Karyn Strickler is the Founder and President of Vote Climate U.S. PAC. She has executive-level experience leading successful statewide and national issue advocacy, congressional, U.S. Senate and ballot measure campaigns.
Karyn conceptualized, initiated, led the research and development of Vote Climate U.S. PAC’s first-of-its-kind, national Voter’s Guide starting in 2018. Each election, our unique tool gives climate calculations to every incumbent and challenger for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, allowing voters to choose climate action. Every 4 years, starting in 2020 we rate candidates for the U.S. Presidency.
Between elections, our Congress Climate Scorecard helps reporters, leaders, activists, organizers, and regular citizens hold lawmakers accountable on climate change. Just like our Voter’s Guides, it provides detailed information on position, leadership, votes and support for a fee on carbon pollution on every incumbent in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.
In 2021, Vote Climate U.S. PAC issued its first Gubernatorial Voters Guide. Our 2021 Governor elections include only New Jersey and Virginia, with the remaining elections taking place in 2022.
Under Karyn’s leadership as executive director, MD NARAL made history passing legislation to put the principles of Roe vs. Wade onto Maryland’s law books. “Abortion Politics in American States,” calls Karyn a “gifted grassroots organizer.” As executive director of the MD NARAL PAC, Karyn won 100% of targeted state senate races in Maryland creating a pro-choice, supermajority.
Karyn was the executive director of the national Endangered Species Coalition. She hosted and produced the first and only TV show dedicated exclusively to climate change, called “Climate Challenge.” She worked in Botswana Africa to train women in the campaign skills necessary to run for public office, doubling the number of women in Parliament in a single election cycle. She is an international lecturer and trainer on grassroots organizing and fundraising for the United States Department of State. Karyn was the finance director in the primary and the volunteer director in the general election for Congressman Chris Van Hollen’s (MD-8) breakthrough race in 2002, raising an historic amount of money and decisively beating an incumbent, thought to be invincible. Chris is now a U.S. Senator for Maryland.
Karyn Strickler earned her BA in Political Science at McDaniel College, where she was a member of Pi Gamma Mu, an international social science honor society. She is a Chesapeakeman, Ironman triathlon, age-group champion with 140.6 total miles of swimming, biking and running. She is also a competitive CrossFitter.