Speakers 🙌

Brendan McPhillips joined Hilltop as partner in 2022 and helps lead the firm’s Pennsylvania Practice. It was recently announced that he will be a Senior advisor to the Biden campaign, focusing on PA. As a Campaign Manager, McPhillips has a record of winning critical races on the national stage that have shaped the way campaigns are run. Most recently, McPhillips was the Campaign Manager for John Fetterman’s groundbreaking victory for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, winning a seat that had not been held by a Democrat since 1969 and helping to secure a democratic Senate majority. The Fetterman campaign was praised for charting a course for how Democrats can run competitively in other swing states, particularly its strategy to campaign in every county which resulted in Fetterman improving on President Biden’s performance in 64 of 67 counties. In 2020, McPhillips led President Biden’s successful Pennsylvania campaign as State Director where his team had to rewrite the playbook for successful organizing to adapt to campaigning during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Also in the 2020 cycle, McPhillips served as Iowa State Director for Pete Buttigieg, winning the Iowa Caucuses with a historic victory for the first openly LGBTQ candidate to ever earn delegates in a presidential primary. McPhillips also managed Andrew Gillum’s come from behind victory in the 2018 democratic primary for governor of Florida. He has held senior positions on a number of Pennsylvania campaigns, including Campaign Manager for Philadelphia Councilmember Helen Gym (2015), Senior Advisor for Councilmember Gym (2019), Campaign Manager for John Fetterman’s first bid for Senate (2016) and both the Obama and Clinton presidential campaigns. McPhillips completed his general studies at Mt. San Jacinto College in Southern California prior to transferring to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Peace Studies and Political Science from the University Of Notre Dame. Prior to beginning his career in politics, Brendan was also a proud union member for over seven years with The United Food & Commercial Workers.

Vincent Thompson is the Communications Director for Philadelphia City Council and Council President Kenyatta Johnson. Thompson has worked with Council President Johnson since December 2019, starting as Communications Director for his Second Councilmanic District Office, and has been City Council's Communications Director since January 2024. Before working with the Council President, Thompson was a political reporter for more than 20 years at various Philadelphia media outlets.  For eight years, he was the host of the award-winning show "City Council Live " on WURD AM/FM, one of the few African American talk radio stations in the United States. He has covered several Republican and Democratic National Conventions starting with the 1988 Republican National Convention. In his more than 30-year career in media and government, he has served as a Chief of Staff for the late Philadelphia At-Large City Councilmember Juan Ramos, and as a spokesperson for two Superintendents for the School District of Philadelphia. Thompson served as Vice President-Broadcast of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists (PABJ) and as President of the Philadelphia Black Public Relations Society (2014-16). Thompson has won numerous awards in his career for his work in journalism, public relations, and community service. In 2018, he received PABJ’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2017, he was named Politics and Government Reporter of the Year by the Pen & Pencil Club of Philadelphia, the nation’s oldest press club in daily operation. He has been named one of Philadelphia’s Most Influential African Americans by the Philadelphia Tribune newspaper and has been a winner of the National Education Association’s Excellence in Broadcasting Award.

Lauren Cox is the District Director for Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon, who represents Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District. In her current role, she acts as an advisor to the congresswoman and manages constituent services and outreach initiatives for Scanlon’s district office. Lauren previously served as Scanlon’s Communications Director, and prior to that spent nearly a decade working for the City of Philadelphia. Over the course of her career, Lauren has been part of the strategic efforts surrounding some of the biggest moments in Philadelphia’s recent history, including the 2015 Papal Visit, 2016 Democratic National Convention, Eagles Super Bowl parade, and Amazon HQ2 bid, as well as the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lauren is a graduate of Temple University and has a Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communication.

Heather LaMarre, PhD, MPA is a scholar, author, and speaker with expertise in corporate public affairs, media, communications, advocacy, philanthropy, and political communication. As a quantitative social scientist and Fulbright Specialist, Dr. LaMarre’s work has been covered in international media including MSNBC, FOX News, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Time, SKY News, The Guardian, Winnipeg Free Press, Wall Street Journal Radio, NPR, German Public Radio, Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast, etc. In addition to chairing the Department of Communication and Social Influence (Temple University), she has also served as a board member for the International Communication Association, as well as on the editorial board of the Flagship Journal of Communication. Dr. LaMarre has published over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters spanning political communication, strategic communication, and media psychology. In her forthcoming book “Social Capital(ism): Public Engagement and Corporate Social Advocacy in the Age of Social Change” LaMarre examines the role of corporate advocacy and public-private partnerships in creating sustainable social innovation with lasting impact. Heather is also committed to women’s political and economic empowerment and leadership development, most recently co-organizing the U.S. delegation and speaking at the 5th Eurasian Women’s Empowerment Summit in Kazakhstan.

Michael Suchecki (he/him) is a Massachusetts native currently serving as Digital Director and Press Secretary for Congressman Seth Moulton. He is also the elected Spokesperson of the Congressional Progressive Staff Association and serves as Program Manager for the House Democratic Caucus’s Digital Academy training program.

Joining Dr. LaMarre - His portfolio includes some of the nation's largest multinational organizations doing business globally across a variety of sectors, including entertainment, healthcare, technology, and energy. Prior to this, he held senior management positions in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Vietnam. While in Asia, Mr. Twomey oversaw business operations and development, including the management of government relationships, strategic partnerships, and other political and public stakeholder relations. Mr. Twomey has been responsible for numerous global development projects that involved extensive government and political relations. During his time in Asia, he served as the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Chairman in Ho Chi Minh City, as well as on the Board of Governors from 2008-2012. He is widely regarded as an expert in international business development, including how to build strategic partnerships with government and public stakeholder groups. 

Hira Shaikh recently joined Moxie Strategies as the Senior Vice President of Client Management, where she brings a blend of political strategy and stakeholder management experience to help clients tackle their public affairs challenges. Prior to this, Hira served as a Senior Outreach Aide for the Office of NJ Governor Phil Murphy and the Deputy Director for AAPI and Faith-Based Outreach during the Governor’s 2021 re-election campaign.Her leadership journey also includes a pivotal role as Chief of Staff to Assemblywoman Sadaf Jaffer, one of the first Muslim members of the NJ State Legislature. Hira led the Assemblywoman’s staff and helped execute policy goals related to women’s health, immigrants’ rights, and education. Prior to this, Hira was a Principal at public affairs firm Kivvit, specializing in complex paid media campaigns. As a proud Pakistani immigrant, Hira currently serves as the Co-Chair of the South Asian Caucus of NJ Young Democrats.