Annette McDermott (she/her), Program Director

Annette brings over seven years of experience in political campaigns, issue advocacy, and strategic communications at the local, state, and national level.

Before joining Sunstone, Annette was vice president at a public affairs firm in Nashville, Tenn., with a particular focus on strategic communications. Annette provided media relations and campaign support to a wide spectrum of clients, including on healthcare, public lands advocacy, flood prevention, land use, clean energy, and opioid-related issues.

Annette has worked in public relations, public affairs, and issue advocacy in Georgia, North Carolina, Washington, D.C., Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia. She was a part of the communications team in Ohio for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and served as the deputy press secretary for Phil Bredesen's 2018 Tennessee senate race. Annette has led opinion persuasion campaigns, coordinated media events, and worked with print, TV and radio media at the local, state, and national level.

A native of Atlanta, Annette graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and a minor in French.