Elise Blasingame (Osage/𐓏𐒰𐓓𐒰𐓓𐒷) is a Scholar-in-Residence at Advance Native Political Leadership. In this role, she researches representation and power in Native communities, with a special focus on the policy priorities of Native officeholders in U.S. government. She is also lending her expertise to help Advance build a new message testing and polling research program.
Elise is a policy and research professional with over a decade of experience in public service. Her research is focused on the substantive effects of increased Indigenous representation in American political institutions.
Elise served as the Executive Director of Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia (HMHBGA) (2015-2020). Prior to her role at HMHBGA, Elise served as Director of Community Education and Financial Protection for Georgia Watch. Elise also brings experience from The Carter Center’s Mental Health Program and Global Access to Information Initiative, working primarily on projects in West Africa.
She is an alum of New Leaders Council Atlanta (2016), LEAD Atlanta (2019), Zell Miller Leadership Institute (2020), and served as the District 3-At-Large Appointee to the City of Atlanta Commission on Women (2017-2020). Elise is an alum of the Indigenous Leadership Academy at Arizona State University (2022) and the Udall Foundation Native American Congressional Fellowship Program, where she served the Office of Bryan Newland, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs (2023).
Elise received her MSW from the University at Buffalo (SUNY). She holds a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. Elise is currently pursuing her doctorate in Political Science at the School of Public & International Affairs at UGA. Her research has been published in Routledge Press, American Political Science Review, American Journal of Public Health, and Political Research Quarterly.
Elise serves as Parks Chair for her community in Atlanta where she lives with her husband, two dogs (Taco Bell and Mochi) and her family of chickens.