Last night was the first night of the LGBT Leaders Conference, presented by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.  It is less than zero degrees here in Denver, but these ambitious professionals from all functions of the political world aren’t letting the weather stop them.  The welcome reception was hosted by Mark Ferrandino, the Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives, at the McNichols Civic Center Building which is located just a few blocks away from the Hyatt Regency where the rest of the action will happen.

This morning, I arrived early to catch up with Jeff Spitko, Chief Marketing Officer of the Victory Fund and do an interview for the podcast.  It is also my first time doing video which I will release as soon as I can.  Our conversation covers: LGBT Leaders conference, how you can get involved with the Victory Fund, Jeff’s career path, exciting elections the Victory Fund is supporting, and when we will have our first gay President of the United States!

Jeff and I before the kickoff of the LGBT Leaders Conference

Jeff Spitko is the Chief Marketing Officer at the Victory Fund and Institute, a nonpartisan organization that helps outstanding LGBT leaders win elections and serve effectively. He is responsible for overseeing the organization’s brand identity, marketing strategy and outreach initiatives including advertising, events and public relations. 

Before coming to Victory, Spitko was employed with Vanguard, an investment firm based in Malvern, Pennsylvania that manages approximately $2.2 trillion in assets. During his 16-year tenure at the financial corporation, he served in various management roles within their participant communication, web services and institutional marketing departments. Most recently, Jeff led digital marketing efforts for the Financial Advisors Division where he developed social media strategies aimed at increasing brand awareness and revenue. 

In addition to his corporate experience, Spitko’s career includes 3 years as a brand spokesperson on the QVC Network. In that position he served as the on-air representative for several multi-million dollar electronics corporations including Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark and Panasonic. 

Jeff received his Bachelor’s degree in Communications (Radio, TV & Film) from York College of Pennsylvania. He is a native of Philadelphia, PA and relocated to Washington, DC in 2009.