Resume

SUMMARY

I'm a consultant with 10+ years of experience in both public and nonprofit sectors, leading teams in outreach program development, campaign planning and execution, and major systemic changes. I build connections and bridges with community partners, advocates, political parties, media, and government agencies to create positive social change. I am passionate about strategizing innovative outreach plans and engagement efforts, especially around voting and elections. I have proven past experience with implementing large-scale projects in highly contentious political climates and heavy scrutiny by the public and media.

Specialties:
Election Administration, Multicultural Outreach, Civic Engagement, Collaborative Partnerships, Language Access, Legislative Analysis, Project Management, Speechwriting, Crisis Communications, Media Relations, Ethnic Media, Social Media

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

J Wu Consulting | Founder and President
Jul. 2021 - Present | Newport Beach, CA

● Facilitate and participate in discussions on civic engagement strategies to drive voter engagement and turnout.
● Draft and review communication pieces such as press releases, speeches, letters, reports, etc. to provide education and information to diverse stakeholders.
● Provide expertise on election administration, compliance with the California Elections Code and federal Voting Rights Act, and voting modernization.

California Alliance Group | Consultant
Sep. 2021 - Jun. 2022 | Sacramento, CA

● Provide strategic political consulting on local, regional, and statewide campaigns.
● Develop connections and partnerships with elected officials and government administrators to achieve strategic goals and initiatives.
● Coordinate a statewide slate mailer in primary and general elections.

Orange County Registrar of Voters | Community Outreach Manager
Nov. 2017 – Jun. 2021 | Santa Ana, CA

● Managed 6 full-time staff (1 manager, 5 specialists), and 50+ temporary/seasonal staff, each major election budgeted at ~$11-20M.
● Spearheaded development and execution of Orange County’s voter outreach plan for the 5th largest U.S. voting jurisdiction with ~1.8M voters, including equipment demos, pop-up voting, public meetings and noticing, events, and video series in 9 languages.
● Oversaw voter education and engagement efforts to inform the public of new voting equipment, the transition from the traditional polling place model to Vote Centers and ballot drop boxes, and changes due to COVID-19.
● Implemented strategies to counter misinformation through the public phone bank, website, and social media.
● Handled crisis communications in response to wildfires that threatened voting operations, fake ballot drop boxes and Vote Centers, protests, bomb threats, etc. and coordinated with external agencies such as the Secretary of State’s office, cities, and news media.
● Served as the project manager for the translation and proofing of election materials into 9 different languages, supporting over 125,000 voters requesting language assistance.
● Assisted in the proofing of all election materials produced and printed, including ballots, candidate statements, sample ballots, vote-by-mail applications, etc.
● Created reports such as the Voting Rights Act Compliance Report, COVID-19 Election Response Report, and Election Administration Plan used to inform the public, meet statutory requirements, and support election planning by other state and local election officials. 
● Led the Election Academy, a biennial program that offers the public an opportunity to learn about the operations and preparations necessary to administer an election.

City of Palos Verdes Estates | Administrative Analyst, Office of the City Manager
Aug. 2016 – Nov. 2017 | Palos Verdes Estates, CA

● Developed the online Open Government Portal to provide transparency on public records requests, city finances, employee salaries, city-involved litigation, etc.
● Led the Citizens Academy, a 10-session leadership program with curated experiences for City departments to increase residents’ understanding of City departments’ municipal functions and services. 
● Partnered with the Davenport Institute to design community meetings and email/ phone surveys for residents, which measured public opinion/satisfaction and identified priorities; used feedback to address a 25% budget deficit and strategically created a bond measure to fund emergency response services. 
● Prepared staff reports for city council meetings on legislation, city events, and special topics.

Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA) | Policy Manager
Jun. 2014 – Jul. 2015 | Garden Grove, CA

● Managed nonpartisan phone bank and polling monitoring operations for 30+ volunteers, targeting first-time voters and limited-English proficient voters; resulting in 12,000+ calls in 9 languages within the three weeks leading up to Election Day.
● Conducted research through 250 paper and 100 phone surveys to identify voters’ values and best practices for messaging to voters.
● Prepared and delivered budget and program reports to funders and the Board of Directors.
● Contributed to local and national coalition-building efforts and discussions to expand voting access, increase AAPI political representation, and support district elections.

Office of State Senator Carol Liu, 25th District | District Representative
Sep. 2011 – May 2014 | Glendale, CA

● Served as the office's community liaison to five San Gabriel Valley communities and the Asian Pacific Islander community.
● Provided customer service via constituent case management with state agencies such as the Department of Motor Vehicles, Franchise Tax Board, Employment Development Department, etc.
● Coordinated logistics for a statewide bus tour to highlight community schools as a model for integrating resources to help children reach their potential.

EDUCATION
● B.A., Political Science, University of California, Irvine
● Certificate in Advanced Public Engagement for Local Government, Pepperdine University
● Certificate in Applied Compassion Training, Stanford University

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
● State of California’s Motor Voter Task Force: Member (2022 - present)
● Institute for Responsive Government: Fellow (2022 - present)
● Analyst Institute: Member (2022 - present)
● Planned Parenthood Counties of Orange and San Bernardino AAPI Leadership Council: Member (2022 - present)
● Activate CA Movement Leaders Circle: Councilmember (2022 - present)
● Asian Americans in Action: Boardmember (2022 - present)
● California Association of Clerks and Election Officers Legislative Committee: Member (2021)
● Future of California Elections Network: Member (2017 - present)
● Orange County Registrar of Voters Community Election Working Group: Member (2017-2021)
● Orange County Registrar of Voters Language Accessibility Advisory Committee: Co-Chair (2017-2021)
● Orange County Civic Engagement Table: Member (2014-2015)
● Asian Pacific American Legislative Staff Network (APALS): Member (2011-2014), Fundraising Chair (2013), Director of Internal Affairs (2014)

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
● CalGIS Conference: Presenter, “The Connection between Backend Automatic Voter Registration and Improved Voter Rolls”  (2023)
● Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education Conference: Poster Presenter, “Protect the Vote at All Costs: Ensuring Voter Access during the 2020 General Election” (2022)
● Future of California Elections Conference: Presenter, “Protecting the Vote through Risk-Limiting Audits”(2019)
● 89.3 KPCC AirTalk: Guest Speaker, “California’s 48th District: The fight for the second spot in November’s general election” (2018)

TRAININGS
● Asian Pacific American Women Leadership Institute (2023)
● SheShares Mentorship Program (2023)
● Bold New Directions: Management and Leadership Training (2021)
● Asian American Journalist Association: Media Training (2015)
● New American Leaders Project - Ready to Lead: Orange County Training (2015)
● Midwest Academy Organizing for Social Change Training (2014)