# Stephanie Silverman

> Stephanie Silverman is the founder and chief executive officer of Venn Strategies, the Washington government affairs and public affairs firm she started in 2001. Her career spans tax and economic policy, coalition building and strategic advocacy. In 2021, after decades working on employee-ownership policy, she announced that 25 percent of Venn would be transferred to employees through an ESOP.

- **Role:** Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Venn Strategies
- **Organizations:** Venn Strategies, American Diabetes Association, NAACP Foundation, Employee-Owned S Corporations of America
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Master of Business Administration, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School, A.B., Duke University
- **Known for:** Founded Venn Strategies in 2001 and has led the firm through its first quarter-century., Transferred 25 percent of Venn Strategies to employees through an employee stock ownership plan., Helped advocate for tax and pension law changes associated with the creation of S corporation ESOPs in 1998.

## Career timeline

- **1990s** — Worked as a lead advocate on tax and pension law changes that enabled S corporation employee stock ownership plans.
- **1998** — The federal policy effort on which she worked led to the creation of S corporation ESOPs.
- **2001** — Founded Venn Strategies in Washington, D.C.
- **2010** — Became chief executive officer under a restructured Venn senior management team.
- **2019** — Venn Strategies appeared on the Inc. 5000 at No. 4,110.
- **2021-2022** — Announced and implemented an ESOP transferring 25 percent of Venn's ownership to employees.
- **2025** — Named to Washingtonian's list of Washington's 500 most influential people and its list of people shaping health-care policy.

## Achievements

- Founded Venn Strategies in 2001 and has led the firm through its first quarter-century.
- Transferred 25 percent of Venn Strategies to employees through an employee stock ownership plan.
- Helped advocate for tax and pension law changes associated with the creation of S corporation ESOPs in 1998.
- Led Venn Strategies when the company ranked No. 4,110 on the 2019 Inc. 5000.
- Recognized by Washingtonian in 2025 among Washington's 500 most influential people.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Venn Strategies is marking its 25th year, and Silverman remains founder and chief executive officer.
- **2025-12** — Washingtonian included Silverman among the people shaping health-care policy.
- **2025-06** — CityBiz published an interview with Silverman about the origins, growth and succession role of S corporation employee stock ownership plans.
- **2025-05** — Washingtonian included Silverman in its 2025 list of the 500 most influential people in Washington.

## Links

- Website: https://vennstrategies.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-silverman-5b190410
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/vennstrategies
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/VennStrategies/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/stephanie-silverman
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-22