Polsinelli Shughart’s Anita R. Estell was recently named by the Washington Business Journal as a member of Washington’s 2011 “Women Who Mean Business.” This list honors 25 women who are leading and building strong companies or organizations and who demonstrate a commitment to giving back to their communities. Estell was recognized at the “Women Who Mean Business” gala as an influential, powerful and trailblazing woman in the Washington business area.
To watch a video produced by the Washington Business Journal, click here
Estell is a pioneer in the Washington, D.C. lobbying community and is considered to be one of the city's outstanding lobbyists. She quickly earned a reputation as a strategist whose achievements are marked by innovative, measurable and sustainable results after making history as the first African American woman to become a principal at a major independent lobbying firm in 1993.
Estell is responsible for client development and managing a broad spectrum of client issues, with a specific expertise in federal budget and appropriations policy, including programmatic areas of relevance to municipalities, transportation systems, urban school districts, corporate entities, predominantly and historically black colleges and universities, other institutions of higher education, national coalitions and nonprofits including large national member organizations.
Within the area of appropriations, Estell possesses a keen acumen for understanding, managing, influencing and implementing federal policy in a number of key areas, e.g. community development, criminal justice, defense, education (elementary, secondary and higher education), environment, minority health, HIV/AIDS, homeland security, international development, private equity, science and technology, small business, transportation, workforce development and federal contracting/grant opportunities. She manages more than $2 billion in client requests annually. Other strengths include facilitating public/private collaboratives and bottom-up and top-down advocacy.
The firm congratulates Anita Estell.