Elise Sturgeon

Elise Sturgeon joined the SPPG team as an office manager in 2023.   

  

Elise was born and raised in Sioux City, IA until she graduated from Sioux City North High School in 2018. She then attended Simpson College where she graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2022 with a double major in Political Science and Applied Philosophy with minors in Spanish, Latin American Studies, and Simpson’s Honors Program. Elise was a very involved student on Simpson’s campus, serving as the undergraduate assistant for the Simpson First-Year mentorship program and the Parliamentary Debate Program. An accomplished debater in college, Elise helped to lead the team to repeated national victories.  

 

Additionally, Elise was heavily committed to increasing student civic engagement at Simpson, serving as her campus’ Newman Civic Fellow her senior year. Working with the John C. Culver Public Policy Center and the Andrew Goodman Foundation she led a team of students in efforts to increase student voter engagement at Simpson. Under her leadership, Simpson saw a 75% turnout rate and over 92% voter registration rate among students during the 2020 elections. Post-graduation, Elise returned to her hometown to serve as the campaign manager for Iowa Senator Jackie Smith.   

 

In her free time Elise is an avid Taylor Swift fan and is looking forward to her next record re-recordings. She is an avid podcast listener, enjoys cross stitching, and loves to spend time with her cat, Bubby.  

 

Elise has always believed in the profound power of policy in affecting communities. This is why she is excited to work at a group helping to endow organizations with the know-how to implement the policies necessary to improve the communities they serve.  

 

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More About Elise 

 Dream Vacation  

• Greece! I went for a few weeks in college and have wanted to go back ever since.  

When I was 6, I wanted to be…  

• A teacher just like my mom.  

Movie Concession Choice  

• Swedish fish and a large, buttered popcorn 

Best Piece of Advice I’ve Been Given  

• “Never be so polite, you forget your power. Never wield such power, you forget to be polite” -Taylor Swift in the song “Marjorie”