June 9, 2026

For Immediate Release

Contact: Civil Strategies
‍657-777-8490

Civil Strategies Names Dennis Poplin Of Counsel, Learning

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A distinguished communications strategist and learning designer joins Civil at the moment when institutions need both the most

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PORTLAND, OR – Civil Strategies today announced that Dennis Poplin has joined the firm as Of Counsel, Learning. Poplin brings deep expertise in communications strategy, learning design, and leadership development, with a career built inside some of the most consequential organizations in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector.

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Poplin spent more than sixteen years at Spitfire Strategies, where he served as Senior Vice President, Chief Learning Officer, and Principal, building and leading the firm’s learning practice. Earlier in his career, he held field leadership roles at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. In his Of Counsel role at Civil Strategies, he will advise on the firm’s learning design work, bringing his expertise directly to bear on the institutions the firm serves.

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“Structural change does not hold unless the people inside an institution understand it, can practice it, and are equipped to lead through it,” said Midy Aponte-Vargas, Founder and CEO of Civil Strategies. “Learning is not a supplement to institutional design. It is how design becomes durable. Dennis brings a rare combination of strategic depth and practical learning craft that strengthens this work considerably.”

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“The institutions doing the most important work in this country are under enormous pressure right now. The ones that will hold are the ones where people know how to lead through that pressure together. That is the work I have spent my career on, and it is the work Civil Strategies is built to support,” said Poplin.



For more information, visit civil-strategies.com or email contact@civil-strategies.com.

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About Civil Strategies

Civil Strategies is a national institutional design and strategic advisory firm focused on how institutions operate in practice. The firm integrates business, communications, finance, policy, and risk management into a single advisory practice, designing for coherence through The CIVIL Framework™ so that what organizations stand for is reflected in how they operate, in decisions, structures, and everyday practice.

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