Repairing America’s Broken Democracy: Bridge Alliance Members Take Action – Mary-Lee Smith, Executive Director, Renew America Together

As part of a new series on citybiz, Repairing America’s Broken Democracy: Bridge Alliance Members Take Action, each month David H. Nevins, president & CEO of Nevins & Associates, will interview leaders from different Bridge Alliance member organizations doing work to support and protect our democracy around the country. The Bridge Alliance is a coalition of more than 100 organizations working together as active stewards of our democratic republic. Bridge Alliance member organizations span the ideological spectrum, but are unified to work efficiently, outside arbitrarily defined political lines. The Bridge Alliance supports the democracy ecosystem and advances the healthy self-governance movement. The Bridge Alliance nurtures consistent and open communications between its members, developing a foundation of trust to foster collaboration. For more information, visit www.bridgealliance.us.

Mary-Lee Smith serves as the Executive Director of Renew America Together. Founded in 2018, RATOis a 501 (c)(3) organization designed to promote and achieve greater common ground in America by reducing partisan division and gridlock. In 2020, Smith was instrumental in the creation of the organization’s Civility Leadership Institute, which brought together 30 diverse individuals from 15 states to work towards finding common ground.

Throughout her career, Smith has held leadership roles in public policy and public relations in both the private and public sectors. In 2017, she was instrumental in envisioning and executing an event that convened four of the five living Arkansas governors for a historic town hall meeting in partnership with the Clinton School of Public Service. Additionally, she has worked with organizations including the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, Wesley K. Clark & Associates, WesPAC – Securing America’s Future, and the William J. Clinton Foundation. She is a graduate of the University of Arkansas, a lifelong Razorback that has navigated the pandemic from Little Rock as both Executive Director and sometimes home school teacher with her husband and two children.

Renew America Together is a 501c3 organization designed to promote and achieve greater common ground in America by reducing partisan division and gridlock. Our mission is to revitalize public and political discourse by teaching and promoting civics, citizenship and civility. For more information, visit: Help Us Renew America Together.

Connect with Mary-Lee on LinkedIn

The Bridge Alliance is a coalition of over 90 organizations dedicated to rejuvenating America. With each organization focusing on a different sector of the movement, our members represent a combined three million supporters in the burgeoning field of civic reform and civil discourse. In addition, more than one billion dollars has been invested towards improving government effectiveness nationwide.

The Bridge Alliance acts as a hub of information and connectivity for over 90 civic action organizations.

We provide the infrastructure for our members to expand individually, collaborate on shared goals, and inform others that are invested in democracy revitalization. This generates a collective impact for greater than any one group could make alone.

David Nevins is president & CEO of Nevins & Associates, a highly regarded strategic communications company and proactive public relations partner. The firm’s regional and national client base is a unique mix of organizations across a variety of industries including: healthcare, professional service firms, finance, not-for-profits, distributors, state agencies, national media companies, technology, political and grassroots campaigns, real estate development, sporting events, and more.

With more than 30 years of experience in marketing, public relations, and community and government relations, David is a talented and seasoned executive. Prior to founding Nevins & Associates in 1983, David served as the Director of Marketing for both Towson University and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In 2001, he was tapped by the CEO of Comcast to employ his marketing expertise as President of the company’s regional sports network, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. David is a Past President of the Board of Governors for the Center Club and is a former Chairman of the Board of Regents for the University System of Maryland, a position to which he was appointed by the Governor of Maryland. David has chaired the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission and the Maryland Higher Education Loan Corporation, served as President of both the Jewish National Fund and the Towson Business Association and was a member of the PNC Bank board.

David is highly involved in the business, civic, and political communities, and his many years of active leadership in numerous organizations have built a network of contacts that he regularly puts to use for the firm’s clients. For more information, visit www.nevinspr.com.