About Anthony

Mr. Welcher is a co-founder of several small businesses that engage in political and business investment strategies in the United States. In his political practice, he and his firm professionally consult for numerous political leaders, community organizations, and businesses with general messaging, digital and social media implementation and victory strategies, as well as overall political guidance to navigate campaigns, complicated public affairs issues, and crises. In addition he owns a small business that manages multi-family buildings in the Seattle area with an emphasis on housing clientele with lower incomes or that are seniors and/or disabled.

Previously, Anthony served as a Presidential appointee and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. State Department.  In this role he served as the Secretary of State’s representative to U.S. governors, mayors, and local, regional and state officials, and he was responsible for all aspects of the Department’s management of U.S. territories and insular areas.  He also hosted visits by foreign leaders and dignitaries, the Summit for Arab-Americans, and U.S. diplomatic missions including leading twenty-one U.S. governors to Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. Anthony also coordinated U.S. delegation meetings at the G8 Summit, United Nations General Assembly, Organization of American States, and public and private forums on a variety of topics including North American cross-border challenges. 

Anthony also served as Director of External and Congressional Affairs at the United States Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank). In this position, he was responsible for promoting U.S. exports, manufacturing and job creation across the country, served as the liaison to the White House, and was the bank’s sole representative to the President’s Export Council and National Credit Union Administration’s Economic Empowerment Program. 

Prior to the Administration, Anthony served on the White House Transition Team, as a Senate aide in the Washington legislature, as the youngest Washington State Republican Party board member (re-elected in 2008 and 2010), and as the George W. Bush for President state coordinator in 2000.  He has been tapped by the Republican National Committee to spend several weeks during each election cycle managing grassroots programs and Get out the Vote efforts in Missouri (‘02), Wisconsin (‘04), Ohio (‘06), and Ohio (’08). In 2004 he spent over a month working on the Dino Rossi recount effort in Washington State at the request of the Republican Governors Association.

Anthony earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington (Seattle), is a former Inter-Collegiate Studies Institute scholar and has completed programs at the State Department’s Foreign Studies Institute.  He currently resides in Bellevue, Washington, where he serves as a Presidential appointee to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s National Regulatory Fairness Board and is a recent graduate of the FBI Citizen’s Academy. He serves as a volunteer for and as a board member of several other community organizations.

Small Business Experience:

• Small Business Administration (SBA) Regulatory Affairs Board, Past Chairman, 2008-Present
• Owner, Real Estate Investment and Management, Bellevue, WA, 2004-Present
• 21st Century Communications Strategies, Co-Founder, Bellevue, WA, 2010-Present

Local Experience, Community Involvement:

• Rob McKenna for Governor, Finance Committee, WA, 2011 – Present
• WSRP Candidate and Campaign School, Coordinator, WA, 2011 – Present
• GOP Picnic Chairman, King County, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011
• Republican PCO Town Hall Chairman, 8th Congressional District, 2010
• WA State Republican Party Executive Board, Elected Member, 8th CD, WA, 2008 – Present
• Dino Rossi for U.S. Senate, Advisor, WA, 2010
• Dino Rossi for Governor, Policy and Transition Advisor, WA, 2004 and 2008
• Republican Governors’ Association Dino Rossi Recount, Volunteer, Seattle, WA, 2004
• Bush For President, Campaign Coordinator and Deputy State Director, WA, 1999 – 2000
• Chris Bayley for U.S. Senate, Statewide Field Director, Bellevue, WA, 1998
• WSRP Policy Development Committee, Chairman, Tukwila, WA 1998 – 2000
• Washington State Senate, Legislative Aide to Senator Steve Johnson, Olympia, WA, 1997
• Spectator Conservative Newspaper at U of W, Editor-in-Chief, Seattle, WA, 1996 – 1997
• Dino Rossi for State Senate, Campaign Coordinator, Issaquah, WA, 1996
• WA State Republican Party Executive Board, Elected Member, 7th CD, WA, 1996 – 1998
• Slade Gorton for U.S Senate, Youth Campaign Coordinator, Bellevue, WA, 1994
• Rod Chandler for U.S. Senate, Volunteer, Bellevue, WA, 1992

National and Presidential Appointee Work Experience:

• Washington Times Editorialist, Washington, DC, 2010 – Present
• FBI Citizen’s Academy Graduate, Seattle, WA, 2011
• U.S. Department of State, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Washington, DC, 2006-2007
• Foreign Service Institute Graduate, (Counter Terror) Washington, D.C., 2007
• Republican National Convention, Caucus Team and External Affairs Coordinator, 2000, 2004, 2008
• RNC 72 HOUR Grassroots GOTV Campaign, Volunteer Coordinator 2002 (MO), 2004 (WI), 2006 (OH), 2008 (OH)
• U.S. Export-Import Bank, Director of External Affairs, Washington, DC, 2001-2006
• White House Transition, Washington DC, 2001