Emily Parcell
Founding Partner
Emily is a 25-year political veteran whose roles cover the spectrum of campaigns, from finance to organizing, scheduling to political, and including senior staff positions on the presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren. Emily’s personal highlights are managing a state legislative program that flipped control to Democrats, serving as the Political Director for President Barack Obama’s Iowa Caucus victory and then managing his historic 2008 general election win in Indiana, and serving as the National Political Director for Obama’s First Inaugural.
Emily became a direct mail strategist in 2009, founding what is now Agency in her basement laundry room in 2015. She has been a key advisor to candidates at every level of the ballot in all corners of the country. She is particularly proud to have helped elect the first Democratic woman to Congress from her home state of Iowa, and for being part of teams that secured governing trifectas in two separate states (Iowa, 2006 and Minnesota, 2022).
Based in Des Moines with her husband and two sons, Emily looks forward to college football in odd-numbered years and listens to Bruce Springsteen and Jason Isbell for creative inspiration in even-numbered years.
Emily’s life hack: “I recently finished reading Tranquility by Tuesday by Laura Vanderkam. I was drawn to the book because “tranquility” is not a word I typically associate with “Tuesday” given this line of work. However, Vanderkam’s nine practical rules to bring order to your calendar and create more space for joy are easy to learn, remember, and implement. My favorite rule is “one big adventure, one little adventure” which asks you to plan one of each every week. I try to get creative with the little adventures and make them just for me. It might be taking 30 minutes to pop into a bookstore or challenging myself to find a new coffee shop. Science has linked anticipation to feelings of happiness, and this is a great way to always have something to look forward to.”