About me...
Ethan Veneklasen, Principal
For over 30 years, I have developed and implemented high-impact communications and advocacy strategies, helping companies, organizations, and individuals navigate complexity, manage risk, and build and protect their reputations.
My experience spans multiple sectors, including technology, government, nonprofits & philanthropy, travel & tourism, and consumer products. I am particularly adept at bringing together key internal and external stakeholders to deliver results, often in high-pressure, high-stakes environments.
What I do...
I develop and and implement high-profile, high-impact communications and advocacy initiatives to reach key audiences with impactful messages and help my clients shape policy and regulation at the local, state, federal, and international levels. I offer a comprehensive range of consulting and advisory services tailored to meet the unique needs of companies, organizations, government agencies, and high-profile individuals.
Communications
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Strategic communications
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Crisis communications and issues management
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Media relations
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Executive communication and thought leadership
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Media training and coaching
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Internal and employee communications
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Podcasts, livestreams, and digital town halls
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Keynotes and conference panel development
Advocacy
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Local, regional, state, federal, and international advocacy campaigns
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Coalition building
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Ecosystem mapping
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Legislative analysis and drafting
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Policy briefs and position papers
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Expert testimony and hearing preparation
Stakeholder Engagement
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Public outreach and engagement
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Stakeholder mapping
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Strategic planning
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Board development
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Employee engagement
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Team building
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Conference, summit, and workshop planning
The principles that guide my work...
Collaboration is at the core of my practice. The most impactful communications and advocacy outcomes emerge when diverse perspectives align around a common goal. I specialize in bridging divides, facilitating dialogue, and building coalitions and partnerships to amplify my clients' voices, achieve their advocacy objectives, and advance the public interest.
Relationships matter. I take the time to understand each client’s unique needs, challenges, and aspirations and cultivate lasting relationships with journalists, policymakers, community leaders, and industry stakeholders to help them achieve them. These authentic connections, grounded in trust, enable me to support my clients in navigating complex communications and political challenges with nuance and effectiveness.
Trust is the basis of all meaningful relationships. I earn my clients' trust by honoring my commitments, maintaining strict confidentiality, and providing candid counsel even when it may not be what my clients want to hear. My reputation is built on being a dependable partner who delivers on promises and maintains the highest ethical standards.
You can't build trust without transparency. By facilitating open, timely, and accurate communications, I help my clients establish, maintain, and, when necessary, rebuild relationships with their employees, investors, customers, partners, policymakers and regulators, and other key stakeholders.
Responsiveness is critical when navigating rapidly evolving communications and policy environments. I pride myself on being available when my clients need me, adapting quickly to changing circumstances, and providing timely insights that enable informed decision-making.
Creating shared value is good for business. I seek to maximize value for my clients and for the customers, communities, and constituencies they serve. I know I have done my job when my client’s business objectives are met, and the outcomes advance economic growth, social progress, and/or environmental sustainability.
These principles are not merely aspirational—they are the foundation upon which I build every client relationship, develop every strategy, and measure every outcome.
More about me...
Prior to launching Veneklasen Public Affairs, I served as Senior Advisor for Digital Identity at the Digital Impact Alliance, a digital development nonprofit housed within the United Nations Foundation, and as Head of Advocacy and Communications at ID2020, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that promoted privacy preserving, user controlled, and globally interoperable digital identity systems.
In these roles, I led high-profile global communications and advocacy campaigns, including the Good Health Pass Collaborative (GHPC). During the COVID-19 pandemic, GHPC brought together over 125 global companies and organizations from the public health, travel & tourism, and tech sectors to collaboratively develop and promote principles and standards for digital health passes (proof of vaccination and testing) as a means to restore international travel and restart the global economy.
As a result of this work, I was invited to speak at the Open Wallet Foundation launch at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, the International Organization for Migration (UN migration agency) Digital Identity for People on the Move in Europe conference in Warsaw, Poland, and at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School. In 2023, I chaired the World Economic Forum Digital Identity Impact working group, and I continue to serve as a member of the Forum’s Connected Future Initiative advisory group.
I have also held senior positions in several prominent international development nonprofits, including as Executive Director (West Coast) of the American India Foundation and Director of Development and Communications at Freedom from Hunger. I also led strategic and crisis communications for the 6,000-employee San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA).
I graduated from the University of Rochester in 1993, and spent my early career managing top-tier congressional campaigns throughout the United States and doing advance for the White House. Upon returning to California in 1998, I managed numerous successful “local-option sales tax” ballot measure campaigns on behalf of the business and heavy construction communities, securing billions of dollars in federal, state, and local funding for transportation infrastructure projects throughout Northern and Central California.
I also have a longstanding presence in the outdoor industry, having spent many years as a competitive ultramarathon runner. I launched the first professional trail running team in the United States in 2003, co-hosted Ultrarunner Podcast, which, at its height, was downloaded globally over 150,000 times per month, and, in 2015, launched my own sports marketing agency, He(a)rd Sports Marketing. I am the co-owner and co-race director of the Broken Arrow Skyrace, one of the largest (and THE most competitive) trail races in North America, attracting Olympians, World Champions, and recreational runners from over 30 countries to the stunning Palisades Tahoe (previously Squaw Valley) resort.
I split my time between the San Francisco Bay Area and the Sierra Foothills, where my wife, Emma, and I cater to the whims of our two rescue dogs, Chase (a 7-year-old deaf white boxer) and Layla (a 15-year-old pug).
Past Accomplishments...
Digital Impact Alliance (United Nations Foundation)
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Co-developed DIAL’s Digital ID Assessment toolkit to help governments navigate the complex and often conflicting needs of internal and external stakeholders. The Assessment evaluates various technical solutions against these priorities, helping implementers make better informed procurement decisions.
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Negotiated a partnership with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change to pilot the toolkit in two African countries in 2025.
ID2020
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Launched the Good Health Pass Collaborative (GHPC), bringing together more than 125 companies and organizations from the health, travel & tourism, and technology sectors to collaborate on principles and standards for digital health passes (vaccination and testing certificates) aimed at restoring international travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Led GHPC’s advocacy campaign, educating policymakers in the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Australia in advance of the 2021 G20 Summit in Rome. I also provided expert testimony to the U.K. House of Commons Science and Technology Committee.
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Collaborated with California State Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon to pass AB 2004, authorizing the use of W3C verifiable credentials for medical test results.
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Placed over 150 media stories in 2021 alone, in outlets ranging from The New York Times, Washington Post, Politico, Mother Jones, CNN, CNBC, France24, Nikkei Asia, to countless industry publications.
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Spoke at the Open Wallet Foundation launch at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland; the International Organization for Migration (UN migration agency) Digital Identity for People on the Move in Europe conference in Warsaw, Poland; and the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School.
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Appointed to chair the World Economic Forum Digital Identity Impact Working Group and served as an advisor to the California State University Executive Cybersecurity program.
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)
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Led communications for the successful opening of Chase Center, San Francisco’s new 18,000-seat multi-use arena,. Negotiated an innovative agreement through which the Golden State Warriors provide free transit passes to all event attendees, thus reducing traffic congestion and local parking impacts.
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Managed communications for contract negotiations with 18 labor unions. Working openly and collaboratively with union leadership, successfully averted a transit strike, ratified new contracts for 6,000 agency employees, and ensured the continuity of service for Muni riders.
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Led communications, public outreach, and engagement for the agency’s $2.5 billion operating budget and $1.44 billion capital budget. Built public support by organizing community outreach events throughout the city, collaborating with community groups, and hosting the agency’s first live “online budget town hall.”
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Spearheaded the SFMTA’s participation in the 2018 Global Climate Action Summit, which brought together heads of state, regions, cities, and business and environmental leaders to promote global efforts against climate change.
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Developed and implemented an agency-wide crisis communications strategy to coordinate messaging across seven divisions and provide the public with timely access to accurate, transparent, and consistent information.
He(a)rd Sports Marketing
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Co-founded the Broken Arrow Skyrace in 2016 and grew it into one of the world’s largest trail-running races. With a $60,000 prize purse, Broken Arrow is now the most competitive trail running event in North America, attracting Olympians, World Champions, and recreational runners from over 30 countries.
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Produced the Broken Arrow Skyrace livestream and several short films that were featured at the Banff Mountain Film and other international film festivals.
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Represented leading adventure sports athletes, including the late National Geographic Explorer of the Year and North Face Athlete Team captain, Hillaree Nelson.
Freedom from Hunger (now part of the Grameen Foundation)
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Led a rebranding initiative for the 68-year-old international development nonprofit.
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Secured “consultative status” with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
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Developed and executed a social media strategy focusing on “women’s stories,” which led to a 100% increase in Facebook followers and a 300% boost in engagement over two months.
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Represented Freedom from Hunger on the Microfinance Communications Council and the Inter-Action Communications Council to highlight the collective accomplishments of the microfinance sector.
American India Foundation (AIF)
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Led a comprehensive overhaul of AIF’s operating model from grant-making to partnering with local NGO partners to deliver AIF’s signature education, public health, and livelihood programs throughout India.
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Oversaw the expansion of AIF’s Digital Equalizer program (India’s largest ICT-in-education program), securing funding and building partnerships with state governments to replicate and scale the program in 14 Indian states.
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Provided programmatic leadership for the William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service in India (now the Banyan Impact Fellowship), which enhances NGO capacity with young professionals with relevant skills.
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Produced three successful San Francisco galas, raising $1.43 million, $1.22 million, and $1.25 million in unrestricted funding from high-net-worth individuals and corporate donors and secured grants totaling more than $3 million from the Dell Foundation, Applied Materials, Yahoo!, Adobe, and other corporate and private foundations.
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Represented AIF at the 2008 Clinton Global Initiative University, the Entrepreneurs Foundation Corporate Citizenship Conference, and as a guest lecturer at Stanford University.
Contra Costa Council (now the East Bay Leadership Council)
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Managed successful ballot measure campaigns, including Measure J, a $2.2 billion county local-option sales tax measure for transportation.
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Helped secure environmental clearance and $420 million in local, state, and federal funding for the Caldecott Tunnel Fourth Bore Project.
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Founded the East Bay Workforce Housing Coalition, bringing together business, labor, and social justice stakeholders to support affordable housing, and securing approval for more than 5,100 new affordable housing units in the East Bay in the first year.
California Alliance for Jobs
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Secured billions of dollars in new transportation funding through the passage of Proposition 42, Regional Measure 2, and multiple local-option sales tax measures throughout Northern and Central California, providing critical funding for the BART to San Jose, Caldecott Tunnell Fourth Bore, and Bay Bridge East Span Replacement projects.
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Successfully advocated for the inclusion of a comprehensive goods movement strategy in the San Francisco Bay Area Regional Transportation Plan.
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Appointed to serve on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission Advisory Council, the Alameda County Transportation Authority Oversight Committee, and the Regional Measure 2 Expenditure Plan Committee.
Fremont Chamber of Commerce
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Secured funding for the expansion of BART to San Jose and other highway and transit infrastructure investments as part of Measure B ($1.4 billion county transportation sales tax).
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Produced and hosted a monthly public affairs radio program, The Tri-Cities Public Affairs Forum on KOHL Radio.
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Appointed by Supervisor Scott Haggerty to the BART to San Jose Policy Advisory Committee, representing Alameda County business interests.
