Shaniqua McClendon is a political strategist and sought-after speaker and commentator on media, politics, voting, and race. She is the Senior Political Director for Crooked Media (home to the popular podcast, Pod Save America) and is currently a fellow at the USC Center for the Political Future. At Crooked Media, McClendon leads their political strategy and civic engagement program, Vote Save America, and created their successful 2020 volunteer engagement and fundraising program, Adopt a State. Recently, Shaniqua developed and hosted the Crooked mini-podcast Rigging North Carolina, which chronicled voter suppression and election fraud in the state. She appears regularly across the network’s podcasts, including Hysteria, What A Day and Lovett Or Leave It. She has lent her voice to numerous other podcasts and Instagram Live discussions across political and lifestyle verticals, and recently served as moderator for The Hammer Museum’s Forum, a series of events addressing current social and political issues.

Prior to Crooked Media, McClendon served on Capitol Hill as a policy advisor to Senator Kay R. Hagan and Legislative Director to Congresswoman Alma S. Adams. While working for Rep. Adams, McClendon spearheaded the creation of the first-ever Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus. She began her career as a White House Intern for President Barack Obama.

Originally from North Carolina, McClendon earned a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She later received her Master's in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, where she was honored with the Robert F. Kennedy Award for Excellence in Service. In addition to her work in media, Shaniqua serves on the board of Fund Her, the political action committee dedicated to electing progressive women to lead our states, with an emphasis on supporting women of color and first-time candidates.