Summer Strategies is a left-of-center public affairs firm that claims to provide consulting services for clients including “crisis management, narrative development, rapid response communications and tactical execution.” ¹ The firm was founded by Melanie Sloan, a former Democratic congressional staffer and former executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). While Summer Strategies does not disclose its client list, some tax-exempt organizations have disclosed payments to the firm in tax filings. This includes the Hopewell Fund, American Oversight, and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. ^{1 2 3}

Background and Activity

Summer Strategies was established in 2015 by Melanie Sloan following her departure from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a left-of-center government watchdog group for which she was founding executive director from 2003 to 2014. Summer Strategies provides consulting services for clients including “crisis management, narrative development, rapid response communications and tactical execution.” ^{1 4}

Clients

While Summer Strategies does not disclose its client list, some tax-exempt organizations have disclosed payments to the firm in tax filings. This includes the Hopewell Fund, American Oversight, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the United States Soccer Foundation, and Family and Community Services Inc. ³

Leadership

Melanie Sloan founded Summer Strategies in 2015 and is the only listed employee on the firm’s website. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature and a law degree from the University of Chicago, and was admitted to the bars of the District of Columbia and California. Prior to founding Summer Strategies, Sloan was the founding executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) from 2003 to 2014. Prior to working for CREW, she was an assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia from 1998 to 2003. She also worked on Capitol Hill as minority counsel for the U.S. House Judiciary Committee under then-Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), counsel to the Crime Subcommittee under then-Rep. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and nominations counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee under then-Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE). ^{4 2}

Sloan is a senior adviser to American Oversight, a left-of-center watchdog group, and is a member of the American Law Institute. ⁴

1. “Summer Strategies.” Summer Strategies. Accessed January 21, 2026. https://www.summerstrategies.com.
2. “Leadership.” Summer Strategies. Accessed January 21, 2026. https://www.summerstrategies.com/leadership-melanie-sloan
3. “Full Text Search: Summer Strategies.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed January 22, 2026. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text_search?q=%22summer+strategies%22
4. “Melanie Sloan.” The American Law Institute. Accessed January 21, 2026. https://www.ali.org/profile/3207.