Dole Institute appoints Eric Pahls to Board of Advisors

January 8, 2024 - Features

by Jackson DeAndrea | Administrative Associate for Institutional Initiatives

Eric Pahls was a member of the Dole Institute’s Student Advisory Board while attending the University of Kansas.

Eric Pahls, a Vice President at Big Dog Strategies and a graduate of the University of Kansas, was appointed to the Dole Institute’s Board of Advisors by Director Audrey Coleman. Pahls will begin his term in 2024, and brings a unique perspective to the board as an alumnus of the Institute’s Student Advisory Board and friend of the late Senator Bob Dole.

Eric first joined Big Dog Strategies in 2021 and manages election campaigns at the local, state, and federal levels. During his tenure, Big Dog Strategies has assisted Republican campaigns in securing victories in Democratic strongholds.

Pahls began his career in politics in 2016 when he joined Dr. Roger Marshall’s campaign to serve in the House of Representatives. As the campaign’s press secretary, he helped lead the successful campaign to unseat the incumbent in the primary election, and later win the general election. Pahls later served as then-Representative Marshall’s press secretary in his Washington office.

Continuing his work in politics and communications, Pahls joined the staff of Unlocking Potential, a non-profit organization founded by former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina that aimed to strengthen the problem-solving and leadership capacity of community-based organizations that work to resolve the country’s largest issues.

In 2019, Pahls returned to Representative Marshall’s staff as a senior advisor, and was later named campaign manager for Dr. Marshall’s 2020 Senate election campaign. There, he oversaw Marshall’s successful primary and general election campaigns, which were some of the most closely watched races in the country that cycle.

Since early 2021, Pahls has served as a Vice President at Big Dog Strategies, a Republican political consulting firm that specializes in advising national, state, and local election campaigns.

Pahls holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas, and was an active member of multiple campus organizations, including the Dole Institute Student Advisory Board. His association with the SAB brought him closer to the Dole family, particularly Senator Dole, who mentored him throughout his political career. He lives in Lawrence with his wife and their rescue dogs.

Jackson DeAndrea is an Administrative Associate for Institutional Initiatives at the Dole Institute of Politics, supporting the Institute’s daily operations and programs. Prior to that, Jackson was a Student Archive Assistant in the Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archives and Special Collections, and worked with the Institute’s archivists and public education manager to advance the Dole Institute’s mission. Jackson is an alumnus of the University of Kansas and was a member of the Dole Institute’s Student Advisory Board.

About the Dole Institute
The Dole Institute was dedicated on July 22, 2003, at the University of Kansas on Senator Bob Dole’s 80th birthday. Home to the personal archives of both Senator Bob and Senator Elizabeth Dole, with a museum facility on par with the U.S. Presidential libraries, the Dole Institute has been a vibrant political forum promoting civil discourse, civic engagement, and idea exchange across the political spectrum for 20 years.