EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
Name: Lane Koch
Title: National Director of Programs and Business Development
Location: St. Louis, MO
Bio: I provide management, strategy and training to help campaigns execute successful grassroots operations. I spent over a decade working as a professional field director and grassroots organizer for Republican elected officials and candidates at the national and state level, where I have held nearly every title and leadership position in grassroots field operations. My national political experiences include work with the National Republican Committee’s victory grassroots efforts in Missouri to get out the vote for the McCain-Palin ticket in 2008 and the Romney-Ryan ticket in 2012.
I served as Deputy Political Director for U.S. Senator Roy Blunt’s (R-MO) campaign in 2010 and then became Small Business Liaison for the Senator, building relationships with job creators and ensuring their concerns were heard. I have also planned, managed and executed grassroots operations for initiative petition campaigns as Political Director for the issue-advocacy division of Pelopidas. I got my professional start as a field representative for Missouri Senator Christopher “Kit” Bond helping constituents navigate the federal bureaucracy.
What you do at Axiom/how you serve our clients: At Vanguard, I help manage grassroots operations for our clients. I know firsthand what it takes to mobilize large groups of volunteers, often with a small staff and a schedule of unforgiving hours. I understand the importance of expanding grassroots beyond the Party faithful and individual stakeholders. I help campaigns identify targeted voters, and then mobilize professional field staffers to deliver the campaign’s message effectively.
How you got your start in politics: I have been active in Republican politics since age seven when I helped my father phone bank and door knock for President George H.W. Bush. In these early years, I learned the importance of doing my part–no matter how small–to help shape the direction of my community, region, state and country through grassroots activism.
Your favorite political figure (past or present) & why: Theodore Roosevelt! His “Man in the Arena” speech—which hangs in my office today–is where I derived my personal motto “Strive Valiantly, Dare Greatly.” He once gave a campaign speech after being shot–talk about devotion! He exemplifies the sense of profound purpose many candidates feel, and underscores the significance of our work of shepherding them into office.