2020 Rising Stars

We’re Proud to Announce the 2020 Class of Rising Stars

Since 1988, Campaigns & Elections has recognized the best young operatives in the campaign business with the coveted Rising Star award. It’s one of the most prestigious honors in the campaign world for a reason: industry giants are counted among the ranks of former Rising Stars.

Rising Star recipients have climbed to the heights of politics, launching dozens of successful consulting firms and serving at the highest levels of state and federal campaigns. Congratulations to our 2020 class of Rising Stars!

2020 Rising Stars

International

Graham Godwin-Pearson

Democra,
Co-Founder

International

José Francisco Valery

El Equipo de Campaña,
Director

International

Sara Tamez

Espora,
Partner and Director of International Business

International

Graham Godwin-Pearson

Democra, Co-Founder

Graham Godwin-Pearson is a co-founder of Democra, an online campaigning consultancy based in the UK. Democra specialises in digital solutions for political parties, government and think tanks. In addition to single websites, Democra’s ‘Infinity’ allows multiple websites to be built, themed and maintained almost instantly. The first outing for this model was the Conservative Party, for whom Graham’s team of developers rebuilt 240 websites in 2010. Since then, the portfolio has grown to around 700 websites, including senior Cabinet Ministers. Graham works with political consultants and parties to ensure that everyone from the digital director to grassroots activists have the tools and skills to utilize the internet for political campaigning as effectively as possible.

International

José Francisco Valery

El Equipo de Campaña, Director

The son of a Venezuelan father and a Mexican mother, Francisco Paco Valery started his political career in 2007 when he successfully campaigned against a constitutional amendment proposed by then-Venezuelan President Chávez. Trained as a social psychologist, Valery has developed mobilization strategies for campaigns across Latin America. His resume includes working for Claudia Pavlovich, the first governor elected by popular vote in the Mexican state of Sonora, and the gubernatorial campaign of Marcela Amaya in Colombia in 2016. Valery has also worked on the winning presidential campaigns of Panama’s Laurentino “Nito” Cortizo, and Alejandro Eduardo Giammattei’s 2019 Guatemalan presidential victory.

International

Sara Tamez

Espora, Partner and Director of International Business

Sara Elia Tamez Arellano is an international consultant with a growing reputation for her digital work. She has spent a decade in the political consulting industry on local, state, and presidential campaigns in Mexico, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Ecuador, Panama, Guatemala, Argentina, and the United States. In 2016, she worked on the Clinton campaign’s Latino outreach effort, helping implement the digital strategy in California. She is currently partner and director of international business at Espora, where she specializes in digital communication for the public sector. Sara believes in the use of technology to enhance the voices of citizens and to facilitate the work of politicians to connect with their constituents.

We’re Proud to Announce the 2020 Class of Rising Stars