Missoula resident Jessica Grennan will be honored next week by the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) as one of the nation’s 40 best and brightest campaign professionals under 40 years old.

Grennan’s leadership since 2012 as Compassion & Choices national field and political director helped Vermont in 2013 and California in 2015 become the first two state legislatures to pass laws to give terminally ill adults the option of medical aid in dying if their end-of-life suffering becomes unbearable. Her field and political team’s efforts have resulted in more than 200 lawmakers signing on as co-sponsors of similar bills in the District of Columbia and 25 states since 2015, a five-fold increase from 2014.

Since 2006, Grennan has served as board president of the youth civic engagement nonprofit Forward Montana. In addition, she was health alliance director for the American Heart Association in Montana and Wyoming from 2006 to 2009.

“Receiving this award from the nation’s leading political consulting organization is a great honor,” said Grennan. “It validates my work over more than 15 years to advance civil liberties like end-of-life choice, women’s health and voting rights. But this award also is a testament to my talented colleagues because our mutual success made it possible.”

“Jessica is a political dynamo who gives new meaning to the term ‘multitask,’” said Barbara Coombs Lee, president of Compassion & Choices, the nation’s largest end-of-life choice advocacy organization. “Her boundless energy and razor sharp political skills explain why lawmakers across the nation rely on her counsel to craft and move legislation to expand end-of-life care options for dying Americans.”

The AAPC will recognize the winners of the 40 Under 40 Awards at the 2016 Annual Pollie Awards & Conference next Tuesday, April 12, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The conference brings the leading political professionals in the world together to network and hear from top technology innovators, pollsters, pundits and service providers.  

“The AAPC is proud to recognize leaders and innovators such as Jessica Grennan who have already played key roles in advancing their clients’ or organization’s interests and promoting democracy,” said AAPC President Mark Mellman. 

“Competition for this year’s awardees nearly doubled compared to last year,” noted AAPC Vice President Tom Shepard. “Our bipartisan team of judges carefully reviewed the resumes of over 190 pollsters, campaign consultants, researchers, campaign managers and digital strategists from across the political spectrum.”

Only 17 Republicans, 17 Democrats, and 6 nonpartisan operatives in the United States were named to this exclusive “40 Under 40” winners list. Award winners were graded on a 40-point scale and selected for extraordinary achievements in politics and public affairs. Contributions to the health of the political business community through volunteer work and other forms of philanthropy were also considered.  

Previously, she also was a staff member on senior Montana U.S. Senator Jon Tester’s winning Senate campaign in 2006. She also served as an intern at the White House, where she specialized in working with the disabilities community.

Click here to view the full list of the 2016 “40 Under 40” winners.

About AAPC
Founded in 1969, the AAPC is a multi-partisan organization of political and public affairs professionals dedicated to improving democracy. The AAPC has over 1,350 members hailing from all corners of the globe. It is the largest association of political and public affairs professionals in the world. For more information, see www.theaapc.org.

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