Our Team

THOMAS MILLS, PRINCIPAL

Thomas Mills is a nationally known Democratic political consultant who specializes in strategic communications. He has helped hundreds of political candidates and progressive organizations deliver their messages to their target audiences. He is the co-founder and principal of the political firm Bates & Mills Consulting.

During his career, Mills has worked on political campaigns that range from city council to the presidency and is recognized as an expert in targeting analysis. Mills has developed an impressive record of winning long-shot political campaigns and has extensive experience in issue advocacy, particularly for labor and environmental organizations. His political direct mail and print advertising has won numerous national awards from the American Association of Political Consultants including Best Presidential Mail.

Last year, Mills served as the general consultant for Secretary of State Elaine Marshall’s U.S. Senate campaign. In that role, he built the campaign team, oversaw the campaign strategy and developed the campaign’s communications plan. While Marshall lost in the Republican wave, she handily won a primary and runoff despite being heavily outspent.

In 2004, Mills served as a direct mail consultant to the Democratic National Committee’s mail consortium, producing mail for the presidential campaign. He oversaw the creation and delivery of all of the mail in New Hampshire for the Kerry/Edwards campaign as well as the state’s coordinated campaign. New Hampshire was the only state that year to change from “red” to “blue.”

Mills’ analysis on public policy and politics has been published in several newspapers and magazines, including the Charlotte Observer, the New & Observer of Raleigh and Politics Magazine. He has also provided political analysis on television and the radio.

Mills received a bachelor’s of arts degree in history from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a master’s of public administration from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. Prior to his political career, Mills was a social worker. A North Carolina native, he lives in Carrboro with his wife and children.

ROSS G. BATES, PRINCIPAL

As one of the original pioneers of persuasion mail and modern political consulting, Ross Bates has spent much of his 35-year career revolutionizing the way campaigns are run and how campaign communications are produced. Starting in Los Angeles in the 70’s, Bates was part of a group of individuals that revolutionized direct mail for campaigns, beginning trends in targeting and messaging that have become ingrained in campaigns to this day. In the 80’s, Bates worked in Congressional campaigns nationwide, and was one of the first consultants to work with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and their targeted candidates. 

After moving to Washington, DC, he served as president of the firm BatesNeimand. For 13 years, he spearheaded their efforts to deliver sophisticated mail programs to countless campaigns across the country – ranging from Presidential to congressional to legislative and municipal, and including ballot measures and advocacy work for environmental groups and other progressive causes.

Bates is known for a straightforward style that cuts to the heart of the voters’ concerns and cuts through the clutter of communications. He believes that the key to a winning campaign is understanding the concerns, fears, and hopes of the voters and speaking to them in a clear, coherent, and credible manner.

Bates is a graduate of UCLA, where he earned a BA in Political Science and a far more useful minor in political activism. He and his wife Christy moved to Seattle in 2007, where they reside with two dogs and two cats. The main reason for the move, their granddaughter Stella, lives with her mother a block away.

NATALIE VIZUETE, ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

AMANDA UNDERWOOD, PRODUCTION MANAGER

Amanda Underwood is the production manager, and coordinates the mail production process from conception to delivery to the voter. During the 2008 and 2010 election season, she managed the mail production process for Bates Consulting, ensuring that 1.5 million pieces of mail reached voters on time and under budget.

Before joining Bates and Mills, she served as regional marketing manager for an international software company. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science.

A life-long Democrat, she was raised in Johnston County, NC, where her family has lived for more than six generations. She now resides just outside of Chapel Hill with her significant other, Daniel, and their two dogs.

CHRISTIAN SCHNEIDER, DIRECTOR OF ACCOUNTS

Christian has worked on political campaigns over the last several years in New York, North Carolina and California. Recently, he directed a field and political program in Imperial County for an IE on behalf of State Senator Juan Vargas in the primary. Imperial was the only county Vargas won, making up for losses in San Diego and Riverside to win by 22 votes out of almost 60,000 ballots cast.