About

Build Something Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts

Starling designs people-first strategies that help organizations listen better, activate voices that matter, and lead with authenticity in a rapidly evolving digital and social landscape. We believe in the power of collective action—like murmurations, those mesmerizing displays where thousands of starlings move as one, creating something far more powerful and beautiful than any individual bird could achieve alone. That's what happens when technology, strategic insight, and authentic community engagement come together.

We're not your typical consulting firm with a standard playbook. Every mission-driven organization faces unique challenges that demand custom solutions. Whether you need to organize a grassroots effort, develop cutting-edge AI tools, or launch advocacy campaigns that change policy, we show up ready to learn, empower your community, and lead with clear strategies that turn ambitious goals into real achievements.

Macon Phillips

Macon founded Starling Strategy after two decades of work in digital engagement, public diplomacy, and mission-driven technology. Born in Huntsville, Alabama, he earned his A.B. in Sociology from Duke University and began his career as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer, an experience that proved foundational to his later work in digital participation and public service.

His expertise began at Blue State Digital, developing digital strategies for leaders like Senator Ted Kennedy. This led to his role as Deputy Director of New Media in the 2008 Obama Presidential Campaign, where he managed daily operations for a 90-person digital team that pioneered online fundraising, SMS messaging, and social networking to engage voters.

President Barack Obama appointed Macon as Special Assistant to the President and Director of Digital Strategy in the White House from 2009 to 2013. He founded the first-ever White House Office of Digital Strategy and created the "We the People" online petitioning platform in 2011, which engaged over 16 million users who signed more than 400,000 citizen petitions, becoming a key component of the U.S. Open Government National Action Plan.

As Coordinator of the Bureau of International Information Programs at the State Department (2013-2017), Macon led America's digital diplomacy efforts, developing public engagement campaigns in over 40 countries. He created the YALI (Young African Leaders Initiative) Network, building a community of more than 500,000 young African leaders that continues today.

As Chief Digital Officer at CARE USA (2017-2019), Macon applied his digital expertise to global humanitarian work, managing digital infrastructure across 30+ countries and developing applications to digitize program data while protecting beneficiary privacy.

Macon lives in Warren, Vermont, with his wife and three children.

Natalie Dawe

Natalie is the Managing Director of Starling Strategy. Since joining in September 2020, she has shaped Starling Strategy's human-centered approach to creating social impact through strategic engagement.

Natalie earned her Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy from Duke University and her Master of Public Health at Columbia University, concentrating in the history and ethics of public health. Her commitment to public service includes her time in AmeriCorps*VISTA and working in Senator Richard Durbin's office. Today, she continues her civic engagement by volunteering with the Upper West Side Cinema Center, a nonprofit committed to restoring independent film and film education in her community.

Her career at IBM focused on applying technology to global health challenges. She led IBM Health Corps, a social impact program that incubated solutions to health disparities, working in countries including Taiwan, India, and Tanzania. In November 2019, she brokered the formation of the Allied Against Cancer alliance, bringing together IBM, the American Cancer Society, Clinton Health Access Initiative, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and the African Cancer Coalition to improve oncology care in Sub-Saharan Africa. Through this alliance, she served as product manager for two digital tools supporting oncology teams - Cancer Guidelines Navigator and ChemoSafe Facility Assessment Tool. Allied Against Cancer was awarded the Fast Company 2020 World Changing Idea.

At Starling Strategy, Natalie applies her background to help mission-driven organizations create measurable social impact through human-centered design and evidence-based strategies. She lives in New York City with her husband and two children.