare advocacy, where she successfully built a national organization from the ground-up as a founding staff member and spent 17 years helping to build a thriving and successful non-profit patient organization. Throughout her impressive tenure, Kristy was able to be an active part in key facets to non-profit development with specialized skills in community building, volunteer engagement and management, program creation and member mobilization.

Erica serves as the Director of Philanthropy and partners with The Policy Circle’s philanthropic partners to advance the organization’s priorities and grow TPC’s impact across the country.

Over the last 20 years, Erica’s career has focused on C-level business development and sales, stakeholder engagement, disruptive philanthropic fundraising and strategy, marketing and communications, and public policy. Erica is passionate about connecting, building, and stewarding partnerships that create lasting and outsized impact.

She began her career in sales and marketing for John Deere where she spent 10 years working in sales and marketing before transitioning to John Deere’s global Public Affairs team to manage the JDPAC and served as the Public Affairs representative for the Ag & Turf Division. Following her tenure at John Deere, she joined the National Association of Manufacturers, serving as the Southeast Membership Director, and then spent more than 4 years at Stand Together, focusing on development and executive partnerships. Most recently, she consulted on fundraising and partnership strategies.

Erica recently helped launch JUMPSTART North Carolina, an organization that partners with churches, donors, and community partners to disciple the incarcerated and assist returning citizens with re-entry services. She is also actively involved in her children’s school.

Erica is the proud mom of two children and lives in the Charlotte, North Carolina area with her husband.

Sara is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising where she studied to be an Inventory Planner and Buyer. Upon graduation, she started her career at Old Navy headquarters, a part of Gap Inc., in San Francisco and spent the first ten years of her career there. After five years as a Buyer for Old Navy’s international markets, she was then asked to join the Human Resources team where she specialized in organizational design, change management, and building emerging leader training programs. Following her time at Old Navy, she was CEO for her community’s Chamber of Commerce in California where she focused on rebuilding the Leadership Merced program to equip and train civic leaders. Sara then helped to start up three properties during the pandemic with Hyatt as Director of People and Community Impact for El Capitan in Merced, CA. Her time in California’s Central Valley is where she became engaged in civics and realized the importance of being involved at a local level.

As the Senior Manager of People and Leadership Development, Sara will manage all human resource functions for the organization and co-manage the execution and development of our leadership engagement programs. Sara herself is a graduate of CLER 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0, and is excited to be a part of an organization that makes a positive and productive impact in communities throughout our great country.

Sara and her husband split their time between their home in Cody, Wyoming, Northern California, or traveling in their Airstream. She spends as much time as she can outside going on several walks a day, and enjoys hiking, gardening, snow sports, road trips, and putting together agendas for gatherings with family and friends.

Randan Steinhauser serves as the Director of Marketing and Events for The Policy Circle where she oversees the organization’s national communications efforts and external relations including events, programming, and strategic partnerships. In addition to her role with The Policy Circle, Randan is the founding partner of Steinhauser Strategies, a public relations company based in Austin, Texas. Over the last 15 years Randan has worked in more than 30 states on issue advocacy and political campaigns. She began her career in Washington, D.C. working on Capitol Hill and later served under former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, during her time at the American Federation for Children. Randan has been a leader in the national school choice movement having worked with many of the country’s leading education reform organizations. Randan regularly serves as spokesperson and media commentator with appearances on Fox News, CNN, Fox Business, NewsMax, NewsNation and others. She received her M.A. in Communications from Johns Hopkins University, her B.A. from The University of South Carolina, and was a participant in the prestigious Women’s Campaign School at Yale University. Randan and her husband Brendan are the proud parents of five children, including a set of identical twins. They are active members of Emmaus Catholic Parish.

Kim currently serves as National Committeewoman for the great state of Kansas and is the President and owner of Bird Dog Recruitment and Consulting LLC. Kim’s firm focuses primarily on placement of senior talent at the highest levels of state and federal government along with management development. Prior to opening her firm, Kim was the Executive Director of Leadership Development at a national think, the Foundation for Government Accountability, where she created and launched the organization’s Talent Bank Project. Kim has spent 20 years in the grassroots movement starting as a young mom fighting pornography in her public library. She has served in a myriad of roles in politics, starting as a precinct committeewoman and most recently as Deputy Chief of Staff for Kansas Governor Sam Brownback’s administration. During Brownback’s tenure, she also served as his Director of Appointments for Boards and Commissions and the Director of Personnel for then Governor-Elect Brownback’s transition team. Upon graduation from the University of Kansas with a degree in Human Biology, Kim’s early career began in the healthcare industry working for TAP Pharmaceuticals. She also worked part-time in the radio business and was afforded the opportunity to create and host a local radio talk show program known as “News You Need to Know” on KMAJ 1440 AM.

Kim’s work on the national level has led her to be recognized by the national Independent Women’s Forum(IWF) in their Champion Women’s Series and as a featured speaker for The Policy Circle’s 2018 Circle Leadership Summit in Chicago. She is also a mentor and coach for women in politics for Michigan’s Women’s League of our Own. 

Currently, Kim serves as a Director for Kansas Delta Dental, a board member for the Eisenhower in Public Service Series, a board member for Cair Paravel Latin School, a volunteer for Topeka Civic Theatre and as an advisor for an anti-sex trafficking task force Freedom Now-USA and JAG-K. Kim and her husband of 25 years, Tim, have three children and reside in Topeka, Kansas.

Kelsey Griffin serves as the Chief of Staff at The Policy Circle. Prior to joining The Policy Circle, Kelsey worked for a national nonprofit and gained experience in large-scale development efforts and data-driven development strategy. She brings her skills in data analysis, strategic research, and coordination of campaigns and communications to The Policy Circle, where her focus is on cultivating a robust network of support.

Kelsey earned her Bachelor of Arts from Harding University, where she concentrated her studies in Political Science and theological studies before graduating Summa Cum Laude and Honors with Distinction. Her passion for investing in communities of women first took off in college when she co-founded the first student-led women’s conference at her university. Kelsey now lives in Houston, Texas with her husband, Jarrod.

Dusty is a graduate of Texas Christian University, where she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in both Marketing and Finance while being on the TCU’s dance team. A Northern California native, she currently resides in Dallas, TX. She enjoys cooking, reading, being outdoors, and getting back to the California slopes during ski season as often as she can.

Beth McQueen brings years of experience in education, administration, leadership and outreach. After receiving her BA in Early Childhood Education from Clemson University, Beth began her career as a teacher and developed the prekindergarten program in her county, a first in the state of Florida. She later spent a semester studying literature and writing in Australia through a Michigan State University education abroad program. She then received an MEd in Educational Leadership from University of North Florida. Her passion for people and culture soon brought her to the nonprofit sector where she served as an outreach director for a multicampus, megachurch. Beth has experience developing partnerships, training volunteer teams and traveling globally to provide support and encouragement to missionaries and agency representatives. Beth is an avid reader, loves to travel and enjoys hiking and exploring her surroundings wherever she may be.

Haley serves as the Philanthropy Coordinator for The Policy Circle, where she manages and enhances donor data, coordinates impactful communications, and supports donor engagement initiatives. Prior to joining The Policy Circle, Haley served as Vice President of Development at The Steamboat Institute, successfully leading fundraising efforts, building strategic partnerships, and cultivating strong donor relations. Her passion for philanthropy and commitment to advancing policy initiatives drive her work in fostering meaningful connections within the community.

Haley earned her Bachelor of Arts from Creighton University, studying Political Science and History. Originally from the Midwest, she now resides outside of Nashville, TN, with her husband, Cody, and their dog, Gunner. In her free time, Haley enjoys reading, exploring farmer’s markets, perusing thrift stores, and baking.

Abigail serves as Policy & Programs Fellow at The Policy Circle. In this role, she researches, crafts, and develops policy materials for the Briefs and Programs teams. She holds a Master of Public Policy from Pepperdine University, specializing in international relations and applied economics. During her time in the program, she served as the Editor-in-Chief of the student journal and traveled locally and internationally to represent Pepperdine University.

Abigail grew up in Austin, Texas and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Philosophy from Texas A&M University. While at A&M, she found and develop her passion for research, which culminated in her thesis on the history of the Westphalian system as part of the Undergraduate Research Scholars program. She previously interned for USAID and the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Outside of work, Abigail is an avid reader and enjoys playing pickleball with her family, soccer, and hiking around her new home in eastern Tennessee.

Marjorie Eastman brings more than a decade of military service to The Policy Circle team as its Leadership Outreach Fellow. In this role, Marjorie is leading The Policy Circle’s military outreach effort to expand its signature CLER program to members of the veterans, active duty and military spouse communities. Marjorie enlisted after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, where her 10 years of military service includes two combat deployments, one in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the other in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. She is a Mustang – a military nickname for a prior enlisted soldier who becomes an officer. She received the rare honor of a direct commission after her first deployment. As an intelligence officer and commander, she led more than one hundred soldiers in Afghanistan during the rough surge years in the successful completion of their mission. She was ranked the #1 Military Intelligence Company Commander in Eastern Afghanistan, awarded the Bronze Star, and received the Combat Action Badge.

Marjorie faced her toughest battle at home when her 6-month-old son was diagnosed with infant cancer – which he beat! That crucible led her to become a national independent award-winning author of The Frontline Generation: How We Served Post 9/11 and is now recognized across the country for her advocacy work supporting the military family.

Her professional path includes perspective and experience in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. She is a former U.S. Senate candidate, inspired to serve again after the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. She has her masters degree in International Security from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies and her MBA from Vanderbilt University. Marjorie is also a military spouse and supported her husband’s distinguished military career in special operations and his 17 combat tours. She lives in Cary with her husband, Charles, their beloved son, Henk, and two shelter rescue dogs.