About

Pathfinder Communications, LLC, has compiled one of the best winning records in the country by following a simple strategy: take on fewer campaigns and provide them with the very best in strategic guidance and creative communications.

We've built our reputation by taking on the tough campaigns and winning -- while providing highly-personalized service to our clients. And we've done it all while keeping our prices affordable so scarce financial resources are spent where they belong: on delivering a strong message to voters.

Pathfinder Communications has provided services in more than 20 states across the nation and on campaigns of all sizes – from congressional to state legislative, statewide to local, even presidential.

Our People

JASON ERCOLE
President

In professional politics for nearly 15 years, Jason Ercole has been involved with many key Republican victories. Ercole’s strategy, creativity and consistent winning record earned him respect in the national political community with Campaigns & Elections magazine naming him a “Rising Star” in politics in 1998.

Recognized as one of the Republican Party’s leading communications consultants, Ercole has provided services to the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee, several Members of Congress, numerous state and county parties, and state legislative caucuses and candidates across the Northeastern, Midwest and Southern United States. He is also experienced at Initiative and Referendum campaigns, having served as either the general consultant, a member of the consulting team, or the direct mail specialist for initiatives in states across the nation.

Prior to founding Pathfinder Communications, LLC, Ercole served as the creative director for David Welch Associates and served as a Campaign Manager, Regional Coordinator and Finance Director for campaigns on the local, regional and statewide level.
Ercole served as the direct mail consultant for Matt Blunt’s successful campaign for Governor of Missouri, as well as gubernatorial races in Mississippi, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. He was the general and communications consultant for Patrick Toomey’s successful capture of an NRCC Top 5 Target seat and his re-election two years later. Ercole also served as the general and communications consultant for Robert Aderholt in recapturing Alabama’s Fourth Congressional District for the first time since Reconstruction, another NRCC Top 5 Target race. Ercole has also served as the general and/or communications consultant for aggressively challenged primary and general election congressional campaigns in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Ercole has also worked as the Government Affairs Director for the third largest Chamber of Commerce in Pennsylvania, directing lobbying efforts, and as a Legislative Aide in the Pennsylvania State Senate. His interest in politics began in high school as a key volunteer for several local, county and state legislative campaigns.

A featured guest speaker and political analyst at campaign seminars and colleges as well as for regional press outlets in the northeastern United States, Ercole is a graduate of Villanova University and resides in Exton, Pennsylvania, with his wife Kathryn.

MICHAEL J. WALSH
Principal

From volunteer to Campaign Manager, Mike Walsh actively seeks out opportunities to help candidates secure election success whether it’s a gubernatorial race, a US Senate race, a run for Congress, or a State or local challenge. Walsh has been active in electoral politics helping Republican candidates in Missouri, Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland for more than fifteen years.

As a Principal in Pathfinder Communications, Walsh is primarily responsible for federal campaign initiatives, working with Congressional candidates throughout the nation to help retake the House in 2008. He also works with State and local candidates throughout the country. As a consultant, Walsh relishes the opportunity to get on the ground and excite and inspire candidates, managers, staff, and volunteers.

Walsh managed congressional campaigns, including two hard fought primary challenges, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, supervising a staff of three and overseeing all aspects of each election cycle. He has served as Campaign Manager for two Members of Congress and also as Finance Director. He is proud that in 1998 he was able to raise over $1 million dollars in a Congressional race without taking PAC money.

Walsh began his career in politics as a dynamic volunteer in the early 90s, working on the gubernatorial campaigns of Roy Blunt and then Bill Webster in Missouri as well as the re-election of Senator Kit Bond. Walsh has worked with Senator Arlen Specter and was active in the early campaigns of Rick Santorum and Governor Tom Ridge in Pennsylvania.

Later in the 1990s, Walsh worked in a variety of positions in the United States House of Representatives. He served as a personal office liaison with the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Education Committee while in the personal office of Congressman James C. Greenwood of Pennsylvania. While on the Hill, Walsh focused on the communications aspects of welfare and FDA reform as well as policy issues such as defense and international relations with a focus on China policy (including trade status, human rights concerns and Hong Kong reunification). Walsh also served as the Greenwood District Director, supervising a staff of 10 House employees.

Prior to joining Pathfinder Communications, Walsh represented a mid-sized Silicon Valley technology consulting company in Washington, DC, serving as SRI Consulting Business Intelligence’s representative to the U.S. federal government. He was responsible for marketing the groundbreaking research of the SRI Labs in Menlo Park, CA, as well as cutting edge consulting services to assist defense, intelligence, and civilian federal agencies plan and invest in emerging technologies.

MICHELLE McLEOD
Senior Associate

Shelley McLeod’s experience in political campaigns spans the gamut – from volunteer, to manager, to Republican Party director.

McLeod began her career as a member of Pennsylvanians for Effective Government’s (PEG) political field staff while still in college. In this role, she served as part of the daily operations team for two of Pennsylvania’s most highly targeted state Representative races – victories which helped ensure a Republican majority in the state House.

After graduating college, McLeod went to work with PEG full-time as the Member Services Director of this non-partisan, pro-business PAC. While at PEG, she also served as a coordinator of their political activities, overseeing political field staff as well as helping make decisions on which candidates to assist through the development of paid communications as well as direct contributions.

McLeod then went to work as the Executive Director of the Republican Committee of Chester County (Pennsylvania), one of the northeast United States’ largest and fastest-growing counties. In that role, McLeod was responsible for the coordination of county efforts for federal and statewide candidates, as well as the management of county, state legislative and local campaigns. McLeod’s duties also included significant fundraising efforts, and the development of winning campaign and communication strategies for candidates and campaigns.

Raised in Oxford, Pennsylvania, McLeod was born in Wilmington, Delaware. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Saint Joseph’s University and is currently participating in the Anne Anstine Series.