We are pleased to welcome Emily Whitfield to anat. as our new Vice President of Business and Community Development.
Emily brings more than 25 years of experience in communications, advocacy, and the law. Her work has focused on helping civil rights and social justice organizations communicate clearly about complex issues, and on making sure those messages reach the audiences who need them most. She has built a career grounded in care for both the work and the people behind it.
Before joining anat., Emily founded Emily Whitfield Communications, a strategic communications consultancy. In that role, she advised a range of leading organizations, including the ACLU, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Innocence Project, Center for Constitutional Rights, and the Vera Institute of Justice. She also stepped in as interim communications director for several civil rights organizations, providing steady leadership during periods of transition. Her work has led to placements in national outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and San Francisco Chronicle.
Earlier in her career, Emily spent nearly a decade at the ACLU as Media Relations Director. During that time, she led national communications strategy through a period of significant public debate around civil liberties in the years following 9/11. She also led annual Supreme Court briefings for legal journalists and helped shape how the organization engaged with national media. Her work contributed to the ACLU receiving the PRSA Silver Anvil Award for Excellence in Public Affairs.
Emily’s approach to communications is thoughtful and steady. She brings a strong understanding of how to navigate complex issues while staying grounded in clarity, purpose, and trust. These values align closely with our work at anat. and with the partners we serve.
A lifelong New Yorker and a product of New York City public schools, Emily lives on the Lower East Side with her husband, a bookseller, and their two dogs, Alfie and Percy. Her stepdaughter is currently studying education at Hunter College.
We are grateful to have Emily join the team and look forward to the work ahead together.
