GLOBAL IMPACTSTRATEGIES

Leadership

Shermichael Singleton in a charcoal suit and navy tie
SHERMICHAEL SINGLETONOWNER & PRINCIPAL

LEADERSHIP

Experience in the arena.
Perspective beyond it.

Shermichael Singleton

Owner & Principal, Global Impact Strategies

A political strategist, CNN Political Commentator, and entrepreneur, Shermichael Singleton brings experience across the institutions and platforms that shape American public life.

He worked on the presidential campaigns of Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, and Dr. Ben Carson, and served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

As co-founder and co-owner of We The Free TV, he also brings the perspective of a business builder to questions of positioning, communication, and audience engagement.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Morehouse College.

Experience he brings

Presidential campaign strategy
Experience on the presidential campaigns of Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, and Dr. Ben Carson.
Federal government leadership
Service as Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
National media & communications
CNN political commentary and hosting experience with MSNBC Peacock and Vox Media.
Entrepreneurship & business
Co-founder and co-owner of We The Free TV (WTF.tv), with experience building a media platform and engaging audiences.
More about Shermichael

His media experience includes co-creating and hosting Screen Share on MSNBC Peacock and co-hosting Consider It, a Vox Media and Facebook program. His political work also includes opposition research at America Rising.

That combination of campaign, government, media, and entrepreneurial experience informs the perspective behind Global Impact Strategies.

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Sebastian Ridley-Thomas
SEBASTIAN RIDLEY-THOMASPARTNER

PARTNER / STATE GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY

Sebastian
Ridley-Thomas

Partner, Global Impact Strategies

Sebastian Ridley-Thomas brings experience in elected office, legislative leadership, and public policy to Global Impact Strategies. He served in the California State Assembly from 2013 to 2017, representing the 54th District in Los Angeles County.

During his Assembly tenure, he chaired the Elections and Redistricting Committee, the Revenue and Taxation Committee, and the Select Committee on Mental and Behavioral Health. His legislative priorities included job creation, education, and access to health and mental health services.

Before entering the Assembly, he served as public policy director for State Senator Curren Price and as a legislative consultant to the Senate Select Committee on Procurement. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Morehouse College.

Experience he brings

Legislative & policy development
Service as a state legislator and public policy director.
Elections & redistricting
Leadership of the Assembly’s elections policy committee.
Revenue & tax policy
Chairmanship of the Assembly’s Revenue and Taxation Committee.
Public procurement
Legislative consulting for the Senate’s procurement committee.
Biography sources
California Legislative Black Caucus · Service, policy work & education ↗Public Policy Institute of California · Committee leadership ↗California Legislature · Revenue & Taxation chairmanship ↗
Dr. Jianli Yang, PhD
DR. JIANLI YANGCHINA, DEMOCRACY & HUMAN RIGHTS

CHINA, DEMOCRACY & HUMAN RIGHTS

Dr. Jianli Yang, PhD

China, Democracy & Human Rights

Dr. Jianli Yang brings decades of human-rights advocacy, scholarship, and experience in China’s democracy movement to Global Impact Strategies. A participant in the 1989 Tiananmen protests, he founded Initiatives for China, also known as Citizen Power for China, to advance peaceful democratic change.

His international advocacy includes co-chairing the Committee on Internet Freedom at the 2010 Geneva Human Rights and Democracy Summit and representing Liu Xiaobo at the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.

He holds doctorates in mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley, and political economy from Harvard University.

Experience he brings

China & democratic development
Decades of involvement in China’s democracy movement and civil-society advocacy.
Human-rights leadership
Founder of an organization dedicated to peaceful democratic change in China.
International advocacy
Participation in global forums addressing democracy, human rights, and internet freedom.
Political economy & quantitative training
Doctoral training spanning political economy and mathematics.
Biography sources
Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation · Biography & education ↗
Natalie Jackson, PhD
NATALIE JACKSON, PHDPOLLSTER & PUBLIC OPINION RESEARCHER

POLLSTER & PUBLIC OPINION RESEARCHER

Natalie Jackson, PhD

Pollster & Public Opinion Researcher

Natalie Jackson brings experience in polling, survey research, and quantitative political science to Global Impact Strategies. Her work examines how people form opinions and how election polling and forecasting can be understood and evaluated.

She previously served as Director of Research at PRRI and held senior and management positions at JUST Capital, HuffPost, and the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. Her research has appeared in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes.

She earned her PhD in political science at the University of Oklahoma and completed postdoctoral work at Duke University’s Initiative on Survey Methodology.

Experience she brings

Polling & survey methodology
Experience across the survey research process and quantitative political science.
Public-opinion analysis
Research into opinion formation, election polling, and forecasting.
Research leadership
Former PRRI research director, with senior and management experience across research and media organizations.
Research communication
Published scholarship and experience briefing journalists on polling and survey research.
Biography sources
PRRI · Career history, research & education ↗National Press Foundation · Polling expertise & journalist briefings ↗