Elizabeth Curwen, Vice President

Elizabeth Curwen helps clients communicate complicated issues to critical audiences, including policymakers, policy influencers, stakeholders, allied advocates and grassroots networks. She has spent the last 17 years working on complex issue assignments, conducting policy communications and developing strong alliances among state and federal organizations.

Prior to joining Spitfire, Elizabeth was a vice president at Widmeyer Communications where she developed and implemented strategic communications campaigns on health and wellness, energy and environmental issues primarily to advance policy objectives. She led partner development and recruitment for the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, helped position the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) in the volatile policy debate about jobs and the economy, and developed a strategic plan to communicate the scientific findings of the Pew Charitable Trusts’ food additives work.

While with Widmeyer, Elizabeth developed a partner engagement program for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) drowning prevention campaign, building a network of 1,000 dedicated advocates in all 50 states that are helping expand the reach and influence of the campaign’s limited resources. In addition to managing the partner program, she also provided daily counsel to CPSC on earned media opportunities, messaging, materials development and social media engagement.

Elizabeth spent much of her earlier career working with scientists on issues related to the production, use and disposal of industrial chemicals and chemical-based products including plastics and pharmaceuticals. She has trained scientists on how to talk about their research with non-technical audiences, both in the U.S. and Japan.

Elizabeth is a native Californian and has a BA in geography and environmental studies from the University of California at Los Angeles.