Cortney Watson

Chief Operating Officer
  (202) 296-2741
  

vCard

Cortney Watson is the Chief Operating Officer for McAllister & Quinn. She develops and executes strategies and company-wide change management initiatives that drive the company’s success and growth. She also manages the firm’s financial and day-to-day operations, including the company’s administrative team and its outside consultants. In addition, she provides strategic oversight of the McAllister & Quinn Grants Consulting Network and oversees the firm’s data analytics and performance goals.

Cortney has been with McAllister & Quinn since 2012 and served as a vice president, director, and managing director for the company prior to joining the leadership team. In these roles she provided comprehensive consulting services for a wide range of McAllister & Quinn clients, helping clients develop and execute strategies that align with their organization’s priorities. In partnership with her clients, she has worked to secure millions of dollars in external funding through competitive grant funding and congressional appropriations.

Prior to joining McAllister & Quinn, Cortney worked for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), a trade association comprised of affordable housing and community development professionals. At NAHRO, Cortney engaged in extensive advocacy on Capitol Hill and managed NAHRO’s grassroots network. Additionally, Cortney researched and evaluated federal homeless programs at Abt Associates Inc., a Washington, D.C. think tank.

Cortney holds a B.B.A. from Saint Mary’s College (Notre Dame, IN) and a M.P.P. from the University of Michigan. She is a native of Big Rapids, MI and lives in Washington, DC, with her two sons Jude and Cole and husband Jeff.

Highlights

  • Vice President of Operations
  • Managing Director of Grants and Federal Affairs, McAllister & Quinn
  • Manager of Congressional Relations and Advocacy, NAHRO
  • Research Analyst, Cambodian Defenders Project
  • Research Assistant, Abt Associates Inc.
  • Congressional Intern, Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)

Expertise

  • Federal Grants
  • Appropriations
  • Nonprofits
  • Public Entities
  • Grassroots Organizing

Education

  • M.P.P., University of Michigan
  • B.B.A., Saint Mary’s College (Notre Dame, IN)