Chief Executive Officer
Kristen Morgante
As CEO, Kristen Morgante sets the strategic direction of Purple Strategies, pairing the instincts she built in federal, state, and local politics with a client-first discipline that has made Purple synonymous with reputation strategy for the world’s most important companies and industries. That hybrid perspective — political sensibility matched to critical business outcomes — shapes how Purple advises clients and has been central to the firm’s growth into the elite strategic advisory it is today. She is credited with building the culture behind that growth: a firm that draws talent across politics and policy, campaigns and advocacy, and brand and creative strategy, all grounded in research and intelligence.
Kristen has been with Purple since its founding, previously serving as the firm’s Managing Partner and Chief Operating Officer. She got her start in Democratic politics, beginning her career in the Clinton Administration and continuing her work on state and federal Democratic campaigns across the country, including Howard Dean’s presidential campaign in 2004. Before Purple, she served as Associate for Strategic Planning and Special Assistant to President and CEO John Podesta at the Center for American Progress.
“A presidential campaign is organized chaos, trying to combine being proactive with your candidate’s messaging and actions while reacting to the news cycle and staying current on the issues. At Purple, we thrive on that chaos, the ever-changing nature of our clients’ industries and work we do with them. Instead of trying to keep up, we try to push the pace of what’s possible, and that requires the nimbleness and flexibility of a political campaign.”
“My mom Joy embodied her name in every way. She was kind and empathetic, yet strong and direct and she brought joy to everyone who knew her. It is my greatest hope that I live up to the example she set, and honor her memory, with how I interact every day with both my kids and colleagues—the two groups of people I spend the most time with!”
“The people at Purple inspire me every day. I truly believe you couldn’t (and wouldn’t!) do the type of work we do if you didn’t like the people with whom you worked. Our crew of people are extraordinarily special.”