Public Private Strategies (PPS) is an LLC that conducts research to encourage greater government support for small businesses in the United States, particularly those owned by racial minorities.

PPS was founded in 2017 by Aspen Institute senior fellow Rhett Buttle. In 2020, Buttle established the Public Private Strategies Institute (PPSI) as a charitable organization to support PPS’s work. According to Buttle’s LinkedIn page, there is also a sister lobbying and advocacy organization. ¹

Research

Public Private Strategies conducts research and polling primarily to demonstrate harsh economic conditions for small business owners. ²

In December 2020, PPS released survey data on how small business owners (particularly racial minorities) were dealing with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research found that 80 percent of small businesses were experiencing significant economic hardship, and that most respondents eagerly awaited additional government support. The survey was conducted by Reimagine Mainstreet, a project of the Public Private Strategies Institute (PPSI), with support from the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Black Chamber Inc., Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship. ³

In September 2020, PPS produced research that American families faced “greatly increased… difficulty… balancing work and family commitments” due to numerous economic factors including higher living costs, fewer traditional jobs, more single-parent households, and rising female participation in the workforce. The research was partially conducted by the Bipartisan Policy Center. ⁴

In October 2019, PPS produced research demonstrating that small businesses are under-targeted and underfunded by philanthropic efforts. ⁵

In September 2019, PPS produced research demonstrating that small business owners struggled to contain health care costs and supported government efforts to reduce health care costs. ⁶

Leadership

Rhett Buttle is the founder of the Public Private Strategies and the Public Private Strategies Institute (PPSI). As of June 2024, he is listed as the group’s principal senior fellow. He is also listed as the organization’s president on its tax forms and Buttle’s LinkedIn. ^{7 8 9}

Buttle has been a senior fellow at the Aspen Institute since 2017. In mid-2022, Buttle served as a national business advisor to the Biden administration. According to Buttle’s LinkedIn, he was “directly responsible” for creating “a strategy to organize private sector leaders in support of President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign.” Buttle played a similar role in former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. ¹⁰

Also in 2016, Buttle briefly led Small Business Majority, a business advocacy organization aligned with progressive interests, which Buttle had previously worked for between 2010 to 2014. Earlier, Buttle served as the director of private sector engagement at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. From 2008 to 2010, Buttle worked as the director of special projects for the office of the president at George Washington University. In 2007 and 2008, Buttle worked for then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign and in then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) office. ¹¹

Emily Barson is a senior advisor to PPS and the president of Bullhorn Strategies. She previously worked as the executive director of the United States of Care, which advocates for a government-controlled single-payer health system. Prior, Barson spent over seven and a half years at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Obama administration, ending her time as the director of intergovernmental and external affairs. Earlier, Barson worked in a variety of Democratic campaign roles, including for the Democratic National Committee, then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama’s (D-IL) presidential campaign, and former Vermont Governor Howard Dean (D). ¹²

Katie Vlietstra Wonnenberg is a principal at PPS and the secretary of the board of PPSI. She previously worked as the vice president of government relations and public affairs at the National Association for the Self-Employed for over 12 years. Earlier, Wonnenberg worked for WorldatWork, Triadvocates, and as a federal liaison to the Texas Office of State and Federal Relations. ^{13 14}

Jane Campbell is a senior advisor to PPS and serves on the boards of the Lincoln Land Policy Institute, the Faith and Politics Institute, and the Association for Enterprise Opportunities, and sits on a steering committee at the National Democratic Institute. She is a Democratic politician and former mayor of Cleveland and former member of the Ohio House of Representatives. Campbell previously served as staff director for the U.S. Senate Small Business Committee. ¹⁵

Meredeth Shaffer is a principal at PPS. She previously served as the director of external affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where she oversaw matters relating to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Earlier, Shaffer was a senior policy advisor to the Administrator at the U.S. Small Business Administration where she also worked on the ACA. ¹⁶

Financials

In 2022, Public Private Strategies received over $900,000 in revenue for “contracted services for economic [research]” from its charitable sister group, the Public Private Strategies Institute (PPSI). ¹⁷

1. “Rhett Buttle.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 6, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhettbuttle/.
2. “Our Research.” Public Private Strategies. Accessed June 7, 2024. https://www.publicprivatestrategies.com/research.
3. “Business Owners of Color & Covid-19 Survey.” Public Private Strategies. December 10, 2020. Accessed June 7, 2024. https://www.publicprivatestrategies.com/Business-Owners-of-Color-Covid-19-Survey.
4. “REPORT FROM THE FIELD: Small Business Owners & Family Friendly Policies.” Public Private Strategies. September 24, 2020. Accessed June 7, 2024. https://www.publicprivatestrategies.com/report-from-the-field.
5. “SMALL BUSINESS, BIG IMPACT: Philanthropy’s Untapped Opportunity to Advance Health and Equity.” Public Private Strategies. October 28, 2019. Accessed June 7, 2024. https://www.publicprivatestrategies.com/small-business-big-impact.
6. “SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS’ VIEWS ON HEALTH COVERAGE AND COSTS.” Public Private Strategies. September 9, 2019. Accessed June 7, 2024. https://www.publicprivatestrategies.com/small-business-owners-views-on-health-coverage-and-cost.
7. “Public Private Strategies Institute Form 990.” ProPublica. Accessed June 6, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/843330258/202323189349312722/full.
8. “About Public Private Strategies.” Public Private Strategies. Accessed June 6, 2024. https://www.publicprivatestrategies.com/about-us.
9. “Rhett Buttle.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 6, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhettbuttle/.
10. “Rhett Buttle.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 6, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhettbuttle/.
11. “Rhett Buttle.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 6, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhettbuttle/.
12. “Emily Barson.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 7, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ebarson/.
13. “Katie Vlietstra Wonnenberg.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 7, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-vlietstra-wonnenberg-34ab4b4/.
14. “Katie Vlietstra Wonnenberg.” Public Private Strategies Institute. Accessed June 7, 2024. https://www.ppsi.org/katie-vlietstra-wonnenberg.
15. “Jane Campbell.” Public Private Strategies. Accessed June 7, 2024. https://www.publicprivatestrategies.com/jane-campbell.
16. “Meredith Shaffer.” Public Private Strategies. Accessed June 7, 2024. https://www.publicprivatestrategies.com/meredith-shaffer.
17. “Public Private Strategies Institute Form 990.” ProPublica. Accessed June 6, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/843330258/202323189349312722/full.