Alissa Kaplan Michaels

Alissa Kaplan Michaels harnesses the power of media around the globe to smartly position West End Strategy Team clients and advance their causes.

She has broad and deep experience across multiple sectors, including human rights, domestic and international policy, health care, education, arts and culture, children’s issues, and Israel- and Jewish-related matters.

A versatile writer and editor, Alissa has served as an in-house communications lead for Columbia University and the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

She previously worked as a journalist for ABC News, helping to launch the online news division. Her news credentials also include The Des Moines Register, the Omaha World-Herald and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, among other outlets. Notably, she was sent on assignment to Tunisia.

Alissa earned a master’s degree in Liberal Studies (literary theory, Hebrew and Judaic Studies) from New York University, and was a visiting graduate student in Mideast policy at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her bachelor’s degree is from Iowa State University, where she held a double major in Journalism and Mass Communication and Distributed Studies while proudly serving as editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper, the Iowa State Daily.

She lives in New York City with her husband, son and two guinea pigs.