Two former members of the Stand Up Blue Valley group have formed a political consulting firm called Altitude Campaigns.
The consulting firm was founded by Elizabeth Arnold and Allison Polanis, who served on the steering committee of Stand Up Blue Valley. They could not be reached for comment for this story.
“Altitude Campaigns takes a thirty-thousand-foot view to understand Johnson County beyond labels and conventional political thinking,” according to the website.
“We deliver campaign management and political consulting​ solutions to help you find your voters, use your resources effectively, and transform our data into your electoral success.”
From 2015 to 2019, Arnold managed communications for Stand Up Blue Valley, a political action committee formed to advocate for education that backed Democrats and moderate Republicans.
Many of the candidates backed by Stand Up Blue Valley were elected to the Legislature in 2016, although the group’s success tapered off in 2018 when some moderate incumbents were unseated.
Among other things, Arnold oversaw the group’s process for endorsing candidates and raised money.
She has a bachelor’s degree in American studies and history from Wellesley College. She also has a master’s in museum studies from the University of Kansas.
Polanis, meanwhile, was a research analyst for Service Management Group in Kansas City.
She also worked as a senior quantitative analyst for the Pert Group, a marketing research firm that merged with another company several years ago to become Acturus.
Polanis’ work for Stand Up Blue Valley included developing and managing database tools, assisting with social media and helping to raise money.
She has a master’s in applied economics from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and a bachelor’s in math and economics from Agnes Scott College near Atlanta.
