VMA COMMUNICATIONS - Key Persons
After interning in script development at Hungry Man Productions in NYC, Ad Santell began his journey as a cameraman, working at the Arriflex Camera House CSC, where he learned everything he could about cameras.
Amanda Nieto, who brought her diverse writing talents to VMA beginning in March 2017, produces content and provides public affairs and community outreach services for the firm's education clients.
Prior to joining VMA, Amanda served as prose editor and print designer for a British writing anthology, where she worked closely with selected authors and performed extensive editing, formatted typesetting and designed layout. She also worked as an editorial assistant at an international online beauty magazine, where she wrote copy, formatted online content, conducted market research and maintained the site's beauty blog.
In 2015, Amanda graduated with distinction from the University of Gloucestershire in the United Kingdom with a Master of Arts in critical and creative writing. She also earned Magna Cum Laude from the University of La Verne with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director of Public Affairs
With a solid background in writing for education, Andrea Garcia joined VMA in September 2018 to provide public affairs outreach for the firm's education clients.
Andrea joined as an associate and quickly transitioned into her role as a senior associate, where she managed clients and provided expertise in areas such as writing and video production. Now, Andrea plays a vital role as Deputy Director of Public Affairs, where she not only manages clients, but leads a team of talented associates in the areas of writing, video production, social media, event coordination and collateral.
Andrea is also one of VMA's bilingual (English/Spanish) team members.Prior to joining VMA, Andrea worked as the Assistant Editor for the Mountain News in Lake Arrowhead, Calif. There she covered local education and high school sports as her primary beat, assisted graphic designers with print design and layout, and built relationships with businesses and community members. In addition, Andrea served as the newspaper's social media coordinator.
In 2015, Andrea graduated from Northern Arizona University's School of Communication with a Bachelor's in Journalism and a minor in Electronic, Media and Film. While at NAU, she worked for the university's newspaper, becoming editor of the Arts and Entertainment section and, alongside graphic designers, she redesigned the Arts and Entertainment section to attract a new audience.
Andrea Torres or "Andy", as she likes to be called, is a social media and communications specialist who enjoys collaborating with her team and creating distinctive tailor-fit stories for each of her clients.
Before joining VMA in August 2021, she worked as a social media strategist for two local businesses as well as a customer relations manager at Apple for five years.
Job Titles:
- Director, Creative Services
Andrew Landeros comes to VMA as a nearly 20 year veteran in the newspaper industry where his work has been seen and read throughout Central and Southern California and Southern Arizona. He has worked as reporter, graphic designer and editor.
Andrew recently culminated a three-year stint as city editor of the Whittier Daily News and San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Under his leadership, the Whittier Daily was given the top award from the California Newspaper Publishers Association (CNPA) and honored for general excellence. On a daily basis, he coordinated with the nine newspapers editors in the Los Angeles Newspaper Group (LANG), including the Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, Pasadena Star-News, Ontario Daily Bulletin, and San Bernardino Sun. In all, Andrew worked with the group for more than nine years.
Prior to joining LANG, Andrew worked in Tucson, Arizona where he served as prep editor and sports/news designer for the Tucson Citizen for five years. He won awards at the national level, including his sports section being named in the top 10 sports sections nationally by the Associated Press Sports Editors.
Andrew was the sports editor at the Glendale News-Press, a subsidiary of the Los Angeles Times, for three years. He catapulted up the design ranks as his sections were awarded by the CNPA for best infographics and design.
His career started professionally in Fresno as an agricultural and sports reporter at Vida en el Valle, a bilingual subsidiary of the Fresno Bee.
Andrew Shortall, a passionate storyteller and content creator in several mediums, brings more than a decade of experience in communications and journalism to VMA.
Utilizing his strong background in writing, social media and photography, Andrew spent nearly nine years as the director of communications for California Baptist University's Athletics Department, where he served as the primary media relations contact for CBU Athletics and spearheaded special projects for the department, including its transition to full NCAA Division I membership in August 2022.
Before CBU, Andrew began his career in journalism with Los Angeles Times Community Newspapers. For two-plus years, he covered a myriad of topics, from education and city council beats to breaking news and sports.
Andrew completed his Bachelor's in Communications with a Journalism emphasis from Azusa Pacific in 2010 and earned a Master's in Kinesiology: Sport Management from California Baptist in 2015.
Job Titles:
- Director, Infrastructure Development
Through her work managing Southern California communication needs for the California High-Speed Rail Authority, Chelsea is responsible for developing complex project messages tailored to meet the requirements of the community, designing information materials, implementing public meetings and working closely with community members to mobilize for action. She also develops and implements media outreach plans to position clients and their projects on a larger scale.
Prior to joining VMA, Chelsea was an account manager for Consensus Inc., a community outreach firm based in Southern California. She managed high-profile transportation projects in the region, including the California High-Speed Rail Authority's LA-Anaheim section, Los Angeles International Airport, Metro'sGreen Line to LAX, the City of Anaheim's Fixed-Guideway Project and the City of Irvine's iShuttle.
Chelsea also managed stakeholder outreach for many private land use clients as an associate at Marathon Communications, a public affairs and strategic communication firm in Los Angeles. She developed a comprehensive outreach program for The Beverly Hilton Revitalization Plan and was responsible for managing the production of the project's direct mail and website as well as directing Oasis West Realty's philanthropy program. She also helped win entitlements for the new William Morris headquarters through a strategic community support-building effort in the Beverly Hills.
In 2005, Chelsea was selected as a Coro Southern California Fellow in Public Affairs from a competitive, national pool of applicants. She currently is active with Coro Southern California and the Junior League of Los Angeles. Chelsea graduated with honors from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Science in Education and Social Policy.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director of Infrastructure
Claudia Cruz joined VMA in 2014, bringing nearly 20 years of experience in community engagement as well as extensive knowledge of the California State Legislature and the functions of local government.
Claudia is part of VMA's Infrastructure Development Team and implements comprehensive strategic public outreach activities including identifying and coordinating outreach opportunities, scheduling and facilitating briefings with elected officials and key stakeholders for multiple sections of the California High-Speed Rail Project - Los Angeles to San Diego, Bakersfield to Palmdale and the Bakersfield F Street Station Alignment. She also assists with coordination of public information materials pertaining to the overall statewide project.
In addition, Claudia is one of VMA's bilingual (English/Spanish) team members and provides translation services. She is readily available to assist Spanish speaking community members during public meetings, not only for the statewide High-Speed Rail project, but for the firm's local government clients as well. Claudia also recently worked on the City of Whittier's Voting Districts Formation project and provided public outreach support to the City of El Monte.
Prior to joining VMA, Claudia worked for the California State Legislature, where she helped administer district office operations for Assembly and Senate Member offices including developing strategies and recommendations for prioritizing projects, community issues and programs benefiting districts in the San Gabriel Valley.
In May 2021, Danielle Paulus joined VMA, where she provides reliable support and assistance for a variety of the firm's clients and staff.
Danielle possesses a passion for helping others and working hard to achieve her goals. A 2020 graduate from Glendora High School, Danielle is currently attending Citrus College, where she's majoring in Communications. By simultaneously working at VMA, she is broadening her skillset beyond the classroom, learning first-hand about public relations and community outreach.
Deborah Kekone joined the VMA team in February 2020 as a graphic designer, working with education and infrastructure clients to create communications materials for print, web and digital marketing.
Deborah started her career working at regional newspapers and later at national and boutique advertising agencies and marketing firms. Prior to joining VMA, Deborah spent 12 years as a freelance designer working with non-profit organizations, small and large businesses, community-based organizations, and public and private schools.
Deborah is a collaborative and highly diverse and accomplished graphic designer whose specialties include art direction, print and packaging design, web/digital design, brand development and management, creative strategy for advertising and marketing campaigns, and writing. As a designer, she offers a unique skill set with her strong time-management and problem-solving skills and refined design aesthetic.
Deborah lives in Claremont, California with her husband, two sons, cat and dogs. She currently serves as a board member for the Claremont Educational Foundation (CEF) and, in the past, has served as a committee member for several election campaigns as well as a volunteer for arts, education, and community-based non-profit organizations. In her free time, Deborah enjoys taking care of her vegetable garden, cooking, reading, and interior design.
Since joining VMA in 2018, Ernesto has been a part of the firm's Infrastructure Development Team as well as its Education Team, assisting in areas such as community outreach strategies, database coordination and management, and writing.
Additional tasks include that of conducting media outreach, coordinating public events, and building periodic reports for the firm's clients.He is also one of VMA's bilingual (English/Spanish) team members, providing translation services, and assisting any Spanish speaking community members at public meetings and events.
A few of the projects he has worked on include - the California High Speed Rail Project, the Metro NextGen Bus Study, Kern Council of Governments Rural Transportation Study, the Moreno Valley General Plan Update, the Metrolink SCORE Project, and the City of Covina Grand Ave. Rehabilitation Project.
Gary has a knack for revitalizing a media pitch, which others in the profession have long given up on, by developing a persuasive 30-second elevator speech that leaves reporters, editors and producers offering interviews. Among his keys to media relations success are finding the appropriate contacts, combined with persistence and having a friendly, knowledgeable manner.
Gary also excels at writing compelling news releases and speeches, spot-on strategizing and planning well-attended media events.
His utilization of communications skills crafted at newspapers (he was an editor in the special sections department of the Los Angeles Daily News), a public transit agency (where his LA Metro supervisor nicknamed him the King of Media), a nonprofit and as an independent contractor have benefitted a wide range of organizations and public relations clients.
Most notably, in his media relations capacity at the national headquarters of The ALS Association, Gary supported the efforts of dozens of chapters across the nation, with his most successful enterprise being the "ALS Across America" campaign. His efforts contributed to growing the nonprofit from a grassroots organization to the national leader in the fight against Lou Gehrig's Disease.
When not garnering media coverage, Gary enjoys writing short stories that have been published in numerous anthologies.
Hannah graduated summa cum laude from Cal State University Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a minor in Law and Society. Her extensive coursework in public institutions and policy, coupled with training in Title VI and environmental justice compliance, provide a foundation for working with diverse populations throughout Southern California.
Job Titles:
- Graphic Designer
- Senior Designer
Jamie Channell is a multidisciplinary graphic designer with a passion for clean, efficient and effective design that tells a story and delivers results.
With more than 15 years of experience designing print and digital marketing campaigns for corporate clients (Ancestry.com, Door Dash, Ricardo North America) and non-profits (Foundation for New American Musicals, Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles, Think Dignity), she specializes in complex design challenges and enjoys partnering with clients to find creative solutions that deliver results.
With a passion for all things creative dating back to a young age, Jamie's background includes extensive work producing and designing for the theatre. She has created key art and marketing collateral for performing arts companies throughout southern California, including the recent world premiere of 44: The Obama Musical, and Lythgoe Family Panto's The Wonderful Winter of Oz starring Kermit the Frog, for which her work appeared on "The Late Late Show" with James Corden. (But more importantly, she got to meet Kermit!)
Since February 2017, Jamie has managed VMA projects ranging from school district newsletters, brochures, fliers and postcards to bilingual signage and staging for a client's grand opening in China, as well as a complete corporate rebrand, including logos, packaging, collateral, web design and trade show booths.
Jamie lives in Portland, Oregon with her partner and dog, and enjoys being outside in her garden, singing and playing the piano, pub trivia, and is learning to code.
Job Titles:
- Staff Writer
- Corporate Vice President / Director, Innovative Projects
Jeff Green's career is split into three chapters: sportswriting and editing, special events and corporate communications.
After researching and scripting investigative TV features for NBC San Diego while in college, Jeff became a staff writer and then executive editor at a sports publishing firm, covering the LA Dodgers, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres and NBA. Highlights included serving as the first editor of Dodger Blue Magazine, reporting on Fernando Valenzuela's unmatched rookie year, being mistreated by Reggie Jackson and, unfortunately, recounting two baseball strikes.
The next phase of Jeff's career was becoming the Communications Director for the annual Long Beach Grand Prix and Toyota Pro-Celebrity race, where he handled public/media relations duties, including speech writing, public speaking and press conferences, press kits and media guides, crisis management, credentials, sponsor relations and local and state government relations. This led to five-year stint and similar responsibilities at the LA Marathon (PR Director) and Denver Int'l Marathon (VP Communications).
The final chapter has been directing corporate communications for PR firms with an eclectic mix of clients, including Fender Guitar, Hurley, TrueCar, YokohamaTire, the Pebble Beach Concours, Mercury Insurance, CO-OP Financial Services, Doosan Fuel Cell, the Aptera electric car and Heal the Bay. After serving as partner and principal for NSTIG8 Communications, Jeff moved to VMA in May 2016, where he heads the Innovative Projects team that features a rather distinctive client roster ranging from autonomous/ self-driving vehicles to the Internet of Things.
Karen McMillen leads the VMA education team on assignments throughout the region and is responsible for guiding the development and implementation of strategic communications plans for diverse communities, providing critical outreach that connects residents and the public agencies that serve them.
Karen joined VMA in July 2021 following more than two decades of managing organizations and projects across a range of sectors. Most recently, she served as vice president of operations for a national nonprofit that helps put shoes on the feet of children in need throughout the United States. Through this work, Karen experienced the deep commitment of teachers, administrators and school personnel as they seek to ensure that the children they serve have the necessary resources to learn and thrive.
Prior to that, Karen's work centered on creating powerful, story-based communication pieces to convey the heart, soul and mission of organizations and projects. She is an award-winning producer, director and writer of multi-component media projects for organizations including The Smithsonian Institution, The National Archives, The Getty Museum and Claremont Graduate University.
Karen also served as general manager and director of marketing for one of the Los Angeles area's first microbreweries. She led two rounds of rebranding for the organization and launched the brewery's annual anniversary beer festival, which grew over its eight-year run to become one of the biggest craft beer parties in the area, featuring more than 40 local breweries, drawing 2,000 attendees and raising more than $200,000 for charity.
Karina Lazo, who joined the VMA in early 2021, assists with community outreach for the California High-Speed Rail Project, administrative duties for South Coast AQMD - Eastern Coachella Valley, and highlighting and promoting city initiatives, goals and plans for the City of Whittier.
Karina graduated from San Francisco State University with a bachelor's degree in Communication Studies, with an emphasis in Latina/o Studies. During her academic career, she developed an affinity for public speaking, application of dialogue facilitation skills, and effective collaborative decision-making. She also honed the ability to analyze and critique communication practices and policies between organizations.
During her free time, Karina enjoys watching and listening to True Crime television series and podcasts.
Katie Emerson, a public relations professional with experience in research, marketing and media relations, joined VMA Communications in June 2022 as a member of the education team to focus on outreach, media relations and content creation for school district clients.
Katie graduated from Pepperdine University with a degree in Public Relations that enhanced her writing and interpersonal skills. Her time studying abroad in Florence, Italy and traveling throughout Europe and the UAE helped broaden her worldview and provided unique experience in multicultural settings. After returning from Italy, she worked at Pepperdine's International Programs office, where she assisted students during the admissions process.
In her free time, Katie enjoys playing the piano and playing tennis with her friends.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate / Social Media Coordinator
Kelley Nguyen is the ultimate utility player at VMA.
Since joining the firm in June 2018, she has grown from an intern to be a key leader in creating and advising staff on social media strategies. From education to infrastructure, Kelley plays an instrumental role in ensuring each client's goals and campaigns are achieved through the creation of ads on a variety of social media platforms.
Kelley is also integrally involved with the California School News Report, managing the website, building weekly eblasts, and designing social media and podcast graphics. Additional duties include event coordination for our clients and handling VMA's social media pages.
Kelley has also worked with students at the Pomona Public Library to raise money and public awareness as well as volunteering with the animal rescue organization Paw Prints in the Sand.
Kelley received a Bachelor's in Public Relations from the College of Communications at Cal State University Fullerton, with a minor in Asian American Studies.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate / Lead Writer
Kevin, who joined the firm in 2015 and serves as a writing mentor within the VMA writing team, engages communities by utilizing strong prose to present newsworthy stories about extraordinary students and teachers. Kevin's expertise is his ability to breakdown complex programs and policies into stories that are accessible to many different audiences.
Given his talents as a writer and a performer, Kevin is host of VMA's live-streaming podcast California School News Radio, where he provides a voice to the many people covered on a daily basis by the VMA team. He interviews students, teachers, administrators and parents from VMA's school district clients, showcasing, in their own words, their achievements and successes at their schools.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director of Public Affairs
Lauren, who graduated summa cum laude from the University of La Verne with two Bachelor of Arts degrees, possesses deep expertise in translating complex educational issues for a general audience. Her work bolsters district transparency and drives inclusiveness across communities.
A true communications powerhouse, Lauren is equally adept at constructing social media campaigns, orchestrating short and in-depth video productions and distilling the essence of rigorous instructional programs and innovative enrichment efforts into phrases that excite and inform district stakeholders.
Prior to joining VMA, Lauren served as the interactive media and marketing manager for a national law firm, directing content creation, social media management, reputation management and advertising as well as print and digital marketing.
With a painstaking attention to detail regardless of task, deadline or project scope, she serves as an executive assistant to VMA CEO Valerie Martinez, heads the company's organizational management team and manages human resource needs. As part of these tasks, Loraine is one of the public faces of VMA, ensuring clients and staff alike receive unmatched service.
She possesses a wealth of knowledge about business operations and is adept with office technology, facilities management, payroll and customer service and her skillset ranges from strengths in collaboration to time management. Additionally, she is a master event coordinator, striking the right tone for community, business, educational and government events by overseeing every aspect of the process, including venue selection, contract review, materials coordination, VIP services and staffing.
Before joining VMA Communications, Loraine practiced her craft for more than two decades in the LA area for a variety of business offices in industries ranging from financial services to arts organizations.
Mackenzie Smith is a community relations professional with public outreach experience focused on people with diverse backgrounds and ethnicities.
She joined VMA in June 2022, and assists with community outreach and engagement projects, and event planning and coordination. She continues to work with the Metrolink SCORE project, LA County Waterworks Districts, and the City of Chino General Plan Update.
Mackenzie graduated with a degree in Business Management and a minor in Spanish from Oregon State University, where she enhanced her skills in leadership, interpersonal relationships and effective communications. Before joining VMA, she volunteered as a community outreach leader for Abroad Programs International on the Oregon State campus and later spent six months in Madrid, Spain teaching English to children and adults.
In her free time, Mackenzie loves to cook and bake new recipes and spend time at the beach with her friends and family.
Maria Hernandez joined VMA in September 2021 to enrich her passion for writing and capturing the true essence of a story.
After achieving her Bachelor's in Communications at Cal State LA, Maria climbed the Starbucks ladder to become shift supervisor. This is where her love and compassion for helping people in need was ignited, which led to recruiting coworkers for volunteer work in their spare time as well as hosting donation drives on her own. Maria was also the social media coordinator for her store and later became an official social media coordinator/web designer for an El Monte online adult school called Golden Bridge College.
Maria is a woman of many skills, including work on video production sets, scripting and creating her own videos and, most importantly, her writing.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Executive
- Staff Writer at the Orange County Register
Raymond Mendoza, who joined VMA in April 2017, specializes in media relations, public affairs and community outreach services for the firm's education clients.
His professionalism and "can-do" spirit make him a perfect fit for managing disparate clients, ranging from the Buena Park School District and Río Hondo College, to Ricardo, a strategic engineering and environmental consultancy for the automotive industry.
Raymond holds a Bachelor's in Communications with an emphasis in Journalism from California State University, Fullerton. While completing his degree, he served as a senior staff writer for the CSUF Daily Titan newspaper, and interned at Dick Clark Productions.
After graduation, Raymond became a staff writer at the Orange County Register, where he covered breaking news, education and human-interest stories. He then transitioned into marketing for Axiomtek, a Taiwan-based computer hardware manufacturer, where he wrote press releases, served as a copy editor and assisted with tradeshow booth set-up.
Raymond enjoys watching old episodes of "The Simpsons" with his wife and is an avid reader of science fiction, fantasy and horror novels.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Board Member of the YWCA SGV
Rosie Richardson is a community relations professional with experience in advocating for underserved communities.
At VMA, she specializes in creating public outreach strategies and implementing programs for multiple clients that educate diverse communities and stakeholders. Her client work ranges from the Metrolink SCORE Project (outreach activities for the Simi Valley, Burbank, Chatsworth, Marengo Siding Extension, El Monte Siding Extension, Rancho Cucamonga Siding Extension and Serra Siding Extension) to the City of Chino General Plan (development and implementation of public participation plans).
Prior to joining VMA, Rosie assisted on projects that advocated for underserved communities, including the City of Covina: Banna Park Project, where she participated in preliminary design plans, community forums and grant support letters. Now completed, the park provides green space, carbon sequestration and active recreation amenities for disadvantaged residents and youth. Rosie has also advocated for children in her community by serving on the Library Board of Trustees, where she assisted in the creation of "Rec and Read Covina!" that allows the Library Department to offer programs and services at school sites to residents who have transportation and other challenges.
In her spare time, Rosie is a board member of the YWCA SGV and is a member of the Optimist Club. She also enjoys volunteering with her daughter who is a Girl Scout.
Every well-run office has one person who is involved in everything. Tina Dossey is that five-tool player at VMA.
Tina helps manage the disparate needs for the entire VMA client roster, including transportation, infrastructure, tech and whatever else may come her way.
Additionally, Tina has also been integrally involved with strategic community outreach for transportation projects throughout Southern California, has facilitated public meetings for clients in Los Angeles County and has helped coordinate events.
With a career background in small business management, Tina is responsible for the administrative business operations at VMA, including business's contracts, accounts receivable/payable and key office fundamentals. And as the firm's Director of Operations, she oversees the often-intricate details required for clients' publication production and event coordination.
Valerie Martinez, through her firm VMA Communications, provides strategic public affairs and community outreach expertise, packaging media management, government affairs, and technical infrastructure outreach for a variety of public agencies and private corporations.
Most recently, Valerie has been involved in changing the face of transportation in America. She has worked since 2003 with the California High-Speed Rail Authority, providing strategic political guidance and implementation of a solid CEQA/NEPA-focused outreach program to support the design and engineering of the California's largest public infrastructure project in the last 50 years - an 800-mile system, connecting urban centers throughout the State, revolutionizing mobility in California.
Founder Valerie Martinez personally oversees all strategy and draws on the expertise of a seasoned, savvy team to produce inspired solutions that educate the public, persuade legislators and unite groups. All of this experience blends to elevate our clients' visibility and build indispensable support for targeted messages and projects.