Michael
Peñuelas
Policy Analyst
Community Organizer
Strategic Communicator

Michael is a policy analyst, community organizer, and strategic communicator based in NW Washington. Recently, he's focused his energy on electing leaders up and down the ballot who will make progress toward food and energy systems that are secure, sovereign, and resilient. Despite running away briefly to California, he's PNW to the bone. Michael holds a M.S. in Environmental Policy and Management and a B.S. in Earth System Science, with Honors, both from Stanford University. He currently sits on the board of the Riveters Collective, the Campaign Committee of the Whatcom Democrats, and is a proud member of the Bellingham Tenants Union.
&
political
research
manager
Michael is currently
Regional
Campaign
Director
01 consulting
POLITICAL CONSULTING
Beginning in May of 2018, Michael began adapting his experience with grassroots campaigning to the project of candidate campaigns. He specializes in supporting strong progressives in swing and safe red districts, under the theory that we must contest disproportionate corporate power wherever it holds.
He provides full-service campaign services for candidates, including staff hiring, training, and management; voter targeting; messaging; and basic graphic design services. He is also available to consult on independent expenditure campaigns.
PROJECT + ACADEMIC CONSULTING
Michael has lived on the West Coast of the US for 25 years, surrounded by the boldest innovators on the planet. As a millennial, he brings a unique capacity for pattern-recognition and trend-spotting to the business of project consulting and research. Click on any image below for a brief project description.
In 2017-18, his clients have included Sightline Institute, the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition, and MASH Strategy Studio. In 2015-16, he conducted his first four projects as a Student Consultant with the Stanford Global Projects Center (GPC) and the Stanford Community Engaged Learning Program (CELP).
02 Story
March 2020 - Present
Regional Campaigns Director, Northwest Washington
May 2017- January 2019
Project Consultant
Independent Project Consultant


2015
Research and Strategy Intern, and
Volpert Scholar in Interdisciplinary Environmental Science

2013 - June 2016
Campaign Director for Media and Communications, and Co-Founder
