Todd Van Etten
PARTNER
Todd Van Etten is a veteran of political advocacy and digital strategy campaigns, having for the past two decades worked closely with candidates and clients to craft industry-leading online programs. He has been at the crossroads of technology and politics for as long as they’ve been intersecting.
Todd leads The Herald Group’s digital department, including oversight of online advertising, social media programs, analytics and creative direction. He counsels corporations, industry trade associations, non-profits and coalitions to implement innovative activation and mobilization strategies, turning online results into action.
Prior to joining The Herald Group, Todd was the Vice President of Digital at The Advocacy Group, Inc and Director of Digital Strategy in Burson-Marsteller’s Washington, D.C. office. He joined the Burson-Marsteller Digital team after serving as the D.C. Office Director of Crowdverb, a start-up online mobilization firm acquired by the public relations giant.
Todd began his career with six years in the New Media department of the Republican National Committee, starting as office assistant and eventually rising to Director. Over that time, Todd managed the creation of an entirely new web platform, complete with a redesigned GOP.com and data architecture that Mother Jones and Mashable praised as superior to the DNC for the first time.
Todd received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Vermont. Along with a passion for technology, he has a love for travel and music, especially jazz guitar.
Education:
University of Vermont
Career Highlights:
Vice President, Advocacy Group, Inc.
DC Office Director, Crowdverb
Director of New Media, Republican National Committee
Hometown:
Lafayette, CA
Reddit and other online forums can reveal where an issue is taking shape, which narratives are spreading, and when an informal conversation is becoming a public affairs threat.
Recognition reflects the firm’s commitment to employee growth, mentorship and a collaborative culture.
Unconventional public affairs advocacy tactics can make an issue impossible to ignore by using targeted activations to reach decision-makers, create earned media opportunities, and strengthen every element of a broader public affairs campaign.
Veteran Advocacy Executive Joins THG Leadership Team and Adds Further Depth to Firm as 15th Addition in 2026
Research alone rarely drives action. Learn how to translate complex data into compelling stories, reach key decision-makers, and build a public affairs strategy that ensures your findings land.
In litigation, regulatory investigations, and reputational crises, organizations often find themselves trapped between two competing realities: legal counsel wants to minimize risk, while stakeholders want answers. Here’s how to communicate when you cannot share the whole story.
Technology companies changing the defense industrial base need visible leaders who can shape policy conversations, build credibility, and secure a seat at the table before procurement decisions are made.
Audience research can do more than inform one campaign. Synthetic audiences help public affairs teams pressure-test messaging, extend research value and adapt faster as issues, audiences and news cycles shift.
Prince William County’s data center votes aren’t the end of the industry. They’re a reminder that communities need more than facts and figures. They need to understand what these projects mean for their future and why they should welcome them.
SCOTUS ruling reshapes campaign spending, giving party committees new leverage and changing how corporate advocacy teams plan for 2026.
Mergers are no longer judged on financial merits alone. Public affairs strategy is essential to defining the narrative, managing scrutiny, and moving stakeholders toward approval.
Most organizations have no idea what AI engines say about them — and that blind spot is costing them. As AI visibility becomes the new first impression for journalists, staffers, and advocates, the stakes have never been higher.
A congressional investigation is never just a legal matter. Companies that prepare now—with legal, communications, government affairs, and stakeholder teams aligned—will be better positioned to protect their reputation before a negative narrative takes hold.
Modern advocacy requires more than a strong lobbying strategy or broad public awareness campaign. To drive real policy outcomes, organizations need a synchronized inside-outside game that pairs Capitol-level strategy with constituent-driven pressure.
Most organizations treat media relations as a crisis tactic—but the ones that weather storms best build press relationships long before trouble hits. Here's why a sustained media strategy is essential in public affairs.
The Herald Group earns seven Hermes Creative Awards—four Gold, three Honorable Mentions—for work spanning blog content, website design, paid media, outdoor advertising, and LinkedIn performance.
In public affairs, audience strategy is too often treated as a list rather than a discipline. Here are four principles that separate effective targeting from wasted spend.
As AI floods the information landscape, policymakers struggle to know who to trust. Here's why strategic alliances with credible third-party voices have become a defining advantage in public affairs.
The public affairs landscape in 2026 looks nothing like it did two cycles ago. Here's what practitioners need to understand—from the midterm environment to state-level fights to media fragmentation.
The Herald Group earned Gold and Silver at the 2026 MUSE Creative Awards for work on the Alliance for IRS Accountability—a reflection of how integrated strategy and creative drive results in public affairs.