Shaniqua McClendon has worked in politics for more than a decade and currently serves as Vice President of Political Strategy at Crooked Media, home to the popular podcast, Pod Save America. In this role, Shaniqua led the creation of their voter and volunteer engagement program, Vote Save America, that has raised more than $55 million for progressive candidates and causes, while mobilizing more than 500,000 voters, volunteers, and grassroots donors across the country to support Democratic victories in 2018, 2020, and 2022. Prior to Crooked Media, Shaniqua began her career as a White House Intern for President Barack Obama. She then went on to Capitol Hill where she served as a policy advisor to Senator Kay R. Hagan and Legislative Director to Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, spearheading the creation of the first-ever Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus. Shaniqua is originally from North Carolina, and earned a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also earned a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where she received the Robert F. Kennedy Award for Excellence in Service. She was also a fellow at the USC Center for the Political Future, inaugural Anthem Award winner, and serves on the boards of Register Her and the Sunrise Movement.