Elle Patout

Director of Advocacy and Public Relations, NAWBO

Elle leverages on air, on the record, and on the Hill experience to help NAWBO effectively connect with audiences, influence legislation, change perspectives, and create quantifiable results. Elle served as the Press Secretary with the U.S. Senate Small Business Committee, where she was part of the communications team that helped get the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 across the finish line. As Communications Director in the U.S. House of Representatives for a coalition, Elle was an advisor to Communications Directors and Press Secretaries for more than 50 Coalition personal offices. Then, as Congressional and Public Relations Manager for the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, Elle advised the Chief Counsel on congressional and public relations strategies. This included crafting and implementing the communication strategy for appointees requiring U.S. Senate confirmation. Before her career in D.C., Elle was a news anchor and reporter for the ABC Affiliate in Dothan, Alabama. Elle and her husband reside in Arlington, VA, with their three boys.