Mark Mellman, one of the nation’s leading public opinion researchers and communication strategists, is CEO of The Mellman Group, whose clients include prominent politicians, Fortune 500 companies, and major public interest groups. Mellman has helped guide the campaigns of twenty-nine U.S. Senators, ten Governors, over two dozen Members of Congress, and numerous state and local officials. Mellman also served as President of the AAPC, where he made significant contributions to the growth of the Association and its focus on ethical campaigning.

Internationally, Mellman was Yair Lapid’s chief strategist and pollster during his one-year surge from zero seats in the Israeli Knesset to the second largest party. He also assisted Colombian President Cesar Gavira and Albanian Mayor Luli Basha. He won Best Campaign of the Year outside the U.S. twice.

The AAPC also awarded the Mellman Group its third “Pollster of the Year” award for its string of upset victories and unmatched precision. The Mellman Group was also named the most accurate campaign pollster by Nate Silver of the New York Times.

Mellman is a key strategist for the Democratic Leadership, including Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and House Whip Steny Hoyer. The Economist called him the “brains behind the Democrats’ successful ‘Medicare’ strategy,” while POLITICO noted that Mellman’s manufacturing presentation “electrified Democratic leaders.” Newsweek called his environmental efforts “turning Bill Clinton green.”

The firm has defeated California Proposition 226 (the anti-labor initiative), Proposition 38 (the California School Voucher initiative), and Governor Schwarzenegger’s initiatives and passed tobacco control, stem cell research, tax, and bond measures in 15 states.

Mellman’s objective, unvarnished analysis also attracts respected entities. The World Bank, the U.S. Departments of Justice (under Bush), State, and Labor have all used The Mellman Group for critical assessments. Mellman also works with major public interest organizations such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, AFL-CIO, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, National Environmental Trust, and League of Women Voters. Mellman works with Coca Cola, MGM Resorts, Intuit (Quicken), and United Airlines. His innovative research has helped NGOs and corporations use the internet for communications, selling, organizing, and fundraising.

Mellman taught political science at Yale after graduating from Princeton. He advised CBS News and analyzed presidential debates for PBS and The Wall Street Journal. Mellman writes an influential weekly column for The Hill, a publication “for and about Congress, “and has written op-eds for The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Wall Street Journal.