We deliver for our clients every day and every time. Our team has decades of experience delivering results for the highest profile and most disruptive companies in the nation. We are a women-owned firm that understands the unique intricacies of California, its many markets and communities, and stakeholders on major issues.
We understand how to effectively create a conversation or redirect one. We transform complex issues into salient and resonating messages and active allies to reinforce those messages. We drive what the news covers for our clients.
We approach every challenge and objective as unique by developing a detailed and thoughtful individualized strategy. We understand that developing the right sequence paired with the right voices on the right platforms is how to effectively define a conversation. We think about every nuance and detail to execute the best strategy that delivers results.
Our team members have unique skill sets that complement each other to best serve our clients. Our team has worked in every level of government and has spent years honing media and influencer relationships. We have experts in strategic communications, public affairs, community engagement, crisis communications, advocacy, public relations, and deliberate coalition building and activating.
Our clients are trailblazers, disrupters and leaders. We work with some of the highest profile companies including, start-ups, tech companies, nonprofits, developers and Fortune 200 companies. Our team develops solutions at the local, state and federal levels of government for our clients, positioning them our as leaders amongst competitors, and elevating brand awareness with specific audiences.
Public Affairs
Communication Services
Crisis Communications
Coalition Building and Activation
Community-Engagement
Advocacy
10474 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 405 | Los Angeles, CA, 90025
T: 323.834.9987
400 Capitol Mall Suite 900 | Sacramento, CA 95814
Liz is a founder of the firm and heads the firm’s coalition-building and community engagement practice. She has over 15 years of managing strategic coalitions, grassroots advocacy and issue management. She knows how to not only influence influencers but motivate influencers, community leaders, and residents to action. She has built a reputation as one of California’s leading authorities on grassroots advocacy by using her unique ability to prompt action. Liz has led coalitions for corporations who face regulation or legislative challenges as well as built effective coalitions for local and state ballot initiative campaigns. She has deep and extensive relationships with the most influential statewide and local organizations and community leaders throughout the state. She is based in Los Angeles.
Becky is a founder of the firm and heads up the strategic communications practice, which includes media relations, public affairs, and crisis and litigation communication. With over 20 years of experience, Becky provides communications counsel to several Fortune 100 companies, including some of the most disruptive and talked-about technology companies in the world. She was also named one of the Sacramento Capitol’s 100 Best & Brightest: “She’s one of the Capitol’s hardest-working professionals, and easily one of the most effective behind-the-scenes political operatives in the state.” Prior to founding Elevate, Becky was a partner at a Los Angeles public affairs firm. She previously was the managing director for the Sacramento office of Mercury Public Affairs – a national communications and public affairs firm. Before that, she served as the Deputy Communications Director for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger managing his public appearances, crafting his messaging, and driving media coverage. Prior to her tenure with the Schwarzenegger Administration, she served as the Communications and Legislative Director for California legislative leadership and headed up public affairs for the state’s restaurant association. Becky is a board member of the Los Angeles Conservation Corps and a former chair of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce.
Adriana specializes in coalition organizing and developing strategic outreach campaigns for many of the firm’s clients. She spearheads public education programs for both public and private sector clients, specializing in strategic communications, stakeholder engagement and grassroots mobilization. With a background in legislative affairs, Adriana is skilled in distilling high-level policy and technical issues to messages that resonate across a spectrum of audiences. In 2014, she was named one of the “40 Under Forty” recipients from a Southern California Chamber of Commerce. In 2016, Adriana completed a fellowship through the Southern California Leadership Network. She is a current Board member of the Valley Industry & Commerce Association Foundation, an Advisory Board member of Girls Inc. Los Angeles and a member of the Santa Clarita Water Agency’s Blue Ribbon Committee on water policy.
Debbie is Executive Vice President, specializing in strategic and crisis communications, civic engagement, and multi-channel behavior change campaigns. With nearly 25 years of experience, Debbie is skilled at bridging understanding between government and the public. Prior to joining the Elevate team, she served as Chief Communications Officer for the City of Santa Monica where she established and led their citywide communications program including the areas of public information, community engagement, public/private partnership, and video production. She also has a deep understanding of program deployment, event activation, and developing strong experiential brands. Debbie holds FEMA certification in NIMS Incident Command System and is based in Los Angeles.
Tiffany brings unmatched public affairs talent to the table with expertise in media relations, reputation campaigns, crisis communications and corporate public affairs. With more than 20 years of experience managing communications and high-profile issues for legislative advocacy campaigns, corporate affairs, Governors and legislative leadership, and trade association initiatives, Tiffany has a sharp understanding of the regulatory and political climate in California. She specializes in guiding clients through controversial public affairs issues and creating meaningful communications programs that help them to meet broader legislative, regulatory and outreach objectives. With prior experience as Deputy Communications Director for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Walmart’s Media Director for the Western United States, she brings a wealth of know-how in media strategy and media relations at the local, state and national level, and is an expert in all aspects of crisis communication, from proactive planning to real-time strategy and response. Tiffany is based in Sacramento.
Mark Capitolo is a seasoned campaign and public affairs professional with over 30 years of experience in state government, media relations, and political campaigns. Before joining Elevate, Mark was the California director of public advocacy for Kaiser Permanente, where he led health care policy communications on universal coverage, affordability, prescription drugs, mental health, and other issue areas.
Prior to his work for Kaiser Permanente, Mark spent over 20 years managing strategy, media relations, direct mail, and advertising for Northern California candidates, ballot measure coalitions, business groups, and labor unions. Over that period, Mark helped pass hundreds of millions of dollars in local public finance measures.
He also worked on numerous statewide initiative campaigns and helped elect dozens of candidates to state and local office, including Rob Bonta to the State Assembly in 2012. Mark also served as a communications director for State Senator Don Perata (ret.).
A native of Daly City, Mark earned his Bachelor of Arts in Government from CSU Sacramento. He is a former board member for the California Voter Foundation and Yolo Family Service Agency. Mark is an active volunteer and youth sports coach at St. Ignatius Parish School in Sacramento. He and his wife Jennifer live near the American River with their two sons DJ and Tommy, and dogs Mano and Kai.
Kim is the lead for Elevate’s communications and media engagement practice in the Sacramento office. Her area of expertise includes multi-platform media outreach, digital communications, strategic communications implementation, marketing and branding, rapid response communications, and legislative campaigns. Most recently, Kimberly headed the communications department at the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. Prior to the Chamber, she worked in tourism marketing, where she built branding and marketing strategies for clients including the City of Napa and the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association. Kimberly began her career in public affairs and communications at a national public affairs firm, where she worked with high profile companies and issues, including tech start-ups, and Fortune 200 companies.
Julie Stephens is Vice President at Elevate Public Affairs. A multi-faceted communications professional, Julie began her career as an assignment editor and now uses her storytelling skills to help organizations and brands develop and share messaging across a variety of platforms. Julie has worked on large public education campaigns, nonprofits, and large consumer brands to develop public-private partnerships, secure media coverage and drive social media strategy. An Ithaca College graduate, Julie recently completed an executive certificate in social impact strategy from the University of Pennsylvania and is a member of the Coro Executive Leadership Network. She also serves on the board of directors for Heidi Duckler Dance.
Janet Fernandez is a Vice President Elevate Public Affairs. As a dynamic and accomplished public affairs professional, she leads and coordinates strategic initiatives for diverse clients in both the private and public sector. Her expertise in communications, coalition building, and community relations has earned her a reputation as a trusted advisor in issues at the local, state, and federal level. Prior to joining Elevate, Janet gained experience working in political and ballot measure campaigns at Grassroots Lab. Fluent in Spanish, Janet bridges cultural divides and engages diverse communities effectively. Beyond her role at Elevate, she’s an advocate for the empowerment and advocacy of Latinas, serving as the Director of Professional Development for the Latinas Lead Young Professional Network Board. Her community involvements encompass diverse organizations, including her participation in the 2023 HOPE Leadership Institute, the 2020 CORO Women in Leadership, and the 2019 Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Leadership program. Janet is a proud banana slug, having earned a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Jillian Hegedus is an Account Supervisor at Elevate Public Affairs, based out of the Los Angeles Office. Jillian is a former middle school teacher and public affairs practitioner who is passionate about storytelling, local politics, and building bridges between communities. Prior to joining the Elevate team, she worked at JCI Worldwide, where she managed the JCI team and spearheaded a number of successful public affairs campaigns focused on grassroots coalition building, advocacy, and crisis communications. Jillian earned a bachelor’s degree in Middle Eastern Media & Communication from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in Public Diplomacy from the University of Southern California. She currently serves as Outreach Officer for the Del Rey Neighborhood Council and is on the board of the nonprofit, Look What She Did!
Scott is a Senior Account Executive based in the Southern California office. A recent college graduate, Scott held multiple public affairs internships in Los Angeles prior to joining Elevate where he worked on a variety of statewide and local issues. Projects included advocacy efforts to increase uptake on government programs, outreach to local elementary schools to promote teaching materials on air quality, and various research or press-related tasks. Additionally, Scott worked with a Washington DC digital firm during the 2020 election cycle on campaigns across the US, including federal and local elections, fundraising, voter registration, and advocacy efforts. Scott graduated from University of Southern California with a Public Policy Degree and is currently enrolled in a Masters of Public Policy Program, with a focus on sustainability policy.
Kaia is a Senior Account Executive at Elevate where she specializes in coalition building, advocacy efforts, and media relations. She is a skilled communicator with a background working on political campaigns as well as on legislative issues. Prior to joining Elevate, Kaia worked with a variety of businesses on policy concerns within Santa Cruz County. She has previously interned with the United States House of Representatives. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a degree in American History.
Marla is an Administrative Director at Elevate. She has extensive experience helping c-suite leadership achieve their objectives, keeping timelines on track, coordinating amongst teams, setting goals and boosting productivity across the entertainment, finance and non-profit sectors. Marla is an expert in client relationships and management. At the her last non-profit position, she also created innovative programs to spur growth in their capital campaign and facilitated community outreach to address food insecurity. Marla is fluent in Spanish.
Sydney is a Senior Account Executive where she specializes in media relations and strategic communications. Prior to joining Elevate, Sydney was the Campus News and Politics editor at the Daily Bruin, the student newspaper at the University of California, Los Angeles. She also held numerous public affairs internships, ranging from non-profit outreach and grant writing to social media management, and policy advocacy. Sydney recently graduated magna cum laude from the with a degree in Global Studies and minors in Geography and Public Affairs.
Maya is a Senior Account Executive with Elevate. Before working at Elevate, Maya has held internships in public affairs and has worked on projects ranging from social media management, analyzing policies and legislation, and community engagement projects. In 2019, she co-founded Thrive Together, an organization that encourages wellness for K-12 students. She also is a member of the South Coast Air Quality Management District and serves on the Young Leaders Advisory Council. She graduated from the University of California, Riverside, with a degree in Public Policy and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration Degree at the University of Southern California.
Keegan is an Account Executive based in Elevate’s Southern California office. He has professional experience ranging from strategic communication development, regulatory and legislative advocacy, grassroots coalition building, and campaign coordination. Prior to joining Elevate, Keegan worked at JCI Worldwide, where he supported several successful public affairs campaigns across multiple sectors. Keegan is a recent graduate of Pitzer College in Claremont, CA, with a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.
Sam is an Account Executive based in Elevate’s Southern California office. His professional experience includes political communications, policy research, and journalism. Prior to joining Elevate, Sam was the executive editor of the Mirror Media Group – a collection of local newspapers in Santa Monica and West Los Angeles. In addition, he formerly spent time as a legislative clerk in the Iowa State Senate. Sam is a graduate of Grinnell College with a B.A. in Political Science.
Lillian is an Account Executive at Elevate, located in the Los Angeles office. Before stepping into her current role, Lillian held internships in public affairs where she assisted on various projects and campaigns. Her professional experience includes social media management, strategic communications, media relations, advocacy, coalition building, and event planning. Lillian recently graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, earning a degree in English with a minor in Italian.
Halena is an Account Executive based in our Sacramento office. She brings her expertise from her work at a local Colorado PR agency. She also played a pivotal role on a team that secured second place in PRSA’s national public relations competition for the planning and execution of a campaign for The New Literacy Project. Halena holds a Bachelor’s degree in strategic communications with a PR focus and a minor in business from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
