Prior to joining The Raben Group, Alaina most recently served as the Associate Director for the first-ever White House Office of Urban Affairs. In her role, Alaina laid the foundation for President Obama’s urban office by shaping interagency policy efforts to make Urban America more economically competitive, sustainable and inclusive, and by crafting strategies to amplify the President’s urban agenda outside of the Beltway.
Alaina began her career as a political participation attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., where she directed their 2004 National Election Protection program, litigated a judicial redistricting case and was a member of the legislative strategy team.
She furthered her community advocacy work at the Advancement Project, a civil rights law, policy and community action think tank, where she launched a four-state strategy to protect the rights of Louisiana voters displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Named by Politico as one of the nation’s "50 Politicos to Watch," Alaina is one of the few African-American women leaders with national campaign expertise. She served as the deputy political director for the Obama for America Campaign in South Carolina, Connecticut, Ohio, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Michigan during the primary elections and as national deputy director for African American Outreach for the general election cycle. Alaina was born and raised in Michigan. She is a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Michigan Law School.
