ABOUT US
Lesley Elliott
Co-Founder & Principal
Lesley Elliott is the Founder and Principal of District City Consulting, a Washington, DC-based fundraising, political consulting and special events firm.
In 2012, Lesley founded District City Consulting after spending over a decade working on Capitol Hill and in government affairs. Focusing on PAC fundraising, Lesley helps craft and execute strategic financial plan ning for Members of Congress and congressional candidates, including for reelection campaigns, Leadership PACs and Joint Fundraising Committees.
Lesley began her career in the office of Senator Mitch McConnell where she served nearly two years as Legislative Aide handling Education, Health and Social Security issues. She then spent three years as Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of the Secretary of the Senate where she handled continuity planning and emergency preparedness for the Executive Office and 26 departments. Additionally Lesley assisted in the execution of the Senate’s special events.
After five years on Capitol Hill, Lesley served for six years as Director of Federal Affairs at Bates Capitol Group/C2 GROUP, representing a variety of clients across many industries– energy, health care and transportation – and helped direct and coordinate their legislative and political strategies before Congress.
Lesley is active in the community. Currently she serves as the Membership Coordinator for the DC Blues Society, a 501(c)3 group dedicated to the promotion of Blues music in the Washington, DC region. Lesley also serves as a member of the Junior League of Washington (JLW). Previously, she spent several years as a key organizer for the Congressional Hockey Challenge (CHC), a charity organization that sponsors an annual ice hockey game pitting Members of Congress and staff against registered lobbyists to raise money for deserving charities. Prior to her work with the CHC, Lesley spent eight years working with Taste of the South. She served on the Kentucky Committee before being elected to serve on the Executive Board, serving as Chairman of Taste of the South in 2010.
A proud Lexington, KY native, Lesley graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. She currently resides in Washington, DC.
Mackenzie Smith
Co-Founder & Principal
Mackenzie graduated from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2003 with a degree in Mass Media Communications and an emphasis in Broadcast Journalism. She currently serves on the Alumni Board of Directors.
Mackenzie began her broadcasting career at KOTV, the CBS television affiliate in Tulsa, OK, as a producer for the evening news. During that time, she discovered a passion for the political arena. So, she went to work in Washington, DC for the media and political consulting firm, Alfano Communications. In 2002 during her time at Alfano Communications, Mackenzie edited and starred in several television political commercials throughout the United States.
Following 2002, Mackenzie worked on numerous political campaigns, including managing the Virginia Attorney General’s race in 2005, where they raised over $2 million. Since that time, Mackenzie has focused her time and energy on fundraising and development. She was a field finance representative for the NRCC in 2005-2006, where she helped raise over $6 million for various members of Congress across the country. Working with the NRCC, she was involved in planning events with former President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
In 2007, Mackenzie formed the fundraising consulting group, The M Group, LLC. Her clients since 2007 have included Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, North Carolina Senator Elizabeth Dole, the Republican Governors Association, the Republican Party of Virginia, NRCC, and Ohio Chairman Mike Turner.
She also plans the annual signature events for Dr. Ben Carson’s non-profit, American Cornerstone Institute, and the International Democracy Union (a center-right alliance of global governments).
In April 2016, Mackenzie signed on to Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. as part of the Congressional Relations team where she represented the campaign to members of Congress. She also was a key player in leading the Whip Team at the RNC Convention in July of 2016. Following the election, she joined the Trump Transition Team to assist in the hiring of over 500 “Beachhead” (Day One) employees for the federal government. She also helped lead his Whip Team at the 2024 RNC Convention.
Mackenzie resides in Arlington, Virginia, and also enjoys visiting her family in North Dakota.
Stephanie Williamson
Associate
Stephanie Boswell Williamson has over two decades of experience in the fundraising world and a lifetime of political grassroots memories having grown up the daughter of two locally active politicians. Her career began raising funds for an attorney general campaign and managing a state representative race in her home state of Virginia.
After discovering the adventure of campaign life, she became the Deputy Finance Director for a targeted Southern Indiana congressional seat in 2006 where she worked with national groups to not only raise money, but host events with the Second Lady of the United States and the President of the United States.
Falling in love with the Ohio River Valley, she put down roots in Louisville, Kentucky. After a couple more campaign seasons, she made the swap from political fundraising to nonprofits. Stephanie worked for the American Heart Association assisting with Heart Walks around western Kentucky and was the Manager of Annual Giving for Sacred Heart Schools, a community of Catholic schools dedicated to educating the whole person in academics, arts, athletics and spirituality with students who range from ages 1 to 18. For the past 12 years, she has been working remotely with The M Group. Her role includes assisting with multiple congressional clients, state campaigns specifically in West Virginia and national and global organizations with responsibilities ranging from fundraising, research, and event planning support.
Stephanie has a BA in Communications from the University of
Louisville and resides in the suburbs of Louisville with her husband, four children and their menagerie of dogs and cats.