Hello,
Through my work at Snap, Inc, my research at the Harvard Kennedy School, and my efforts advising numerous civic organizations across the country, I believe that together we can help cultivate a culture of civics for this next generation of Americans. I have designed and built programs and products that have helped support young people with key issues they face by leveraging technology and partnering with government and non-profits around the world to drive change. Sofia loves solving complex issues facing our country through technology, media, strategic messaging and public-private partnerships.
About Me
Sofia Gross was an early employee of Snap, Inc. Over 7.5 years, she helped to build the News Team, Political Partnerships Team, Global Public Policy Team, Policy Partnerships and Social Impact Team and helped open the Washington D.C. Office. She most recently served as Head of Social Impact and Policy Partnerships to address critical topics facing youth around the world and currently serves as a strategic advisor to the Public Policy Team. In these roles, Sofia has helped millions of young people register to vote, learn their sample ballot, make a plan to vote and learn how to run for local office across the country.
In addition, Sofia completed the Technology and Democracy Fellowship at Harvard Kennedy School where she co-authored a case study on Civic Responsibility: The Power of Companies to Increase Voter Turnout.
She currently serves as the inaugural John S. McCain Democracy Fellow at the McCain Institute and an International Strategy Fellow at Schmidt Futures. Sofia also serves as a strategic outreach advisor to the The University of Chicago’s Admissions Office and serves on the Board of Advisors for the Institute of Politics at UChicago. Sofia advises a number of civic organizations including Civic Alliance, 50×2026, Civic Responsibility Project, National Voter Registration Day, Vote Early Day and TurboVote.
Sofia is also a Public Affairs Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
“There is no more powerful form of self-expression than civic engagement.”
— Sofia Gross
A Case For Civic Responsibility
The Power of Companies to Increase Voter Turnout
Sofia Gross and her co-author Ashley Spillane built a case study to inspire companies to recognize their role in helping increase voter turnout. The case study for The Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation details how businesses can play a massive role in mobilizing employees and consumers to vote. Read the full report to learn more.
Advising Organizations across the country:
The University of Chicago, CIRCLE at Tufts University, Civic Alliance, 50×2026, Civic Responsibility Project, National Voter Registration Day, Vote Early Day
Supporting Young Americans
Sofia has led partnerships with experts around the world to offer key resources in-app impacting Gen Z including youth mental health, COVID-19, bullying prevention, anti-hate campaigns, the fentanyl crisis and more. Including launching the “Here For You” feature, which provided proactive in-app support to Snapchatters who may be experiencing a mental health or emotional crisis in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and she worked alongside the mental health organization Active Minds to develop filters that encourage users to be open about their emotional wellbeing.
In The News…
NPR: Snapchat is Adding a Feature to Help Young Users Run for Political Office
Harvard Business Review: Why and How Companies Invest in Get-Out-the-Vote Efforts
Wired: College Going Virtual Means Reaching Young Voters Online. Good
UChicago: Changing the world one snap at a time: an alumna’s path to career success
NYTimes: The Yarn Store Would Like You to Vote And so would nearly every company out there this year
Sofia has been featured in The New York Times, Wired, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, The Boston Globe, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Jewish Insider and more. Learn more about her story here.
