Managing Principal

Danica Petroshius brings more than 25 years of experience in public policy, advocacy, management, strategic consulting and communications to Penn Hill Group. She works with national, State and local organizations to develop, refine and implement policy and advocacy strategies. She also consults with foundations and other leading national organizations to plan meetings, leveraging her skills in facilitation, design thinking, strategic planning and advocacy training. Her keen strategic abilities help organizations prioritize efforts and maximize results. She focuses on a wide range of policy issues including early education, K-12 education, higher education, workforce and other related issues.

Before helping to build Penn Hill Group, Petroshius was founder of Policy Strategies and Solutions, where she worked with clients to achieve their policy and advocacy goals. Prior to that, Petroshius served in the office of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy for 10 years, including two years as Kennedy’s chief of staff. As deputy staff director on the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Petroshius coordinated policy, hearings and markups; managed budget and appropriations strategies; and supported the committee’s overall strategic agenda. As chief education adviser, she played key roles in the reauthorizations of major Federal education laws, including reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Petroshius’ experience in the legislative branch is complemented by her work in the executive branch. At the U.S. Department of Education, she supported the 1994 reauthorization and implementation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, including working on issues relating to English learners and the development of state content and performance standards.

Petroshius also served as senior vice president at Collaborative Communications Group, where she focused on education reform and worked on behalf of diverse clients to reach decision makers and affect change in public policy. She launched her government service career as a VISTA volunteer in Austin, Texas.

In addition to her work as Managing Principal at Penn Hill Group, Petroshius also serves in volunteer roles in the Washington DC area. She is the Chair of the Board of the Story of Our Schools, a local organization that helps highlight the stories of DC’s school communities by working with K-12 students to create permanent exhibits that explore that history. She is also a member of the Grants Committee of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6C where she, along with her fellow committee members, provides recommendations to the full committee of ANC 6C on how to direct its grant funds to best further the enrichment of the local community. In addition to lending her hand in those efforts, Petroshius is also a member of the Local School Advisory Team, the School Improvement Team and the Parent Teacher Student Organization at Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan School.

Petroshius holds a master’s degree in education policy from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from the University of Notre Dame. Petroshius has two certificates in design thinking from IDEO U.

You can reach Danica at dpetroshius@pennhillgroup.com.