Staff

Jeff Butzke, President

Jeff Butzke brings over 33 years of extensive international, national, state, and local political consulting to Advantage, Inc. From grassroots organizing to strategic counseling to media development, he has consulted and managed over 200 campaigns for political office.

Prior to founding Advantage, Inc., Butzke served as National Political Director for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). At NFIB he developed innovative programs with NFIB’s political action committee, SAFE Trust, to help elect record numbers of small business owners to state and federal office.

He directed the expansion of SAFE Trust by increasing PAC contributors from 14,000 to 38,000 and increasing receipts from $1.2 million to $2.9 million in a three year period. His efforts on behalf of the state programs resulted in state PAC receipts more than doubling in two years. In addition Butzke supervised the election of more than 600 NFIB members to the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business.

Prior to joining NFIB, Butzke was president of Jeff Butzke and Associates, a political consulting firm specializing in local elections. In 1989, Butzke & Associates began conducting campaign seminars in Eastern Europe, helping to train over 300 political candidates, elected officials and staff in nine countries in the pragmatic details of the democratic political process.

Butzke was named one of the "Top Political Leaders in America" and a "Rising Star" by the number one political magazine in America, Campaigns and Elections. A 1978 graduate of Fordham University in New York with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, Jeff Butzke lives in Centreville, Virginia with his wife of twenty-two years, Wendy Wilson, and his sixteen year old son, David.

Aris McMahon, Senior Vice President

Aris McMahon is Vice President for Public Affairs at Advantage, Inc. Aris brought 10 years of political and corporate campaign experience to Advantage in 2001. Aris manages scores of accounts for various federal, state, and locally elected officials, as well as numerous campaigns and campaign committees.

Aris has held responsible positions in campaigns and campaign committees, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee (1994) U.S. Senator Bill Frist's initial race (1994), Senator Bob Dole's New York State primary campaign (1995-96), and the 1996 Dole for President team for the Iowa caucuses. As a Senior Account Executive at Fabrizio, McLaughlin and Associates (1997-00), Aris managed paid media accounts for Governor George Pataki and numerous other political and corporate campaigns nationally. In 2000, Aris served as campaign manager for Felix Grucci's successful race in New York's First Congressional District.

Aris McMahon is a native of Bayside, New York, and received his B.A. at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Aris, his wife Gibson, their two daughters Ginny and Elizabeth and their son John reside in Alexandria, VA.

Tricia Pearson, Vice President

Tricia Pearson joins Advantage, Inc. as Director of Business Development. Tricia brings over 15 years of extensive political experience to the Advantage, Inc. team. She has done work ranging from campaign management and general consulting to fundraising for candidates and state parties throughout the western United States.

Tricia most recently served as the Northwest Regional Political Director for the Republican National Committee (RNC). Prior to joining the staff at the RNC, Tricia served as a political appointee within the Administration of President George W. Bush at the Small Business Administration.

Previously, Tricia had served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief of Staff to Senator George Allen (R-VA). Tricia came to the official Senate office of George Allen after serving as the Western Region Political Director during the 2003-2004 election cycle and playing a pivotal role in electing five Republican Senators to the United States Senate in 2004.

Tricia started in politics with Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT) in 1994. Tricia's responsibilities included fundraising, communications, and special projects as well as managing Senator Burns' successful 2000 re-election campaign. Tricia is also proud to have been Executive Director of the Montana Republican Party from 1997-1999. Tricia holds a B.A. degree in Political Science from the University of Montana. She is a native of Billings, MT and currently resides in Reno, NV with her husband Kevin.

Jim Eltringham, Vice President of Operations

As Vice President of Operations, Jim Eltringham crafts and executes dynamic voter contact and grassroots mobilization campaigns to deliver maximum impact for Advantage, Inc.’s clients.

Jim has designed and implemented grassroots campaigns merging digital and offline tactics for a range of political, advocacy, and corporate clients. Prior to joining Advantage, Jim was the Vice President of Online Campaigns at Advocacy Group, Inc., overseeing digital recruitment campaigns designed to deliver real-world political impact. Previously, Jim served as Director of Grassroots Campaigns at Mercury, managing state and Congressional district-level field campaigns to move national policy issues. Before his time at Mercury, Jim frequently appeared as a spokesperson on national television and both national and regional talk radio as Director of Public Relations for the Leadership Institute, a non-profit political training organization. His clients have included Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, the United States Chamber of Commerce, the Consumer Energy Alliance, America’s Health Insurance Plans, and the National Association of Broadcasters.

Jim is a frequent lecturer on grassroots mobilization, online tactics, and public relations to audiences ranging from campaign veterans to international activists to independent filmmakers to political science classes.

Jim Eltringham currently lives in Centreville, Virginia with his wife Erica and their daughters Maya and Lily.

James Query, Senior Consultant

James Query joined Advantage in the fall of 2005 as our Director of Operations. He supports President Jeff Butzke and Vice President Aris McMahon in several areas of the company including managing client relationships, data analysis, business development, and research.

An exceptional student in politics, James worked on several campaigns of both local and national importance while at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. James coordinated the Students for Burr program his Senior year, mobilizing Wake’s student body to support Winston-Salem native Richard Burr in his bid to join Elizabeth Dole as the state’s second Republican senator. James coordinated much of the grassroots efforts on campus including phone banks, voter registration drives, advertising, and a town hall meeting at Wake. James was also heavily involved in other races in North Carolina from a grassroots level including President Bush’s 2004 reelection, Elizabeth Dole’s US Senate campaign in 2002, and several other local races.

James Query received his B.A. in economics and communication from Wake Forest University in 2005 where he was recognized as a leader in many different organizations on campus. James is a native of Cumberland, RI and now lives in Washington, D.C.

Monica Farrow, Senior Account Executive

In September 2009, Monica Farrow joined the Advantage team as Senior Account Executive. Monica brings campaign, corporate and Capitol Hill experience to her role with Advantage.

Monica previously worked at the public affairs company DCI Group. During her tenure there, she provided client service management support to several Fortune 500 companies. Prior to her employment with DCI, Monica assumed a position with The Stewart Group in Raleigh, N.C. In this role she served as team lead for various clients, including local officials and federal officials, and she conducted grassroots efforts for various companies.

Prior to living in Raleigh, N.C., Monica initiated her D.C. career in 2005 as a legislative correspondent for Congressman Patrick McHenry. Her political relationship with Congressman McHenry began in 2004 when she served as Political Director for his campaign. After his election, D.C.'s "The Hill" newspaper recognized Congressman McHenry and his staff as being among the youngest congressional team members on Capitol Hill. While her keen interest in politics has helped to propel the direciton of her career, Monica maintains a strong passion for charity work. She currently sits on the Board for D.C.'s United Way Young Leaders Society, and she is also very active in the District Team Charities.

A graduate of the University of Auburn, Monica received a B.A. Degree in Political Science with a concentration in American politics. Monica was born in Columbia, South Carolina, grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and currently resides in Washington, D.C.

Matt Rogers, Project Manager

Matt Rogers joined Advantage Inc. in March 2010. Matt works directly with clients creating specific voter-contact programs for campaign strategy and development, political communication, targeted data retrieval, issue advocacy, and voter mobilization. Working with candidates ranging from the local to Senate level, he provides diverse programs including grassroots fundraising, voter identification, surveys, polls, and Get Out the Vote efforts. In addition to working with political candidates, he also provides corporations with issue advocacy and messaging initiatives.

Matt is a 2009 graduate of Harvard University, where he played baseball and received his B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in American and European politics. He is a native of Philadelphia, PA and currently resides in Washington, D.C.

Lisa Kot, Project Assistant

Lisa Kot joined the Advantage Inc. team in May 2011, and is currently assisting the account executive team with TeleForum service and setup. She brings political, small business, and government experience to the team. Lisa interned on the Rob Portman for U.S. Senate campaign in Ohio, worked at Faulkner Strategies (currently Gridiron Communications direct mail and printing) in Granger, IN, and interned for Senator George V. Voinovich (R-OH) in DC.

Lisa graduated from Bethel College in Mishawaka, IN in 2009, where she played volleyball and received her B.A. in History with a minor in Business Administration. She is currently finishing her Masters in Applied Politics at the University of Akron. Lisa is a native of Akron, OH and currently resides in Washington, DC.