People
I am an admitted education policy wonk, having worked on national education policy for more than a decade. I spent 11 years in Washington, D.C., of which the first few were spent at the U.S. Department of Education and the National Education Association. I also have a great interest in arts and politics, both professionally and on a volunteer basis. I am a member of the PreK-12 practice in Widmeyer’s New York office. I live in Connecticut, and in my free time, you can find me at the beach, at a flea market, on a bike or reading the paper.
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Biography:
Since joining Widmeyer in 2001, Appleyard Adams has secured top-level national media placements for her clients, which include the Association for Computing Machinery, Computer Science Teachers Association, McGraw-Hill Companies and Consortium for Policy Research in Education. Specifically, on behalf of the Computer Science Teachers Association, Appleyard Adams arranged for the president of the association to appear on CNN’s Lou Dobbs and secured an article by Ben Feller of the Associated Press, which appeared in hundreds of outlets. Her work extends beyond media outreach to include government affairs, partnership building, copy writing and event planning.
Past account work has included The Teaching Commission, Annenberg’s School Communities that Work, National Alliance for Autism Research, Humanitarian Aid Foundation, Asia Society, Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies and Henry Ford Learning Institute. This work has consisted of promoting the results of public opinion surveys; undertaking messaging exercises; carrying out national publicity campaigns; and creating information kits, executive summaries and brochures.
Appleyard Adams joined Widmeyer Communications after receiving a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from The George Washington University, which solidified work experience from the communications department at the National Education Association (NEA) and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the U.S. Department of Education.
Through both of these positions--working with other federal agencies, the White House, Capitol Hill, the press and the general public--Appleyard Adams gained the knowledge to evaluate policy and build coalitions. During her work with NEA, Appleyard Adams was involved with a national publicity campaign to promote reading. Appleyard Adams became well versed in all aspects of education policy and the legislative process through her work at the Department of Education, particularly pertaining to special education. She played an integral role in the White House Conference on Mental Health, representing the concerns of the special education community and the Department of Education. Appleyard Adams began her Washington, DC experience with the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Prior to working in Washington, Appleyard Adams worked on the primary and general campaign staff of the 1996 Clinton/Gore campaign in New Hampshire and Florida.
Appleyard Adams graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.
Contact information:
- 102 West 38th Street, 4th Floor,
New York, NY 10018
Phone 212.260.3401
Fax 212.260.3402
