Her Story
About Maura
I founded Blue Stack Strategies in April 2023, naming it after the mountain range in Donegal, Ireland where my grandfather was born and raised. My grandfather was the original storyteller, always having a funny line to share, and I've always admired that. The Irish are such great storytellers, and I wanted to pay homage to my family and that tradition. What I found so rewarding in Congress was being able to articulate a message to a wider audience. I always told my legislative team that they could feel really passionate about a bill they worked on, but if we can't explain it to the people in the district in a way they can understand why it matters to them, it falls flat. What I do now is taking what I so much enjoyed and helping clients articulate messages that resonate, that get across what they do and why their intended audience should care about it. I help them message in a way that evokes the response and reaction they want. I also do TV commentary on cable shows, probably twice a week if not more, about 10 interviews a month on political news. I don't get paid for that, but they put my name and Blue Stack Strategies on screen, which is great. It feeds that part of me that still cares deeply about the world of politics and how we articulate things to the American people. It's a really nice combination of getting to do work for clients that's not necessarily political in nature, while still keeping me part of what I spent 12 years of my career doing.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Maura
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I always believed that women empowered women, but I didn't always receive that when I first started out on the Hill. Being young on the Hill, I learned pretty quickly that not everyone is looking out for your best interests. When I got to a point in my career on the Hill where I could help others, I tried to set up a mentorship program to encourage and to be a voice for women at work, to give them guidance or advice. I still do that now, whether it's through Loyola where I have a wonderful professor who will frequently connect me with students who are looking at internships, and any former interns I've had, I stay in touch with, grab coffees with when I can, and just provide advice or guidance. I think that the more we can do that, and by lifting each other up, because despite it being 2026, there is still such a hurdle. I jokingly, not so jokingly say, misogyny runs rampant on Capitol Hill in the year of 2026, and that is still true. The more we can bolster one another, rather than tear one another down or see them as a threat, I think bolstering one another and being just a resource, I hope that I can do that. I want to do that, and I think that paying it forward isn't necessarily even the best way of phrasing it. I do think it's being a resource and a vessel for good, and I hope that I can do that.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
In the next five years, I would really like to find a way to inspire or encourage people to see that there is not this entirely politically toxic environment. There is a way to articulate something to an audience in a way that doesn't need to be inflammatory, and it can still resonate. I think we've lost this art of just meeting people where they are, and speaking to people in ways that invite them into a conversation. That's what I hope to build, or encourage, or inspire - a different way of going about things. But in a way, to me, it seems pragmatic, and it seems obvious, but for some reason, I find that a lot of people are kind of wondering, you know, where do I go for this? Where's the adult in the room? I think those can be answered by the majority of us that are more alike and more in sync and more aligned than maybe what is projected to us. My hope is to help people find their voice, and a voice that they can really relate to and resonate with.
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