Public Knowledge is pleased to announce one addition and one change to our staff. First, Public Knowledge welcomes Elise Phillips, Policy Counsel, to the team. She will support the organization’s advocacy efforts in both competition and other platform regulation policies.
Prior to joining Public Knowledge, Ms. Phillips served as Legislative Counsel for Rep. Pramila Jayapal, where she advised and drafted legislation on antitrust, privacy, regulatory reform, and anti-corruption issues. She previously worked as a Public Policy Fellow at Amazon, a Fritz Research Fellow with the Institute for Technology Law and Policy at Georgetown, and as a clerk for Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter at the Federal Trade Commission. Ms. Phillips received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, and her B.A. from Howard University.
Additionally, Public Knowledge is pleased to announce the promotion of Sara Collins, formerly the organization’s Senior Policy Counsel, to Director of Government Affairs. In this role, Ms. Collins will spearhead our advocacy, outreach, and policy recommendations to promote technological innovation.
Prior to joining Public Knowledge, Ms. Collins served as a Policy Counsel on Future of Privacy Forum’s Education and Youth Privacy team and specialized in higher education. She also worked as an investigations attorney in the Enforcement Unit at Federal Student Aid, as well as the Director of Legal Services for Veterans Education Success. Ms. Collins graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2014, where she was the symposium editor of the Journal of Gender and the Law, and received a B.A. in both Political Science and English from the University of Illinois.
The following may be attributed to Public Knowledge President & CEO Chris Lewis:
“We are excited to welcome Elise Phillips to the Public Knowledge team. In her short career, she has already demonstrated a talent for the expert policy analysis that Public Knowledge is known for and we know that she will continue to grow those skills as a part of our team. Elise’s years as a congressional staffer and time at the FTC provides her with the knowledge to begin impacting policy right away. I am sure she will make an immediate and positive impact on our work around competition policy and platform regulation.
“Congratulations to Sara Collins on taking the step into a leadership position as our Director of Government Affairs. Sara is both a detailed policy expert and a savvy advocate. She has won the trust and confidence of her Public Knowledge colleagues and outside allies for her knowledge and strategic acumen leading the fight for comprehensive privacy in Washington, D.C. Sara is a quick study with an ability and passion for understanding exactly how technology works and impacts the lives of all users. I am pleased to see Sara continue to grow at Public Knowledge and I know that she will represent our organization well as one of our lead voices on Capitol Hill, in agencies, and with the administration.”
You may view our staff page for more information on all new hires.
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.