Partners in Advocacy, Communications, and Engagement, better known as PACE Strategies and formerly known as PACE Education Strategies, is a consulting firm focused on promoting voter registration and participation for nonprofit organizations. Since 2018, PACE Strategies has had 80 clients in 20 cities, including numerous left-leaning organizations like the City Fund, the New Teacher Project, and the Powerful Parent Movement. ¹

PACE Strategies was co-founded and is run by numerous former personnel of Families for Excellent Schools, a charter school advocacy group. ²

Research

In June 2024, PACE Strategies published its Voter Participation Report to analyze its voter registration and participation efforts since its founding in 2018. Across a dozen campaigns targeting low political participation communities, PACE claims to have increased voter turnout by 11 percent, representing a 10,000-voter increase. According to PACE, this result is better than standard get-out-the-vote efforts, though the organization acknowledges that it would need to run randomized controlled trials to confirm its results. ³

Clients

PACE Strategies’ clients include the Memphis Lift, the Fort Worth Education Project, Project Ready NJ, San Joaquin A+, the City Fund, the New Teacher Project, the New Jersey Children’s Foundation, the Republic Charter Schools, the CityBridge Action Fund, and Redefined Atlanta. ⁴

During the COVID-19 pandemic, PACE Strategies was hired by Project Ready, a New Jersey-based left-wing social advocacy group. PACE conducted research and wrote policy recommendations concerning the operations of New Jersey’s schools for Project Ready to promote. ⁵

PACE has registered 40,000 parents to vote in local school board elections. On behalf of Project Ready, PACE has promoted voting in local elections throughout New Jersey; 42 percent of all voters in a recent Newark election were Project Ready members. ⁶

During the 2020 election primaries, PACE was hired by the Powerful Parent Movement, a coalition of left-of-center education advocacy groups located across the United States that support increasing funding for public schools and “racial justice” policies. ^{7 8}

Leadership

Reshma Singh is a founding partner of PACE Strategies. From 2016 to 2018, Singh served as the chief growth officer of Families for Excellent Schools, a charter school advocacy group. From 2014 to 2015, Singh was the founding executive director of the Partnership for Educational Justice, a right-of-center nonprofit organization that pursues litigation to remove teacher tenure laws at the state level. Earlier, Singh worked at Achievement First, an education advocacy group, and Teach for America. ²

Sean Andersen is a co-founder of PACE Strategies. Andersen previously served as the chief program officer of Families for Excellent Schools. Earlier, Andersen worked as the chief of staff of Democrats for Education Reform, a PAC associated with left-of-center education activist organization Education Reform Now (ERN). ⁹

Nathan Jensen is the director of research and policy of PACE Strategies. Jensen also previously worked at Families for Excellent Schools. ¹⁰

Sara Bobak is the director of people and operations of PACE Strategies. Bobak previously worked for Families for Excellent Schools and Teach for America. ¹¹

Kelly Hall is the director of external relations and development at PACE Strategies. Hall also previously worked at the Families for Excellent Schools. From 2013 to 2016, Hall worked at the New York City Department of Education. ¹²

Jason Provost is the managing director of program at PACE Strategies. Provost also previously worked at the Families for Excellent Schools. ¹³

1. “Re-Introducing P.A.C.E. Strategies.” PACE Strategies. Accessed July 3, 2024. https://pacestrategies.org/re-introducing-p-a-c-e-strategies/.
2. “Reshma Singh.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 3, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/reshmasingh/.
3. “Voter Participation Report.” PACE Strategies. Accessed July 3, 2024. https://pacestrategies.org/voter-participation-report/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email.
4. “WHAT OUR PARTNERS SAY ABOUT US.” PACE Strategies. Accessed July 3, 2024. https://pacestrategies.org/our-partners/.
5. “LIFTING UP COMMUNITY VOICE DURING THE PANDEMIC.” PACE Strategies. Accessed July 3, 2024. https://pacestrategies.org/stories-from-our-partners/lifting-up-community-voice-during-the-pandemic-2/.
6. “Increasing Family Power at the Ballot Box.” PACE Strategies. Accessed July 3, 2024. https://pacestrategies.org/stories-from-our-partners/increasing-family-power-at-the-ballot-box/.
7. “Touring the Early Primary States With A Group of Powerful Parents.” PACE Strategies. Accessed July 3, 2024. https://pacestrategies.org/stories-from-our-partners/touring-the-early-primary-states-with-a-group-of-powerful-parents/.
8. Carpenter, Sarah. “An Open Letter to Education Writers.” Kappan. May 11, 2021. Accessed July 3, 2024. https://kappanonline.org/russo-an-open-letter-to-education-writers-carpenter-powerful-parent-movement/.
9. “Sean Andersen.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 3, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-andersen-972849263/.
10. “Nathan Jensen.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 3, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-jensen-18693a54/.
11. “Sara Bobak.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 3, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-bobak-08429810/.
12. “Kelly Hall.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 3, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyhall/.
13. “Jason Provost.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 3, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-provost-3590433b/.