Hello!

I'm Caitie, a civic strategist, former Congressional staffer, Mainer born and bred. And I’m glad you’re here.

If you’re tired of feeling powerless to meet the moment we’re in.

If you want to do something that makes the moment better.

Or if you’re already doing stuff, but it doesn’t feel like it matters much.

Policy is for Lovers is for you! It’s a friendly playbook for good change.

Every Friday morning, I share smart tools, good stories, favorite quotes to fill your heart with some honest hope and your days with some high-impact action.

I won’t give you quick fixes that might feel good in the moment, but don’t actually change much. I’ll give you the best strategies I know to shape the laws we live under, all borne of my time working with politicians and powerbrokers.

Because here’s the truth: we have more power than we think. Policy is for Lovers is here to ensure we aren’t leaving that power on the table.

Democracy is understaffed. And you’d be perfect. So together, let’s work to build the world we want to live in.

A Bit About Me

Caitie Whelan (WHALE-in) is a civic strategist and Practitioner in Residence at MIT. She gives people the power to shape the laws they live under.

Caitie was a staffer in Congress for six years, starting in the Senate and ending as Senior Foreign Policy Advisor for a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee.

She served as Communications Director for the Maine Democratic Party and did communications and operations for one of President Biden's global climate initiatives. Outside of policy work, Caitie co-founded a school in India with a community of lower caste musicians and ran her own creative writing and teaching venture.

She graduated from Brown University where she is a member of the Brown Alumni Association Board of Governors. She is a Truman Scholar for Public Service and Founding Chair of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Maine Chapter's Public Policy Team. Contact her here.