Courtney Federico
Director of Delegate Operations
Kamala Harris for the People

Courtney Federico returned to WeLead in September 2019 to help with a professional development session focused on crafting an effective elevator pitch.  She taught WeLeaders some of the skills that she used to land her current job at EMILY’s List.  According to Federico, the most valuable lesson she learned from her time in the program was also arguably the simplest lesson – how to set professional goals for herself.

Prior to her involvement in WeLead, Federico thought she knew how to set goals for herself.  “But as I sat in the session trying to brainstorm personal and professional goals, I realized that I hadn’t set any concrete, achievable goals for myself in a long time.  That day, I drafted a list of goals and found an accountability partner, my fellow WeLeader Tabatha.  Together, she and I talked through each of my goals and how I was going to achieve them.”

Her advice to a new class?  “Take advantage of every opportunity.  WeLead is only what you make of it — talk to all of the speakers, meet everyone in your cohort, collect business cards and conduct coffee meetings.  You worked hard and are fortunate enough to have this experience, so be thoughtful and strategic about what you want to gain from it, and get after it!”

Federico is joined Kamala Harris for the People in October 2019. Before that, she worked as Program Manager for EMILY’s List’s independent expenditure operation, WOMEN VOTE!  In this role, she oversees independent expenditures in support of EMILY’s List endorsed candidates.  She previously served as the Assistant to the Executive Director at Emily’s List.

Prior to joining EMILY’s List, Federico was the Outreach Manager at the Combined Defense Project, an environmental coalition campaign created after the 2016 election, and worked for the Democratic National Committee, first as the Special Assistant to the CEO and then as the Deputy Director of the Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection (PADS).  As the Deputy Director of PADS, Federico helped manage the delegate selection process for the National Democratic Party and the party business conducted at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.  Federico also worked as a field organizer on President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012.  

Federico grew up in a small town in Connecticut, where her family and her pug, Virgil, still live.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from Boston University, with a focus on the environment and sustainability.  In addition to working in politics, she also enjoys running, boxing, reading and making handmade cards that she sells through her Etsy shop, Fedpress.