Kristen Soltis Anderson is a Founding Partner of Echelon Insights. With twenty years of experience in opinion research, Kristen advises corporate and government leaders on emerging trends and messaging. She is author of The Selfie Vote: Where Millennials Are Leading America (And How Republicans Can Keep Up) and is a noted expert on generational trends. She is a contributing opinion writer to The New York Times and leads focus groups for the Times’ “America in Focus” series.

Kristen is also a frequent speaker and advisor to corporate, philanthropic and political leaders about the evolving political and media landscape, having presented at major events such as the Aspen Ideas Festival and Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit. She is also a political contributor to CNN. She has been a fellow at both the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics and Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service.

Patrick Ruffini is a Founding Partner of Echelon Insights. His book, Party of the People: Inside the Multiracial Populist Coalition Remaking the GOP, was ranked as a Best Book in Politics by The Wall Street Journal, accurately predicted the political realignment and demographic shifts that decided the 2024 election. 

Patrick’s innovative approach to research and data analytics have established Echelon Insights as one of the most accurate firms conducting election polls. For two decades, Patrick has advanced the digital and data-driven transformation of politics in numerous capacities, including senior roles at the Republican National Committee, on three presidential campaigns, and on the groundbreaking digital team for President George W. Bush’s 2004 re-election. As an author and public speaker, Patrick has contributed from publications ranging from The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Politico in addition to appearances as an on-air political commentator.

Kai Chen Yeo is a Partner at Echelon Insights, where she works with the dynamic Echelon team to further qualitative and quantitative research objectives. Kai Chen is a RIVA-trained moderator and works daily on survey, focus group, and digital landscape research and analysis.

Kai Chen's experience spans the advocacy and association spaces, and utilizes that expertise to better hone data-driven insights and recommendations to clients across the political and corporate landscape. Kai Chen joined Echelon from the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, where she coordinated outreach strategy to federal candidates in the 2018 Midterm Elections by developing original elections analysis and conducting both long-term and rapid response research to support successful international affairs advocacy.

Kai Chen has appeared in publications such as The New York Times and Campaigns and Elections, and has been a featured speaker at events hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, ASU+GSV, and Association Executives of North Carolina, among others.

Valkyrie Armstrong is a Senior Research Analyst at Echelon Insights. Born and raised in New York, Valkyrie graduated in 2023 with a BA in Political Science. Before joining the team full-time, she interned with Echelon Insights and the U.S. Department of State, where she gained experience conducting public opinion research.

In her free time, Valkyrie enjoys cooking, hiking, and hosting dinner parties.

Chloe Bertholon is a Research Director at Echelon Insights. She helps create, monitor, analyze, and interpret polling data from a variety of client specific surveys. By developing research plans, creating questionnaires, and reporting on analyses she provides value to her clients such as The New York Times, PhRMA, and Clearpath.

Before joining Echelon, Chloe worked in commercial market research and economic and litigation consulting, with a focus in data analytics. Brand tracking, bespoke analytics, and expert report support are some of the things Chloe has worked on.

Chloe has a BA in Economics from the University of Virginia along with a minor in French. She is a local to Northern Virginia, an avid podcast listener, and a French-American dual citizen. In her free time she walks her maltipoo Milo, enjoys the Alexandria waterfront, and tries new restaurants in her area.

Ritwik Donde is a Research Director at Echelon Insights where he has quickly established himself as a valuable asset, leading several engagements with the firm’s top tier clients. His expertise in primary and secondary research, coupled with his exceptional advisory skills, has ensured successful outcomes for several projects.

Before joining Echelon Insights, Ritwik’s journey in the world of research and analysis encompassed a broad range of market research and financial analysis projects. He was involved in in-depth industry analysis, market sizing, business best practice studies, private equity-focused due diligence, and go-to-market strategies, among others. His wealth of knowledge and proficiency have earned him recognition as an expert in various esteemed U.S. publications, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Franchise Times, and St. Louis Business Journal.

Ryan Doogan is the Data Director at Echelon Insights, where he is responsible for Insights on Air, Echelon’s proprietary political television advertising analytics platform.  He also manages and visualizes Echelon’s custom campaign finance, voter file, social media, and demographic datasets, including the award-winning District and State Snapshots. Additionally, he is responsible for survey weight generation and crosstab creation, along with custom social media research projects.

Prior to joining Echelon, Ryan worked at the Jack Kemp Foundation, where he managed the website and Salesforce CRM App, wrote and edited editorials, and analyzed Kemp Forum policy topics.

Ryan is a graduate of the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota and has degrees in mathematics and political science.  He is originally from Juneau, Alaska.  

Dr. Stephanie Fuselier is the Director of Operations at Echelon Insights. She is an operations specialist with more than ten years of experience in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Before joining Echelon, Stephanie worked in operations and general management with organizations ranging from dance studios to special education academies.

She earned her master’s in Arts Management from George Mason University and her Doctorate in Business Administration with a focus on Strategy and Innovation from Capella University. 

Avery James is the Communications Director at Echelon Insights. Originally from Mountain View, California, Avery graduated from American University in 2020 with a BA in Political Science and Economics. Before joining Echelon, Avery previously worked as a press officer at the Manhattan Institute and was a research analyst at AdImpact.

In his free time, Avery enjoys reading history, watching movies, and hiking around the DMV area.

Eleanor O’Neil is a Senior Research Director at Echelon Insights, where she works with the Echelon team to develop and analyze quantitative and qualitative opinion research.

Before joining Echelon, Eleanor was the program manager for public opinion research and a senior research associate at the American Enterprise Institute. At AEI, she helped develop and coordinate survey research projects, including AEI’s American Perspectives Survey and the AEI Survey on Community and Society. She coauthored numerous articles and reports, and served as an editor of AEI’s Political Report, a monthly compilation of public opinion trends and current polling on a wide variety of topics, including politics, immigration, environmental and energy issues, and economic issues.

Eleanor grew up in Fredericksburg, Texas, and graduated with a BA in political science from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.