Chazz Clevinger Joins Who’s Who

And the hits just keep on coming.

A few months back, we shared the news about CiviClick being featured on three prominent news websites, including USA Today, roughly a year after we’d been founded. Well, we recently got notice that our founder, Chazz Clevinger, has also been chosen for the 2024 Marquis Who’s Who, an annual biographical compendium of the top movers and shakers in fields ranging from business to entertainment to politics.

For 125 years, Marquis’ directories have been sharing profiles of people selected for extraordinary contributions to their fields, which, in Chazz’s case, includes both advocacy and public affairs. Among the factors considered are accomplishments, career progression, position, visibility and prominence.  

“I am honored and humbled to be included in the Marquis Who’s Who, which, for more than a century, has focused on people who not only excel at their jobs but strive to serve their communities,” Chazz says. “Recognized in this way, just as CiviClick is hitting its stride—well, it’s more than words can express.”

Maybe, but we’ll try.

What is Who’s Who?

First, a word about Marquis Who’s Who. While many have heard the term “who’s who,” and perhaps even used it without thinking— e.g., “a veritable who’s who of…”—it’s been around so long, not many know its origin story.

The Who’s Who concept kicked off in London, England, back in 1849, when a handbook simply listing the names of high-society folks was distributed to help social circles keep up with whom it was wise to know while hobnobbing. Over time, the format was changed to include people in business and politics—and not just their names, but biographical information as well.

In 1899, the Ohio-born, Chicago-based Albert Nelson Marquis, founder of the publishing house A.N. Marquis and Company, debuted a stateside version, calling it Who’s Who in America. Featuring more than 8,600 entries, it was edited by Marquis, who established strict standards for inclusion. The honorees, he insisted, had to be cream-of-the-crop professionals, and the annual publication was eventually regarded as the authoritative work of contemporary biography. By the early 21st century, it included more than 100,000 entries.

Today, Marquis Who’s Who puts out multiple publications covering various industries and parts of the world. “Marquis’ products and services,” its website states, “have become dependable resources for in-depth biographical information. Professionals from fields such as law, medicine, academia, and science rely on Marquis’ customized services and comprehensive data in its print and online publications in order to obtain accurate industry information, foster important connections, and share their accomplishments with the world.”

And, now, Chazz Clevinger is one of those professionals.

Why Chazz?

While many know Chazz as the founder and CEO of CiviClick, a super-innovative digital advocacy and public affairs tech company based in D.C., there’s much more to his story. Born and raised in Wilmington, North Carolina, he’s also CEO of Superior Campaign Solutions, a provider of case acquisition services for mass torts law firms, and a partner of Advocators, an influencer-marketing platform focused on campaigns.

After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he double-majored in political science and ancient history, Chazz honed his expertise in grassroots advocacy and communications management. Among his early-career employers were CQ Roll Call, Prison Fellowship Ministries and The White House, where he served in the Office of Strategic Initiatives.

Always looking for new challenges while helping organizations advocate for change, Chazz then moved on to business development, marketing and campaign services, which led him to the civic technology space, his focus for the past 15 years. He’s been an executive at four public affairs and government relations tech companies, among them Phone2Action and One Click Politics.

Chazz has also consulted on more than 100 local, state, federal and international campaigns of all kinds, including digital advocacy, for a variety of companies and associations. Among them: DraftKings, Reynolds American, FreedomWorks, Yamaha, the American Pharmacists Association and the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions.

As an expert in his fields, Chazz has authored such works as “How Strategic Planning Can Help You Win” and “Machiavelli, Livy, and the Political Uses of Religion.” As mentioned above, his accomplishments have led not only to inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who but also to articles on his work with CiviClick in the Chicago Tribune, the Daily Caller and USA Today.

Looking Forward

Chazz’s multiple experiences led him to found CiviClick in February of 2023, kickstarting a new era in advocacy and public affairs. His goal: disrupt traditional, often ineffective advocacy methods by leveraging AI-powered technological tools. CiviClick provides a wide range of clients, from companies to nonprofits, with a platform featuring state-of-the-art technology, which revs up connections with decision-makers, influences policy and improves communities faster and more effectively than ever.

As Chazz told USA Today, “I wanted to do something different that focused on not only the most innovative and creative ways that technology can impact public policy discussions, but also had a distinctly universal focus on being supportive of everyone’s voice.” 

CiviClick does just that. Its incredibly talented team of campaign, tech and public affairs experts offer its clientele an incredible range of solutions, including digital advocacy, performance marketing, campaign management and lobbyist referrals.

Chazz, who’s received numerous awards, including the “40 Under 40 Award” in 2022 from the American Association of Political Consultants, says that he’s not satisfied just to sit back on his and the team’s laurels. “I founded CiviClick,” he told the Daily Caller, “because I wanted to do something different that wasn’t just purely mechanical. I focused on the most innovative and creative ways that technology can impact public policy dialogue, as well as the distinctly universal goal of being supportive of everyone’s right to free speech.”

With that in mind, he’s truly appreciative to be included in Marquis Who’s Who. It’s a signifier of what he’s achieved thus far and what he hopes to accomplish down the road.

“Being in Who’s Who is humbling,” he says. “These are people at the top of their game, and they got there because they’re never satisfied—there’s always another mountain to conquer, another solution to a problem, another campaign to help improve the way we all live. So I’m inspired to be included.”