Digital & campaign strategist · Oakland, CA

Campaigns that move the people who decide.

For 15+ years I've turned dense research and policy into campaigns that win: stopping fossil fuel projects, winning union recognition, electing organizers and pushing automakers and truck manufacturers toward a cleaner, fairer supply chain.

See the wins Work with me
15+ years in campaigns, from a mayor's office to global coalitions
$1M+ raised for Moms for Housing in two months, without a single fundraising appeal
#1 biggest news day in Sierra Club history, with its reckoning over founder John Muir
18 partner organizations in one coalition campaign, each with its own priorities

Campaign wins

Climate, labor, housing and electoral fights where the communications strategy helped change the outcome.

Climate · Oakland

Stopped the Oakland coal terminal

Led media strategy through the City Council's vote to ban coal handling, testifying at council meetings and speaking on local TV. The fight has kept up to 10 million tons of coal a year, and roughly 26 million tons of CO2 pollution, out of West Oakland for more than a decade.

COMMUNITY WIN
Climate · Sierra Club Beyond Coal

Blocked Oregon gas plants Carty 2 & 3

Ran press and organizing for the campaign that pushed Portland General Electric to suspend two proposed gas units, 900 MW and about $900 million worth, by building a coalition around ratepayer concerns.

REGULATORY WIN
Housing · Moms for Housing

Made “housing is a human right” a global headline

Supported campaign of unhoused Oakland mothers. This narrative organizing campaign earned headlines in the New York Times and Vogue and landed an NBC documentary.

NARRATIVE WIN
Labor · UNITE HERE Local 25

Won union recognition from José Andrés

Ran communications for Bazaar Workers, whose campaign won voluntary union recognition from the celebrity chef.

LABOR WIN
Clean trucks · California

Helped pass SB 1213 unanimously

Organic and paid campaigns for the law tying state truck incentives to manufacturer price transparency, signed in 2026 with unanimous legislative support.

LEGISLATIVE WIN
Electoral · Oakland City Council

Unseated a two-term incumbent

Communications director for Carroll Fife's winning campaign, electing a housing justice organizer to the Oakland City Council.

ELECTORAL WIN

Right now

Cleaning up how cars and trucks get made

I lead digital strategy for campaigns pushing automakers and truck manufacturers toward green steel, cleaner supply chains, workers' rights and cheaper electric trucks.

Lead the Charge · cleaner auto supply chains

I lead digital strategy for the annual Lead the Charge Leaderboard, with a focus on steel decarbonization. My work includes paid advocacy campaigns on LinkedIn and Google, building a page from zero to 1,500 industry followers and turning dense technical reports into content for industry, investor and policy audiences.

Idle Giants · clean freight

I strategize and execute paid media and organic social in support of legislative and policy priorities for an international electric freight advocacy campaign.

What I do

For unions, climate and justice organizations, coalitions and campaigns. Available for freelance projects and full-time roles.

01

Digital campaign strategy

Plans that start from the decision-maker you need to move and work backward to the audiences, channels and moments that reach them.

02

Paid media

Strategy, budgets and buying on LinkedIn Campaign Manager, Meta and Google, aimed at executives, legislators and the public.

03

Social content & video

Posts, graphics, newsletters and short-form video that make technical policy land on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Bluesky.

04

Press & media training

Media strategy, pitching and launches, plus training first-time spokespeople, from youth organizers to tenants, to talk to reporters.

05

Reporting that drives decisions

Repeatable, AI-assisted performance reports that show what's working so you can shift budget and strategy mid-campaign.

06

Agency & vendor management

Briefs, scopes, budgets and timelines for polling, branding, video, design, mail and media buying.

April Thomas kayaking on a mountain lake in Idaho

About April

I'm a digital and campaign strategist (she/they) based in Oakland. My wide-ranging advocacy career has included a big-city mayor's office, the Sierra Club, grassroots housing and electoral campaigns, labor unions and global climate coalitions.

I locate the handful of people who can make a decision, and build the pressure that makes the right decision the obvious one. My narrative organizing approach builds power for organizations and causes at the level of cultural hegemony, not just temporary campaign wins.

I do my best work with a lot of campaigns in motion. At the Sierra Club I ran communications for five programs at once, from the Outdoors team and the Sierra Student Coalition to environmental justice organizers nationwide, the Puerto Rico chapter and the DEI department, while simultaneously serving as communications director for Carroll Fife's council race and Moms for Housing.

Now as a consultant, I serve clients across issue areas, helping them identify the right strategies to accomplish their comms and digital goals. I am a jack-of-all-trades, comms-department-in-a-box type consultant who can fulfill virtually any role and is always learning new skills and tools.

Got a fight worth winning?

I'm open to freelance projects and full-time digital campaign roles. Tell me what you're up against.

aprilbthomas@gmail.com LinkedIn Download résumé