Rob Eberhardt - Partner
Rob Eberhardt has been with Stanford Campaigns for twenty years, climbing the ranks from intern to Partner and Director of Research. As one of the top researchers in the country, he has overseen all of the firm’s research operations for the past five years, working on hundreds of political campaigns in 46 states, where his research has been featured in news outlets all over the country, including the Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, and Wall Street Journal. In addition to his work on political campaigns, he led research and competitive intelligence efforts for a number of public affairs campaigns and corporate clients.
Rob Eberhardt grew up in Houston, Texas, before moving to Austin in 1999, where he started school at the University of Texas (Hook ‘em!). After realizing civil engineering wasn’t his desired career path, he graduated with a B.S. in Communication Studies in 2003. During this time he was president of his fraternity, served on the Communication Council, and made the dean’s list.
When he isn’t busy helping his clients win, Rob enjoys spending time with his wife, Whitney, and their two dogs, Captain and Billie Holiday. He also volunteers as a big brother for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas.
Sonia Van Meter - Partner
Sonia Van Meter is the Managing Partner of Stanford Campaigns. She moved to Austin in 2003 to attend graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin, but soon found she preferred activism to academia. Following a stint in sales, she joined Stanford Campaigns in 2009 and quickly found a professional home. Now in her thirteenth year in the political consulting industry, Sonia has worked hundreds of campaigns and IEs all over the country, from city council bids to gubernatorial and US Senate runs. In 2013 Sonia was made a Partner of Stanford Campaigns, and development and client relations became her focus. She continues that work today, bringing the good word of opposition research to democratic campaigns and causes up and down the ballot nationwide.
Sonia has worked alongside the DCCC, the DGA, EMILY’s List, and Planned Parenthood, as well as dozens of corporate clients in need of due diligence research. She also routinely speaks publicly on the merits of opposition research and the opportunities and challenges that come with political small business ownership.
Sonia is a cum laude graduate of Georgia State University where she earned her B.A. in Sociology. When she’s not digging up dirt on politicians, you can find her enjoying a bourbon, playing bass with her band, or marveling at her husband’s latest pun.
Meredith Ballew - Deputy Research Director
Joining Stanford Campaigns in January of 2017, Meredith brings several years of on the ground campaign experience to the firm, including voter registration efforts, organization and planning for major fundraising events, and direct contact with donors and potential voters for campaigns including Bill White’s 2010 run for Texas governor, the Obama re-election campaign of 2012, and State Rep. Mark Strama’s many campaigns. Her most valuable lesson from these experiences has been learning how to not take cold call phone hang-ups personally.
Meredith previously worked as a legal assistant for a bankruptcy law firm, honing her office management and legal research skills, before joining Stanford Campaigns. As VP of Operations, she immediately tackled several organizational obstacles and streamlined operations processes, firmly establishing herself as an “efficiency expert” for the firm. She also performs client research and manages special projects ranging from event planning to client database management.
Meredith graduated with her B.A. in Political Science from Texas A&M in 2015. When she’s not fighting the good fight for Democrats at her desk, she’s spending time with her husband, William, and their two dogs, Joey and Penelope, or teaching horseback riding lessons.
Paul Vasey - Research Analyst
Paul received a B.A. in Political Science from Macalester College and developed a taste for research after spending two years assisting the department chair with a book project on the transformation of war. After moving to New York in 2009, Paul worked briefly on Bill Thompson’s mayoral campaign before spending several years as the Executive Assistant to the Chairman of Immunology at Memorial Sloan –Kettering Cancer Center.
Paul joined Stanford Campaigns in April 2014.
In his spare time, Paul enjoys playing jazz guitar and dominating his fantasy football leagues.
Matthew Farfante - Research Analyst
Matthew received his B.S. in Political Science from Northern Arizona University, and then his Master’s in Public Administration and Policy from American University. He got his start in research as an intern for Ann Kirkpatrick’s Senate campaign in 2016. Matthew wanted to further develop his research skills so in 2018, he worked as a Research Associate for Krysten Sinema’s Senate campaign. In 2020, he worked as the Arizona Research Director for Forward Majority doing research on state legislative candidates. During this time, Matthew tracked candidates across the state and attended their events.
Matthew joined Stanford Campaigns in July of 2021.
Matthew’s hobbies include playing games with his friend group and spending time with his dog, Caesar.