Managing Partner and Vice President of Push Digital Win “40 Under 40” Award

CHARLESTON, SC (May 18, 2022) – Push Digital is proud to announce that Managing Partner Phil Vangelakos and Vice President Christiana Purves have been honored by the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) as two of the 40 best and brightest campaign professionals under 40 years old.

“AAPC is pleased to recognize Phil Vangelakos and Christiana Purves as members of our 2022 class of 40 Under 40 for their outstanding achievements,” said AAPC President Becki Donatelli. “Each year, this award recognizes 40 rising stars in American political consulting who have made a real difference in campaigns.”

Only 20 Republicans, 19 Democrats and 1 Independent in the United States were named to AAPC’s exclusive “40 Under 40” winners list. Candidates were evaluated on their role as a strategic consultant in the industry, along with leadership and professional accomplishments in political consulting.

“When our clients hire Push Digital, they’re hiring industry leaders and that is largely because people like Phil and Christiana have set the bar so high,” said Wesley Donehue, Push Digital Founding Partner and CEO. “They are visionaries when it comes to the dynamic changes that continue to revolutionize in this industry. We’re proud to see them being honored for their exceptional work and excited to see how they will continue to help us grow and better serve our clients.”

Vangelakos, who joined Push Digital in 2016, is a political strategist and recognized digital communications expert with a history of leveraging cutting-edge trends in technology. Prior to his time at Push, Vangelakos served as Vice President of Digital at the Stoneridge Group in 2011 and founded Brushfire Digital, a digital consultancy for Republican candidates and committees in 2009. He has also served as a campaign manager and consultant on various political races. Most recently, Phil led digital strategy for US Senator Lindsey Graham’s historic 2020 re-election, the most expensive race in Senate history.

Christiana has more than a decade of experience at the federal, state and local levels from communications director to campaign manager. Before joining Push Digital in 2021, she served as Deputy Director of Regional Communications at the RNC, acting as a spokesperson and overseeing strategic communications in support of Trump Victory and targeted US Senate, Congressional, Gubernatorial and local races across the country. During her time at Push, Christiana has been recognized as a dynamic team member that brings acumen and perspective to the leadership team and repeatedly puts clients in positions to win.

The AAPC recognized the winners of the 40 Under 40 Awards at the 2022 Pollie Awards & Conference on May 17, 2022 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 40 Under 40 Awards Ceremony and Reception was sponsored by Tatango, and was held at the Caribe Hilton.

AAPC Vice President Larry Huynh added: “This year’s judging process was especially difficult for our bipartisan team of judges as this year’s nomination pool included many qualified and talented young political consultants who excelled in the face of incredible obstacles throughout the 2021 campaign cycle. We were beyond pleased to celebrate the achievements of this year’s 40 Under 40 class in person at Pollies 22.”

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About Push Digital
Push Digital is a strategy, creative, and advertising agency founded in 2010 specializing in cross-platform marketing. Push provides data insights and analytics; digital and traditional communications strategies; creative content development to sway opinions; and channel agnostic media placement and distribution. The firm is based in Charleston with additional offices in Columbia, SC and Oxford, MS. To learn more about Push Digital, visit www.pushdigital.com.

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 1,400 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.

About the 2022 AAPC Pollie Conference
As the premier industry event, the 2022 Pollie Awards & Conference is held in San Juan, Puerto Rico from May 17-19, 2022 and brings the leading political professionals in the world together to network and hear from top technology innovators, pollsters, pundits and service providers. The Conference features cutting-edge programming on key industry trends, designed to empower attendees to leverage the latest techniques in campaign strategy and management. The Conference is widely recognized as the must-attend event for political consultants, media buyers, public affairs specialists, suppliers, industry leaders and journalists. For details, visit www.theaapc.org.