Communications · Campaigns · Creative direction
The message is the strategy.
Strategy, story and design, held to one standard. More than 15 years running campaigns, building brands and shaping public narratives, from school boards to the Arizona Senate majority, and for the organizations beyond them.
National Reed Award winner · 4 Reed honors
Stephanie Marie Adames
01About
Stephanie Adames is a Reed Award–winning communications strategist and campaign manager with more than 15 years in political campaigns, advocacy and mission-driven organizations. In 2026 she managed Stephanie Walsh’s flip of Arizona’s LD14 Senate seat, a 22-point swing that helped deliver Democrats’ first Arizona Senate majority since the early 1990s. Her work spans message, earned media, rapid response, paid digital and email programs, and in-house creative, from brand identities to direct mail and video.
Currently
- Communications Director & Senior StrategistStrategic Political Marketing
Based in California
02Record
Fifteen years of work, measured in outcomes.
Flipped Arizona’s LD14 Senate seat, 51% to 49%, helping secure a Democratic majority.
State legislative campaigns directed in a single cycle.
Managed across Meta and Google, optimized through testing and performance data.
Campaigns, advocacy organizations, nonprofits and elected officials since 2017.
Recognition
- Winner · 2023Best Campaign Brand & Logo
- Finalist · 2025Best Campaign Logo for a Creative Campaign
- Finalist · 2022Best Campaign Logo for a Creative Campaign
- Finalist · 2022Outstanding Service Team
Major events
- Super Bowl XLIX
- NCAA Final Four
- College Football Playoff
03Campaign creative
Campaign creative, 2016 – present
Identity, digital advertising, social and print, shown as it ran. Select any piece to view it in full.
04Campaign video
Short-form video, written, shot and cut to persuade.
Introduction reels for Stephanie Walsh and video ads for Ray Keeler for Congress. Press play on any video.
05Archive
Print, portraiture and broadcast.
The offline half of an integrated campaign, and the photography and video work behind it.
Direct mail & print
Mailers · Palm cards · Slate ads
Portrait photography
Candidate and professional portraits, photographed and edited by Stephanie
On-air & produced video
Arizona Capitol Television · InterviewsVideo production began at Arizona Capitol Television, reporting on community issues and programs, followed by on-air interviews promoting events and programs for organizations across the Phoenix area.
06Practice
Six disciplines, one point of view.
Strategy, message, design, media and press handled by the same person, so nothing is lost between the plan and the work. For campaigns, nonprofits and companies.
Message strategy, rapid response and crisis communications for elected officials, campaigns and organizations, along with the speeches, talking points and spokesperson preparation that keep everyone on message.
Messaging frameworksCrisis & rapid responseSpeechwritingStakeholder communications
Logos, visual identities, websites and complete campaign systems, including a logo recognized with a national Reed Award. I design the work myself, so the strategy arrives intact.
IdentityArt directionWebsitesAdobe Creative Suite
More than $1.5 million in paid media on Meta, Google and Snapchat, planned and optimized against real targets, including a 500% increase in student voter registration, plus email and SMS programs that lifted online contributions 30 to 50 percent.
Meta & Google AdsA/B testingEmail & SMSDigital fundraising
Short-form video, content calendars, testimonials and podcast production, extended through established podcast and influencer relationships. One healthcare client saw six viral Instagram videos in three months.
Short-form videoProductionPodcastInfluencer partnerships
Story pitching, press materials, on-air interviews and large-scale events, including community relations around Super Bowl XLIX, the NCAA Final Four and the College Football Playoff.
Media relationsOn-airEventsCommunity relations
Mailers, palm cards, slate ads and collateral that carry the message offline, designed to be understood in the few seconds a voter or customer gives them.
MailersPalm cardsSlate adsInDesign
07Writing
Reporting & features.
Selected work from my time as Editor-in-Chief of The UM Phoenix and News Editor at the Puma Press.
Profile, 2019
Nicole Stanton’s Phoenix ties to love, leadership and leveraging success
The UM PhoenixEvent coverage, 2019
Janet Napolitano on security risks and immigration
The UM PhoenixProfile, 2019
A leading entrepreneur comes to Phoenix to launch a guide and book for girls
The UM PhoenixProfile, 2019
Kevin Patterson shares insight on being a dad
Puma PressNews feature, 2017
Father Matters works to strengthen single fathers and community
Puma PressNews feature, 2017
Fresh Start: services that support women’s upward mobility
08Experience
Positions & credentials.
- 2017 – Present
Communications Director & Senior Strategist
Strategic Political Marketing (SPM), serving 100+ campaigns and organizations
- 2026
Campaign Manager & Senior Strategist
Stephanie Walsh for Arizona State Senate, LD14 (flipped, 51% to 49%)
- 2024
Campaign Manager
Senator Eva Diaz, Arizona State Senate
- 2019 – 2021
Public Relations & Marketing Manager
Phoenix Forge, GateWay Community College, social engagement up 300%
- 2019
Editor-in-Chief
The UM Phoenix
- 2016 – 2022
Campaign Manager & Communications Director
Senator Martin Quezada, Legislative District 29
- 2017 – 2018
Director of Communications
Arizona Milk Producers, including a $30,000 statewide scholarship contest with the Fiesta Bowl
- 2014 – 2017
Community Relations Representative
Valley Metro
- 2010 – 2017
Public Relations Consultant
Independent
Recognition · National Reed Awards
- Winner · 2023Best Campaign Brand & Logo
- Finalist · 2025Best Campaign Logo for a Creative Campaign
- Finalist · 2022Best Campaign Logo for a Creative Campaign
- Finalist · 2022Outstanding Service Team
Education
- B.A.S., Public ManagementNorthern Arizona University
- A.A.S., Public RelationsGlendale Community College
- Certificate, JournalismParadise Valley Community College
- Leadership FellowLeading for Change, 2016
- Crisis Communications TrainingDairy Management Inc., 2018
Tools
NGP VAN, Action Network, ActBlue, Mailchimp, GoHighLevel, Meta Ads Manager, Google Ads, Hootsuite, Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, CapCut, Final Cut Pro, WordPress, Asana, Slack
09Case studies
Seven campaigns, in detail.
The brief, the approach and the outcome for each, told plainly.
Stephanie Walsh, Arizona Senate
22-point swing; seat flipped2026→ 02Representative Patty Contreras
First seat; re-elected2022–2024→ 03Mikah Dyer
National Reed AwardSchool board→ 04Arizona Students’ Association
+500% voter registration2020–2024→ 05Senator Eva Diaz
Won by a landslide2024→ 06Armando Montero
Won; now board presidentSchool board→ 07Ray Keeler for Congress
Brand built in weeks2026→01Case study
Arizona State Senate · LD14 · 2026
Stephanie Walsh
The brief
An open State Senate seat in Legislative District 14 (Gilbert, Chandler and Queen Creek) held by Senate President Warren Petersen, which Republicans had won by 20 points in 2024. Our candidate, Stephanie Walsh, was a mechanical engineer and former CEO who had never run for office.
The approach
We positioned her as what she is: a problem-solver, not a politician. An independent voice on water, energy, costs and education. I built the campaign plan and ran message, earned and paid media, mail, digital, video and creative alongside the field program. The mail program moved from introduction to issues to a closing contrast on women in leadership, built on the opponent’s own recorded words, and late ballot-chase texts targeted the turnout gap in real time.
The outcome
Walsh won 48,319 votes to 46,305 (51.06% to 48.94%), a 22-point swing from 2024 on 61.74% turnout. The seat was one of those that gave Democrats their first Arizona Senate majority since the early 1990s.
Campaign video
Persuasion and endorsement spots from the general election02Case study
Arizona House · Swing district · 2022–2024
Representative Patty Contreras
The brief
In a competitive primary in a swing district, Patty had been campaigning on her own and was not considered a frontrunner.
The approach
I developed her complete identity, logo, website and messaging, and a digital strategy built for the district, with messaging for seniors carried through a series of high-performing Meta ads, mailers and social content.
The outcome
She won the first seat in the two-seat primary and then the general election. I continued with her through a successful 2024 re-election.
03Case study
Peoria Unified School Board · Arizona
Mikah Dyer
The brief
A high school student running for school board needed to be taken seriously as a candidate.
The approach
I built the campaign from the ground up: logo, identity, website and social content. His age drew significant media attention, and a clear, confident brand allowed the campaign to convert that attention into momentum.
The outcome
The branding won the 2023 national Reed Award for Best Campaign Brand and Logo, judged by peers in political consulting. Mikah has continued to advocate for mental health awareness and meaningful change in schools.
04Case study
Advocacy · Youth vote · 2020–2024
Arizona Students’ Association
The brief
Give a statewide student association one consistent brand and voice, credible in lobbying meetings at the Arizona State Capitol and in Washington, D.C., and native to the platforms students actually use.
The approach
A multi-platform digital program for voter registration and get-out-the-vote, with platform-specific social strategy, targeted messaging and every digital ad designed in-house.
The outcome
A stronger digital presence and measurable growth in youth civic participation. In 2022, a Snapchat campaign with direct registration links increased student voter registration by more than 500%.
05Case study
Arizona State Senate · 2024
Senator Eva Diaz
The brief
Senator Diaz had previously run as a write-in candidate and had no established voter base. Her opponent, a former legislator who had resigned over misconduct, was a familiar story to insiders but largely unknown to voters in the district.
The approach
We built the campaign on a single idea, Steady Leadership, leading with her legislative record and letting the facts about her opponent speak for themselves. A clear contrast in a positive tone, delivered through targeted digital, high-visibility endorsements, mail, a door-to-door field program and pitched earned media.
The outcome
Senator Diaz won by a landslide.
06Case study
Tempe School Board · Arizona
Armando Montero
The brief
Armando, a former intern of mine, ran for school board directly after graduating from high school, motivated by his experience advocating for better mental health resources as a student. His age would be read as both an asset and a liability.
The approach
Research showed that the word “fresh” resonated with voters seeking change, so the campaign was built around Fresh Perspective. I led communications strategy, designed the logo, produced digital advertising and social content, and prepared speeches and talking points on the district’s most pressing issues.
The outcome
He stood out in a crowded field and won the seat. He now serves as school board president and has received national recognition for his advocacy on student mental health.
07Case study
U.S. House · Arizona’s 8th District · 2026
Ray Keeler for Congress
The brief
I joined in June 2026, weeks before Arizona’s July primary. The campaign had virtually no brand identity or digital presence, and the opponent had been campaigning for more than a year.
The approach
In a compressed window I created the visual identity and messaging framework, produced all digital advertising creative, managed Meta advertising across Facebook and Instagram, and developed direct mail to reinforce the message offline.
The outcome
The program introduced the candidate to thousands of voters across the district with strong awareness and engagement. The campaign ultimately faced an opponent with more than a year’s head start; the work showed what a professional brand and integrated program can accomplish on an accelerated timeline.
10Contact
For campaigns, causes and considered brands.
Available for campaign, communications director and creative leadership roles, as well as select consulting engagements.
[email protected]