Emily Charlap

About Emily Charlap

Emily Charlap is a public policy professional with over 20 years of experience in the…

Experience

1. Chief of Staff

   The Maryland General Assembly

   Jan 2024 — Present · Annapolis, MD, US

   Develop and execute strategies to advance legislative agendas including 6 sponsored bills, 2 passed into law, 140 co-sponsored in 2025 and 12 sponsored bills, 4 passed into law, 117 co-sponsored in 2024. Conduct research, drafted legislation and provided analysis on key policy issues such as gun safety, student loan forgiveness, healthcare occupations, transportation infrastructure, online privacy justice, aging issues, medical debt, and opioid crisis management. Successfully passed 2025 HB930 creating a $25 million public health program out of the MD Dept. of Health for abortion access using no taxpayer money with an annual increase of $3 million. • Created and solely managed the multilevel coalition for the passage of 2025 HB930 Public Health Abortion Grant Program in 6 weeks including 38 member organizations at local, state, and national levels as well as a Letter of Support signed by 21 organizations. Wrote a strategic outreach and communications plan, published weekly email updates, hosted coalition calls, created social media templates, and coordinated testimony and outreach. • Manage daily operations of office, authoring procedures handbook, supervising staff, maintaining information and data security, integrating new tools and software into the workflow, and managing training for a diverse staff from disparate demographics.• Consistent stakeholder recruitment and relationship management to build support for legislative initiatives fostering positive relations with nonprofits, advocacy organizations, local governments, area businesses, and professional associations. • Lead communications efforts including traditional media relations such as print, radio, tv, and podcast interviews and press releases, cross-platform social media presence, and constituent outreach regarding advocacy and service referrals.

Education

• American University

  Graduate Certificate, Women, Policy, and Political Leadership

  2011 — 2013

• Union College

  Bachelor's degree, Political Science, Comparative Religion, Women and Gender Studies

  2002 — 2006

Skills

• Political Campaigns
• Strategy
• International Relations
• Grassroots
• Politics
• Community Outreach
• Legislative Relations
• Grassroots Organizing
• Public Policy
• Policy Analysis
• Coalitions
• Government
• Nonprofits
• Analysis
• Public Speaking
• Strategic Communications
• Fundraising
• Policy