Winnie Stachelberg is a nationally recognized executive and advocate with more than three decades of experience leading strategy, external affairs, organizational change, and large-scale initiatives at the highest levels of government and public policy. Known for her collaborative leadership, operational expertise, and ability to build coalitions across sectors, Stachelberg has dedicated her career to advancing public service and social impact. She currently advises organizations at the intersection of external relations, community engagement, and LGBTQI+ equality.
In 2021, President Joe Biden appointed Stachelberg as senior adviser and infrastructure coordinator at the U.S. Department of the Interior, where she led implementation of $30 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investments nationwide. As a member of the department’s senior leadership team, she advanced efforts to address legacy pollution, protect public lands, promote sustainability, create good-paying jobs, and drive economic opportunity in communities across the country.
Previously, Stachelberg served for 14 years as executive vice president for external affairs at the Center for American Progress, where she helped shape the organization’s policy agenda, expanded its partnerships with leaders across government and advocacy communities, and strengthened its national influence. She founded and led CAP’s LGBTQI+ policy work and was instrumental in the successful repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 2010 and in building support for the Equality Act.
Before joining CAP, Stachelberg spent more than a decade at the Human Rights Campaign and HRC Foundation, where she built bipartisan coalitions among elected officials, businesses, and advocates to advance LGBTQI+ equality. She began her career as a budget analyst at the Office of Management and Budget and as an English teacher at George Washington High School in New York City.
A graduate of Georgetown University, Stachelberg earned a master’s degree in public administration from George Washington University. She lives with her family in Washington, D.C.