Heidi Ann Ecker is the Vice President of Legislative & Political Affairs at Winning Connections. Heidi’s role is to leverage the firm’s experience with associations, interest groups and lobbying firms in building grassroots campaigns.
Having worked for U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and worked in Washington, DC for over thirteen years as a government relations department director, lobbyist, political action committee specialist, grassroots advocate, fundraiser, policy analyst, press contact, and credentialed reporter/editor, Heidi brings a wealth of association work experience to WC.
She’s led strategic grassroots and political action activities in a variety of government relations departments of national associations — including the National Community Pharmacists Association, American Osteopathic Association, American Nurses Association, and American Psychological Society. In these roles Heidi perfected her ability to work within association bureaucracy to organize effective issue & crisis campaigns, orchestrate federal and state capitol hill days, craft member education programs and resources, recruit advocates and conduct advocacy trainings, plan district events, grow state and federal PACs and design effective political programs.
As a respected grassroots advocate in the Washington, DC community, Heidi has spoken at hundreds of events to train grassroots advocates across the nation, as well as the world, when she addressed over 800 countries at the International Congress on Physical Activity when she served as the Executive Director of the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity.