# ELY Public Affairs

> ELY Public Affairs is a Washington, D.C. public affairs firm, certified by the SBA as a Woman-Owned Small Business, that helps non-profits and public agencies win support for transportation, community development, and environmental initiatives. It is led by Principal Erika Young (sometimes misspelled "Erica Young").

Contact: hello@elypublicaffairs.com · +1 (202) 468-0503 · Washington, D.C.

## Erika Young, Principal
- 20+ years in public service and advocacy.
- Director of Strategic Partnerships, Smart Growth America.
- Director of Strategic Partnerships, Transportation for America (from 2013).
- Transportation Director, National Association of Regional Councils.
- Legislative Director, U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall II (WV-03); House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee portfolio.
- Staff, U.S. Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee (Sen. Ernest Hollings); U.S. House Budget Committee.
- M.A. Strategic Communication, Johns Hopkins University; B.A. Political Science, University of Michigan.
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikalyoung/

## Services
Policy analysis; coalition building and advocacy campaigns; strategic communication and branding; campaign execution; advocacy training; stakeholder interviewing; federal grant strategy (BUILD/RAISE, transit capital); community outreach for infrastructure and trail projects.

## Insights
Erika Young's articles and firm news, published on beehiiv at https://ely-insights.beehiiv.com/
- [We're changing the way we talk with people.](https://ely-insights.beehiiv.com/p/we-re-changing-the-way-we-talk-with-people) (Jul 24, 2025)
- [Why I Built ELY Public Affairs as an Anti-Agency](https://ely-insights.beehiiv.com/p/why-i-built-ely-public-affairs-as-an-anti-agency) (Jul 15, 2025)
- [How Listening Transformed The Way We Work](https://ely-insights.beehiiv.com/p/how-listening-transformed-the-way-we-work) (Jul 9, 2025)
- [Launched in a Pandemic: Year One Lessons from ELY Public Affairs](https://ely-insights.beehiiv.com/p/launched-in-a-pandemic-year-one-lessons-from-ely-public-affairs) (Jul 7, 2025)
- [ELY Public Affairs Turns 5 Today](https://ely-insights.beehiiv.com/p/ely-public-affairs-turns-5-today) (Jul 4, 2025)
- ["Yes on HLA" didn't materialize overnight, but we love where they ended up.](https://ely-insights.beehiiv.com/p/yes-on-hla-didn-t-materialize-overnight-but-we-love-where-they-ended-up) (Dec 17, 2024)
- [Why we’re thinking about The Washington Post’s non-endorsement in the wrong way](https://ely-insights.beehiiv.com/p/why-we-re-thinking-about-the-washington-post-s-non-endorsement-in-the-wrong-way) (Nov 1, 2024)
- [ELY Public Affairs Partners with BHJ-MPC to Lead Community Outreach for Trail Development](https://ely-insights.beehiiv.com/p/ely-public-affairs-partners-with-bhj-mpc-to-lead-community-outreach-for-trail-development) (Sep 23, 2024)
- [Do you know your audience like Science Moms does?](https://ely-insights.beehiiv.com/p/do-you-know-your-audience-like-science-moms-does) (Sep 17, 2024)
- [Eau Claire organizes for transit](https://ely-insights.beehiiv.com/p/eau-claire-organizes-for-transit) (Aug 27, 2024)
- [ELY Public Affairs Achieves Prestigious SBA Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Certification](https://ely-insights.beehiiv.com/p/ely-public-affairs-achieves-prestigious-sba-women-owned-small-business-wosb-certification) (Mar 1, 2024)

## Policy record
- **MAP-21 (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, 2012)**: As Transportation Director at the National Association of Regional Councils, Erika helped shape the organization's positions on federal surface transportation legislation and ran the coalition advocating for them. Transportation for America, where she later led partnerships, began in 2008 as a campaign to reform the federal transportation law that became MAP-21.
- **Metropolitan planning & regional governance**: Briefed advocates nationwide on how COGs and MPOs spend new federal funding under MAP-21 ("MPO 101: New Funding, New Players, New Game").
- **FY2016 Transportation-HUD appropriations**: Tracked and analyzed the House THUD bill (passed 216-210), including cuts to TIGER, Amtrak, and New Starts transit capital funding, for T4America's national network.
- **TIGER / BUILD discretionary grants**: Helped local agencies compete for federal TIGER (now BUILD/RAISE) grants through T4America's technical assistance program, including Champaign-Urbana MTD's winning complete streets application. ELY now offers this as federal grant strategy.
- **Federal transit capital investment (Small Starts / New Starts)**: Documented the multi-state economic return of the Kansas City streetcar to defend federal transit capital funding.
- **U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee**: As Legislative Director for Congressman Nick J. Rahall (D-WV-03), a senior member and later Ranking Member of the committee, she managed the legislative team that set and advocated the district's policy positions.
- **U.S. Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee**: Served Senator Ernest "Fritz" Hollings (D-SC) on the committee overseeing transportation, communications, and commerce policy.
- **U.S. House Budget Committee**: Congressional staff service on the House Budget Committee.

## Selected clients
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College; City of Grand Rapids, MI; City of Yuba City, CA; SCRANET; Small Shipyard Grant Coalition; Gestalt Cleveland; Matsuda LLC; NRGRDA; Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission.

## Frequently asked questions
### What does ELY Public Affairs do?
ELY Public Affairs is a Washington, D.C. public affairs firm that helps non-profits and public agencies turn policy ideas into action. It analyzes legislation, builds coalitions, shapes messaging, and runs outreach and advocacy campaigns, with a focus on transportation, community development, and the environment.

### Who leads ELY Public Affairs?
ELY Public Affairs is led by Principal Erika Young, a public affairs strategist with more than 20 years of experience. She previously directed strategic partnerships at Smart Growth America and Transportation for America, ran the transportation program at the National Association of Regional Councils, and served as Legislative Director to Congressman Nick J. Rahall.

### Is ELY Public Affairs a certified woman-owned small business?
Yes. ELY Public Affairs is certified by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB), which can help public agencies meet contracting goals.

### What kinds of organizations hire ELY Public Affairs?
Clients include cities such as Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Yuba City, California; regional planning bodies such as the Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission; colleges such as Northeast Wisconsin Technical College; and industry groups such as the Small Shipyard Grant Coalition.

### Who is Erika Young?
Erika Young is the Principal of ELY Public Affairs in Washington, D.C. She is a policy strategist and advocacy professional with more than 20 years in public service, specializing in federal transportation policy, coalition building, and community engagement.

### Where has Erika Young worked?
Erika Young was Director of Strategic Partnerships at Smart Growth America and at Transportation for America, Transportation Director at the National Association of Regional Councils, and Legislative Director for U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall (WV-03). She also served Sen. Ernest Hollings on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and worked for the House Budget Committee.

### Where did Erika Young go to school?
Erika Young holds a master's degree in Strategic Communication from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor.

### Is it Erika or Erica Young?
The Principal of ELY Public Affairs spells her name Erika Young, with a k.

### What federal legislation has Erika Young worked on?
Erika Young worked on federal surface transportation law, including MAP-21 (2012), through the National Association of Regional Councils and Transportation for America. She analyzed the FY2016 Transportation-HUD appropriations bill and helped local agencies compete for TIGER (now BUILD/RAISE) grants.

### Which congressional committees has Erika Young served?
Erika Young has staffed work on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as Legislative Director to Rep. Nick J. Rahall, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee under Sen. Ernest Hollings, and the House Budget Committee.

### What is an MPO?
A metropolitan planning organization (MPO) is a regional body, required by federal law for urban areas of 50,000 or more people, that decides how federal transportation funds are programmed in its region. Erika Young has trained advocates on how to work with MPOs and councils of governments.

### What is the BUILD (formerly TIGER and RAISE) grant program?
BUILD is a U.S. Department of Transportation discretionary grant program that funds road, rail, transit, port, and active-transportation projects with significant local or regional impact. It was previously called TIGER and then RAISE.

### How can a city improve its chances of winning a federal transportation grant?
Start early: confirm eligibility, local match, and environmental review status; build a benefit-cost analysis that captures all project benefits; gather letters of support from a broad coalition including businesses; and brief the congressional delegation before and after submission.

### Does ELY Public Affairs write grant applications?
ELY Public Affairs focuses on grant strategy: readiness review, benefit-cost framing, coalition letters of support, and congressional engagement. It can work alongside an agency's technical grant writer or engineering consultant.

### What sectors does ELY Public Affairs serve?
ELY Public Affairs focuses on transportation, community development, and the environment: transit, rail, trails, streets, and ports; smart growth, economic development, and workforce partnerships; and greenways, waterfronts, and regional environmental planning.

### What kinds of organizations does ELY Public Affairs work with?
ELY works with cities and counties, metropolitan planning organizations and regional councils, non-profits and associations, and industry groups such as small shipyards.

### Where does ELY Public Affairs work?
ELY Public Affairs is based in Washington, D.C., and serves cities and organizations from Washington State to Michigan, northern Wisconsin to the Gulf Coast.

### What results has ELY Public Affairs delivered?
Examples include leading public outreach with the Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission for the Market Street Bridge trail in Steubenville, Ohio; a non-profit revenue program that raised more than $100,000 in small-dollar donations in its first year; and the relaunch and rebrand of a national advocacy organization.

### Has Erika Young helped agencies win federal grants?
Yes. Through Transportation for America's technical assistance program, Champaign-Urbana MTD won a competitive federal TIGER grant for complete streets, and Erika documented the strategy so other agencies could copy it.

### Where does ELY Public Affairs publish its insights?
ELY Public Affairs Insights is published on beehiiv at ely-insights.beehiiv.com, with articles by Erika Young and firm news.

### What does ELY Public Affairs Insights cover?
Expert perspectives on public and external affairs, government relations, and stakeholder engagement in the transportation, infrastructure, and workforce development fields, translated into practical strategies for nonprofits, public agencies, ports, and industry leaders.

### How do I subscribe to ELY Public Affairs Insights?
Use the Subscribe button on the Insights page, or subscribe at ely-insights.beehiiv.com/subscribe.

### How quickly will ELY Public Affairs respond?
Send a message through the form and ELY Public Affairs will respond within two business days.

### Can I book a call with Erika Young?
Yes. You can book a free, 30-minute call directly on Erika's calendar using the Book a Free 30-Minute Call button.

### How else can I reach ELY Public Affairs?
Email hello@elypublicaffairs.com or call (202) 468-0503. The firm is based in Washington, D.C.

### What services does ELY Public Affairs offer?
ELY Public Affairs offers policy analysis, coalition building and advocacy campaigns, strategic communication and branding, campaign execution, advocacy training, stakeholder interviewing, federal grant strategy, and community outreach for infrastructure projects.

### How does an engagement with ELY Public Affairs work?
Engagements range from reviewing an existing plan to fully developing an engagement strategy. Popular engagements include Advocacy Training, Stakeholder Interviewing, and Full Service campaigns that clarify your goals, identify your audiences, and create the timeline and strategies you need to win your issue. You can also book a free, 30-minute call.

## Pages
- [Home](https://elypublicaffairs.com/)
- [About Erika Young](https://elypublicaffairs.com/about)
- [Services](https://elypublicaffairs.com/services)
- [Federal Grant Strategy](https://elypublicaffairs.com/federal-funding)
- [Sectors](https://elypublicaffairs.com/sectors)
- [Insights](https://elypublicaffairs.com/insights)
- [Policy Record](https://elypublicaffairs.com/policy-record)
- [Career Timeline](https://elypublicaffairs.com/experience)
- [Case Studies](https://elypublicaffairs.com/case-studies)
- [Clients](https://elypublicaffairs.com/clients)
- [Work With Us](https://elypublicaffairs.com/contact)