BAY AREA - Key Persons
Andy Lynch has worked for over a decade in California politics, both on campaigns and in government. He most recently served as Press Director for San Francisco Mayor London Breed before joining Lighthouse, working to shape and implement the Mayor's communications strategy through the media; overseeing her social media and online presence; and drafting speeches and other written communications.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Andy helped oversee the City and County of San Francisco's public messaging from the time the Mayor announced the first-in-the-nation Stay Home order, through the launch of the City's vaccination campaigns and reopening efforts. He was responsible for coordinating the messaging and press responses for numerous City departments that report to the Mayor's Office to ensure the consistency, accuracy, and effectiveness of the City's public communications.
Before entering government, Andy worked on multiple local and state political campaigns. This includes Mayor Breed's 2018 election, where he was responsible for her online and social media communications. Prior to that campaign, he served as Deputy Director for the Community Alliance for Jobs & Housing, a coalition of business and labor organizations that advocated for economic growth and housing development in San Francisco.
Andy was born and raised in the Bay Area and graduated from Georgetown University.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Managing Member
- Trustee of the Bothin Board of Directors
Boe Hayward is a native San Franciscan, trusted political strategist, and neighborhood outreach professional. Boe served as Supervisor Bevan Dufty's Chief of Staff at San Francisco's City Hall from 2005 through 2011. During this time, Boe led the Supervisor's legislative efforts, directed and negotiated land use policy, and provided the Dufty with political, communications and budgetary counsel.
Prior to joining Supervisor Dufty's City Hall staff in 2005, Boe managed local campaigns in San Francisco while also providing strategic guidance to campaigns, including municipal bonds in San Francisco, a governor's race in Alabama and a congressional campaign in Washington State.
Since becoming a consultant in 2011, Boe has provided strategic and political guidance to a variety of clients including AT&T, Audi USA, Facebook, California Pacific Medical Center, Cotogna, Grocery Outlet, The Hamlin School, Hines, Hudson Pacific Properties, Oceanwide, One Medical Group, Presidio Bay, Prologis, Red and White Fleet, Republic Services, Salesforce The San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco University High School, Strada Investment Group, Stripe, Uber Technologies, Wells Fargo and Zendesk.
Boe is known as the leading land use consultant in San Francisco and negotiated the first Community Benefit Agreement in the Mid-Market tax exemption zone for Zendesk (2012), secured the only two amendments to the Mission Bay Plan for Strada and Integral (2013) so that their projects could be entitled and built, ensured Allied Waste (Republic Services) kept their contract in Daly City notwithstanding the City's recommendation that a competitor take over the contract (2014), helped the Hamlin School expand their building and enrollment and managed One Medical's expansion efforts in San Francisco (2015).
Boe is a Trustee of the Bothin Board of Directors and former member of the Board of Trustees at San Francisco University High School, Equality California (EQCA), Stern Grove Festival and Friends of the Urban Forest. He resides in San Francisco's Richmond District with his wife, Sophie Middlebrook Hayward, and their three young children. Boe received a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Psychology and a Bachelor of Sciences in Advertising from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2000.
Cassie Kendall is a public relations professional with experience in brand strategy, digital/social media, event/campaign marketing, and public relations. Prior to joining Lighthouse, Cassie spent two years at Patrick Harbison Public Relations as the firm's Communication Assistant. In this capacity, Cassie staffed earned media segments, implemented brand and campaign management strategies and oversaw client social media content implementation.
A part-time writer for Fair Oaks Living Magazine and Sacramento native, Cassie enjoys spending her time downtown exploring the city's farm to fork restaurant options and taking in live music festivals whenever possible. Cassie graduated from California State University, Sacramento with a B.A. in Communication, Public Relations and minor in marketing.
Chappie Jones has more than 35 years of public and private sector experience in public policy, strategy, leadership, project and channel management, and technical sales. Chappie's extensive background gives him a keen understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by the public and private sector. His experience provides him with the knowledge and know-how to solve all manner of local and regional problems across a multitude of sectors.
Chappie was elected to the San José City Council in November 2014 - with close to 60% of the popular vote - where he represented City Council District 1, the region of West San José that borders the cities of Campbell, Cupertino, Santa Clara, and Saratoga. In 2019, he assumed the role of Vice Mayor. During his tenure on the council, Chappie advanced policies to improve the quality of life for San Jose's residents. In particular, he led efforts to increase the regional minimum wage in Santa Clara County, as well as policies that helped narrow San Jose's digital divide. He has been a tireless advocate for advancing the economic interests of small and minority-owned business, at risk youth, and the underserved areas of San José.
Denise brings more than 17 years experience in the public policy and state affairs environment. In her role with Elevance Health, she supported numerous executives and their teams to keep processes running smoothly and compliant.
As a Legislative Assistant within Lighthouse Public Affairs, Denise Corona Avalos brings her expertise in a broad variety of administrative tasks. She works directly with the Legislative Manager and firm lobbyists, providing scheduling assistance as well as technical and legislative support to our projects. Denise also monitors legislative and administrative hearings in the Capitol and follows issues and legislation important to our clients.
An alumnus of Sacramento City College and Skyline College, Denise is a Sacramento native who spends her spare time as an entrepreneur and affiliate marketer and is an avid "glamper." During the summer months you'll find her, her four dogs, and her husband on the Mendocino coast surrounded by redwoods.
Job Titles:
- Director of Operations
- Managing Partner
Edie Alderette-Sellers is a management and journalism professional with deep experience keeping business on track and moving forward.
Edie spent more than 15 years covering neighborhood politics, planning, land use, and education in the Bay Area for newspapers including the San Francisco Independent and the San Francisco Examiner. From 2005 to 2008, she anchored as a talk-show host for KGO radio in San Francisco.
In addition to her role at Lighthouse, Edie also serves as managing partner of her extended family's property company as well as her own property investment business she shares with her brother.
Edie is an alumnus of San Francisco State University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in communication and helped found San Francisco State's Alpha Phi sorority chapter. She is also a professional drone pilot, podcaster, and avid video-game enthusiast. She lives in Point Richmond.
Erin Evans-Fudem is an experienced advocate in a wide range of policy areas, including local government, health and human services, education, housing, water, and environmental issues. For 17 years, she has worked in government affairs representing cities, school districts, county offices of education, nonprofit entities, businesses, and professional associations. She has held positions as a lobbyist with the League of California Cities, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, and the California Transit Association. Erin has led successful budget and legislative efforts for funding or changes in law for a range of services provided by her clients.
Erin has experience building coalitions and developing strategies to navigate complex political environments. Most recently for the League of California Cities, Erin covered legislative and regulatory matters on behalf of nearly all of California's 482 cities. In this capacity, she secured state funds for local fire response after the unprecedented wildfire season of late 2017 and led the effort to protect cities from increased liability.
Erin holds a Juris Doctorate from McGeorge School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from California State University, Sacramento. She is Chair of the advisory board to the McGeorge Capital Center on Law & Policy.
As a seasoned professional in the State's capital, Holly has more than two decades of experience delivering results to clients and stakeholders across multifaceted issue areas, often integrating media and public relations strategies with legislative advocacy to provide successful outcomes for her clients.
After 18 years of lobbying at one of the largest consulting firms in Sacramento, Platinum Advisors, she joined Lighthouse Public Affairs in 2018. LHPA's boutique culture allows her to provide individual attention to her clients, spend time in the Capitol educating and influencing key decision-makers, and produce winning results for the firm's clientele.
Holly is recognized in the Capitol community for her creative legislative campaign strategies that have overcome relentless local grassroots opposition to local planning and housing policy reforms. Holly was the lead lobbyist and strategist for the Committee to House the Bay Area (CASA) in 2019, which led the coalition to pass a package of over a dozen policy proposals aimed at protecting tenants, preserving affordable housing, and producing more housing stock throughout the Bay Area. The CASA Compact was intended to be Bay Area specific regional policy reforms to enhance the funding generated from the creation of the Bay Area Housing Finance Agency (BAHFA), however, its innovative approach evolved the entire bill package into a set of major statewide housing policy reforms.
Holly is regularly featured as a speaker at annual conferences for trade associations and advocacy organizations including Habitat for Humanity, the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, San Francisco Urban and Planning Research Center (SPUR), and California YIMBY (Yes in My Backyard). In addition, she conducts advocacy training workshops for grassroots advocates and boards of directors of non-profit organizations and advises on how to structure non-profits and associations for maximum advocacy impact.
Holly demonstrates that knowledge is power. She is a fierce advocate for her clients and holds a deep working knowledge of current laws and regulations impacting her clients' constituency or business, as well as their legislative priorities and proposals for change. She takes immense pride in her work supporting clients in achieving social justice and equity and overcoming today's most complicated policy challenges including addressing our global housing affordability crisis and creating diverse, thriving, healthy and vibrant communities throughout the state for future generations.
Before launching her career in Sacramento as a lobbyist Holly served as a Special Advisor to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs in the Office of Governor Gray Davis. She also has expertise in local government finance and procurement from her tenure with the Orange County Board of Supervisors during the bankruptcy era in the mid-1990s. Her personal interest in constitutional law and fighting for social change also stems from her experience as an intern in the Public Information Office of the United States Supreme Court.
Holly also has a special personal interest in the history of Cuban-US relations. Her passion for Latin American culture comes from her experience leading over 40 delegations and cultural exchanges to Cuba as a member of the Board of Directors for California Building Bridges for more than a decade. These delegations included many members of the California State Legislature and U.S. Congress. She also consulted with the California Wine Institute, Napa Valley Vintners, and Sonoma Vintners on the first California Wine Symposium in Havana in 2016 on how to navigate the complexities of directly selling and providing agricultural products and food to Cuba.
Holly holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Chapman University with a minor in legal studies, and a master's in public administration from the University of Southern California. She lives in Sacramento with her husband Chris De Jesus and daughter Angelina.
Julia Forrest is a public relations and policy professional with experience in political journalism, communications strategy, digital/social media, and public relations. Prior to joining Lighthouse, Julia worked for news outlets in Michigan, Washington D.C., and California covering local, state, and national politics.
Julia also served as a communications consultant for Leopold Strategies, where she worked on numerous local, state, and national campaigns. She has ghostwritten op-ed's and opinion pieces for a variety of local, state and national elected officials and organization leaders. Her experiences in civics and journalism equip her to understand and disseminate complex policy, legislative, and regulatory issues.
Julia earned her B.A. from the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
Job Titles:
- Legislative Assistant
- Legislative Manager
As a Legislative Manager, Karen Stout brings expertise in navigating complex policy areas and a deep dedication to brainstorming and creating solutions and win-win outcomes for Lighthouse clients. She engages closely with key stakeholders to encourage positive legislative changes across California.
Prior to her time at Lighthouse, Karen worked as a Legislative Assistant with Political Solutions, a political consulting firm headquartered in Sacramento. During her time with the firm, she worked with a diverse portfolio of public agencies, nonprofits, and corporate clients. She has also engaged in advocacy at the federal level as an Outreach and Advocacy Intern with RepresentWomen, an organization aiding women across the country in running for office and campaigning for ranked-choice voting.
Karen has also conducted in-depth research on a variety of different policy areas. She has published research on the effects of firearm legislation on intimate partner violence in California, the role of religion and peace-building in modern Africa, and the impact of the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on citizens' right to privacy.
Karen earned her B.A. in Legal Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she graduated magna cum laude.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner, Los Angeles
Kelli Bernard has more than 20 years of experience in economic development, land use planning, housing, redevelopment, infrastructure investment and public affairs. Her extensive background has positioned her as a leader in city-shaping initiatives across the public and private sectors.
Kelli served as Executive Vice President at AECOM, the largest global infrastructure firm where she led its Cities Initiative. She was responsible for creating strategies and solutions to address cities' most challenging problems across various market sectors including transportation, planning, water, and energy. She joined AECOM in 2016 as Chief Executive of the Los Angeles Metro+ region, responsible for managing client relationships, driving the strategic vision and market growth for the region's robust portfolio throughout Southern California, Hawaii, and Guam.
Prior to joining AECOM, Kelli served as the deputy mayor of economic development for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. In this role as the city's top economic advisor, Kelli championed business growth, economic development, and job creation in Los Angeles. Her portfolio comprised of eight city departments including the Los Angeles World Airports and the Port of Los Angeles, with combined budgets of more than $6 billion and more than 7,000 employees.
Kelli was also responsible for the development and implementation of the city's International Trade policy and was instrumental in overseeing Garcetti's Asia Trade Mission, where she led a delegation of business leaders to China, South Korea, and Japan. She gave the keynote address at the 2015 Kaohsiung International Harbor Cities Conference which explored strategies for transforming industrial port cities through urban innovation, infrastructure investment, and land use redevelopment.
Kelli is the former chair of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), and the co-chair of LAHSA's Ad-Hoc Committee on Black People Experiencing Homelessness. LAHSA is a joint powers authority between the City of LA and LA County created in 1993 to address the challenges of homelessness in the region.
Kelli serves as a Governor Brown appointee on the Designated Local Authority for the former Redevelopment Agency Commission. She is also a Board Trustee for The Archer School for Girls, and a board member of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world, and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. In addition, she is a Board Director of OSI Systems, Inc (OSIS-NASDAQ), a vertically integrated designer and manufacturer of specialized electronic systems and components for critical applications in homeland security, healthcare, defense, and aerospace.
Kelli holds a master's degree in Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a BA in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley.
With more than 20 years of professional experience leading finance teams, Leila has led companies through growth and acquisitions, as well as public filings, in both the US and in Canada.
Before joining Lighthouse, Leila was the CFO at Sparc, a leading cannabis company that owns and operates multiple dispensaries, manufacturing, and cultivation based in Northern California. Prior, she spent over ten years at Westwood One/Dial Global - a large broadcast media company - as the SVP of Finance. There she worked closely with management through both the acquisition and consolidation of several acquired entities. Her experience in finance leadership has also included startups in multiple industries, including: private equity, VR gaming, special effects, and biotechnology.
Leila grew-up in Los Angeles, but moved to San Francisco in 2005 to be a co-founder of a software start-up. She has an MBA from Loyola Marymount University.
With more than 20 years of professional experience in government, Marian Lee's skills are focused on driving initiatives with integrity.
Having held key government positions at the City of South San Francisco, Caltrain, SamTrans, San Mateo County Transportation Authority, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, and BART, Marian has a thorough understanding of how government works. With her insight, strong professional relationships in both the public and private sectors, and ability to build stakeholder support, she is able to fill critical public-affairs functions and help achieve successful outcomes.
Prior to joining Lighthouse, Marian worked for the City of South San Francisco as the Assistant City Manager. She led numerous large, complex projects with public and private partners from development agreement through design to construction. Previously, she served as the Caltrain Modernization Executive Officer, directing the $2 billion Caltrain electrification project. She secured the funding plan and local, regional, state, and federal support to advance the project to construction.
She has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters in Urban Planning from New York University.
With 15 years of experience in state and federal government, Martin Radosevich has a deep knowledge of policy and expertise navigating all levels of government. Martin also has a strong understanding of politics from the ground up having helped run numerous local, state, and federal campaigns across California.
Before joining Lighthouse Public Affairs, Martin served as Legislative Advocate for Attorney General Xavier Becerra where he represented the Attorney General in the State Capitol and was his principal policy advisor on criminal justice, police reform, elections, civil rights, and cannabis issues.
Martin began his career as a California Senate Fellow for Senator Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles) and went on to serve as Senator Cedillo's Legislative Aide. While in the Legislature, Martin worked as a Consultant for the Assembly Health and Senate Insurance Committees, and as Legislative Director for Senator Michael Rubio (D-Central Valley). While working for Senator Rubio, Martin staffed key policy issues affecting the Central Valley including water reliability, agriculture, health care, public safety, and transportation.
In 2013, Martin moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as Executive Director of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation, which is Chaired by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (CA-19) and also served as Rep. Lofgren's Deputy Chief of Staff. Martin was her political advisor on congressional campaigns and liaison for the Delegation on state and federal policy affecting California. During his 5-year tenure as Executive Director, the Delegation increased from 38 to 45 members, which is the largest Delegation in Congress.
Job Titles:
- Chief Strategy Officer
- Chief Strategy Officer for Lighthouse Public Affairs
Mr. Gunning serves as the Chief Strategy Officer for Lighthouse Public Affairs. He is a veteran of finance, housing policy, insurance, and community development investment in California. With over two decades of experience working with the Legislature, he has been appointed by two governors to serve on the California Housing Financing Agency and most recently was appointed by Governor Newsom to the California State Teachers' Retirement System Board (CALSTRS).
He was most recently the Senior Vice President of Legislative Affairs for the California Building Industry Association (CBIA). In his role as the chief advocate for CBIA, Mr. Gunning represented the membership before the California State Legislature, the Governor's Office, and other state agencies to advocate for intelligent, constructive policies that bolster the homebuilding industry and increase homeownership opportunities.
Previously, Mr. Gunning was the Vice President for the Personal Insurance Federation of California (PIFC). He represented PIFC member companies before the California State Legislature, the Governor's Office, and the Department of Insurance. As the lead lobbyist for PIFC, Mr. Gunning advocated for personal lines insurance issues including auto, homeowners, and insurers' community investment issues, among others.
At the California Department of Insurance, Mr. Gunning was the Director of the California Organized Investment Network. In that capacity, he sought to match insurance investment capital with safe and sound investments for economic development and affordable housing in urban and rural areas throughout the state.
Mr. Gunning continues his interest in community development through his affiliation with the Alliance for Community Development in Oakland, CA where he is Chairman of the Board of Directors. As mentioned above, in 2010 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Mr. Gunning to the California Housing Financing Agency and he was reappointed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2016. Until 2021 he served on the Board of Trustees for America First Quantitative Funds, a mutual fund in Roseville, CA. In April of 2022, Gunning was appointed to the California State Teachers' Retirement System Board.
Mr. Gunning holds a BA in Political Science and History from Claremont McKenna College and an MA in Public Policy from Claremont Graduate School. He lives in Elk Grove, CA with his wife, Kelly, and their daughters, Elon and Emma.
Prior to joining Lighthouse Public Affairs, Noah spent more than ten years leading public engagement efforts at SPUR, the Bay Area's prominent civic planning organization. In that role, he created opportunities for hundreds of thousands of Bay Area residents to connect with the leaders and ideas that shape the places they love. Working alongside myriad stakeholders, from community activists to state senators, Noah leveraged multi-issue regulatory knowledge, communication, and partnership-building expertise to drive forward the organization's policy work while broadening public awareness of SPUR within, and beyond, California. By synthesizing complex legislation, regulation, and public policy issues into formats that supported and advanced SPUR's key priorities, Noah was able to open dialogues and cultivate relationships between Bay Area residents and California changemakers, and empower the public by providing them with a seat at the table.
Earlier in his career, Noah spent six years working in community planning and graphic communication, devising impactful urban design solutions for clients around the world. Some of his key projects include mixed-use urban infill neighborhoods in California, new town concepts in China and a sustainable school for women and children in rural Tanzania.
Noah is a Bay Area native, though he had a brief dalliance with Orange County before realizing that his heart truly belonged to Northern California. He holds a B.S. in City & Regional Planning from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and currently lives in Berkeley's Elmwood neighborhood with his wife and young daughter.
Prior to joining Lighthouse, Patrick owned Patrick Harbison Public Relations, a full-service public relations firm which enjoyed a diverse range of client work, including: communications strategy and implementation for local and state corporate clients, statewide legislative campaigns, marquee city-wide events, and politically-minded organizations, as well as the occasional daytime television actor. With more than 20 years of experience as a publicist and media consultant, Patrick leverages his extensive statewide contacts within broadcast and print media to yield exposure for clients.
Patrick is a three-time Hermes award winner, has been voted "Best of Sacramento" in various categories by both the Sacramento News and Review and the KCRA A-List, and has been selected as one of the Sacramento Business Journal's top "40 Under 40" professionals. In 2022, Sacramento Magazine named him one of Sacramento's Top 100 Professionals.
Patrick is a dedicated advocate for Sacramento non-profits and regularly donates his time and PR expertise to area organizations including WEAVE, the Make a Wish Foundation, the Sacramento Theater Company, and the Sacramento LGBT Community Center.
A lifelong Sacramento resident, Patrick lives in midtown with his husband Charles.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Managing Member
- Lighthouse Public Affairs in San Francisco
Rich is a trusted Bay Area regulatory strategist, with experience in a broad array of business, industry…
Rich Peterson is a trusted Bay Area political and regulatory strategist with nearly three decades of leadership experience in roles spanning business, industry associations, non-profits, and government. He is regarded as a preeminent "troubleshooter" for his broad professional expertise and has cultivated meaningful relationships with an expansive roster of local, state and federal elected leaders, appointed commissioners and staffers, as well as business, community and nonprofit leaders.
He has served in important public oversight and fiduciary roles for the City and County of San Francisco as president of two key commissions, and on behalf of numerous private nonprofits as a director. His counsel is routinely sought by industry-leading companies - clients like AT&T, BMO, Genentech, Goldman Sachs, Grocery Outlet, Hearst, Hines, Jacobs, Pacific Maritime Association, Prologis, Republic Services, and Sierra Pacific Industries - that trust his expert guidance to successfully navigate the Bay Area's (& State's) complex political and regulatory landscape.
Rich served as Mayor Gavin Newsom's appointed trustee to the San Francisco Employees' Retirement System (SFERS), his appointed commissioner to the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency (SFRA) - serving as President of both, and a Finance Committee Chair for both mayoral campaigns, as well as president of his Inaugural Committee following his reelection in 2007. Rich has also been acknowledged as one of the late Mayor Ed Lee's largest fundraisers, and he was one of Governor Gavin Newsom's leading fundraisers in his victorious state campaigns. Rich also served at the late Mayor Lee's request as Chairman of the City Hall Centennial celebration attended by 35,000 San Franciscans, and funded privately with several million dollars which he raised, personally.
Rich has been an active volunteer over the last two decades for an array of non-profit causes. Of particular note are his efforts on behalf of Town School for Boys, where he serves as a trustee; Cypress Lawn Cemetery Association - northern California's largest cemetery and funeral home operation - where he serves as Chairman of the Board; The Guardsmen, for which he formerly served as a director; SPUR, where he served as a director for many years; Francisco Park Conservancy, to which he has provided pro-bono advocacy and fundraising expertise for nearly a decade; At the Crossroads, where he sits on the Capital Campaign Advisory Board and assists with fundraising; and UCSF's Pediatric Epilepsy Center for which he has also raised significant private funding.
Rich received his B.S. in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley, has two children in college, and lives in the Presidio in San Francisco.
Rich Peterson is joined by Boe Hayward (r) as a Founder of Lighthouse
Since moving to the Bay Area in 2009, Richard has been actively involved in a variety of professional and volunteer pursuits, including important leadership roles for the City of Palo Alto. Richard was a Project Manager while with the City of Palo Alto on a variety of initiatives including the City's state and federal legislative programs, the City's $126 million infrastructure replacement plan, and the City's policy interests in Caltrain and California High-Speed Rail. In the course of this work, Richard engaged with a variety of stakeholders at the local, regional, state, and federal levels on everything from transportation safety improvements to fiscal policy.
Richard graduated from the University of Illinois in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication degree and from Stanford University in 2021 with a Master of Liberal Arts degree. While at the University of Illinois Richard assisted Professor Brian Quick with research on public health communication. Additionally, Richard spent six months abroad in the Czech Republic where he studied history, psychology, language, and art with an emphasis on the impact of the Soviet occupation of Central Europe during the Cold War. While at Stanford University Richard expanded his knowledge of the relationship between government and society through the interdisciplinary degree program. Richard's master thesis is titled Wal-Mart and FEMA: Response to Natural Disaster Through Hurricane Katrina.
Since 2010, Richard has been a member of the Palo Alto University Rotary and the Friends of the Palo Alto Parks Board of Directors. He has also volunteered for the East Palo Alto Today newspaper and has served on the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors where he was Founder and Chair of EPIC Palo Alto, the Chamber's young professionals program.
Richard currently resides in San Francisco, California. In his free time, Richard enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants, watching his favorite college and professional sports teams, and spending time with family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Partner / Oakland & East Bay
Before starting OgilvieLabs, Robert founded the Oakland Office of SPUR, the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association. Before joining SPUR, he was vice president for strategic engagement at ChangeLab Solutions. He has served as a faculty member in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley; as a consultant to city and county governments, nonprofit organizations, and neighborhood activists; and as director of volunteers at the Partnership for the Homeless in New York City.
Robert is the author of the North End Equitable Development Strategy (NEEDS) (Smart Growth America, 2022) and Voluntarism, Community Life, and the American Ethic (Indiana University Press, 2004). He is the co-author of Firebreak: Wildfire Resilience Strategies for Real Estate (ULI: 2020), Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters Strategies, Opportunities, and Planning for Recovery (Institutes of Medicine: 2015), Opening School Grounds to the Community After Hours: A Toolkit on Joint Use, (ChangeLab Solutions: 2012) and editor of Community Development Approaches to Improving Public Health (Routledge, 2013).
Robert serves as an advisor to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO), and has served as an advisor to the State of California's Governor's Office of Planning and Research (OPR), the National Advisory Committee of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Public Health Law Research Program, and the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Post-Disaster Recovery of a Community's Public Health, Medical and Social Services. Robert has also served on the editorial board of Community Development: Journal of the Community Development Society. Robert holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Politics from Columbia University, is a photographer whose work has been exhibited in the United States and Europe, and is the father of three wonderful young adults.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Founder of OgilvieLabs
Robert Ogilvie is the founder of OgilvieLabs, a San Francisco-based consulting business working with clients such as Smart Growth America, the Resources Legacy Foundation, the Urban Land Institute, and the California Department of Public Health to craft public policy for the public good. Over the past 30 years, he has worked extensively in community development, economic development, and planning to help create healthy and prosperous neighborhoods for all.
Job Titles:
- of Counsel
- Founder of Town Hall Public Affairs
Ross Guehring is the founder of Town Hall Public Affairs, which serves as a strategic partner to Lighthouse in the North Bay. Over the past 15 years, Ross has shaped numerous government affairs and public relations campaigns on behalf of high-profile clients and land use projects throughout Marin and Sonoma counties. Among Ross' clients are national and local real estate developers, corporate clients, independent schools, nonprofits, public agencies, property owners, and other entities.
Seamus Garrity has over a decade of experience in community engagement, coalition building, and political campaigns. His background and expertise related to transportation and housing policy has established Seamus as a dynamic and effective partner for navigating complex infrastructure and policy goals in the Los Angeles area.
In 2016, Seamus joined Assemblymember Laura Friedman's staff, serving for 6 years as her transportation, housing, and homelessness deputy. During this time, Seamus spearheaded Assemblymember Friedman's efforts to assist people experiencing homelessness, and to build and improve multi-jurisdictional infrastructure projects in the communities across the greater Los Angeles area.
In 2020, in an effort to help Caltrans address a workforce decimated by the COVID 19 Pandemic, Seamus created the Hollywood Corridor Working Group to facilitate partnership between elected offices, and state, county, and city departments as they worked to address safety concerns related to homeless encampments and debris fields along Interstate 101 in Hollywood. Seamus also coordinated the efforts of Councilwoman Nithya Raman and Assemblymember Friedman to allocate state funding for the implementation of crucial traffic safety improvements for active park users in Griffith Park to in 2022.
Seamus is a classically trained pianist, graduating from California Institute of the Arts after also studying at the Berklee College of Music. He hosts the podcast Bike Talk on KPFK and Pacifica and has served as a Commissioner on the East Los Angeles Area Planning Commission, and as a member of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council. He is an avid cyclist and is raising his two children with his wife in Silver Lake.
Job Titles:
- of Counsel / Peninsula & South Bay
Steve Emslie brings over three decades of experience in land use planning and urban development in Peninsula, South and East Bay cities. Most recently, Steve served as Deputy City Manager for the City of Palo Alto which included the roles of Director of Planning and Community Environment, from 2002 to 2013. During Steve's Palo Alto tenure, he represented the City in negotiations for the Stanford Hospital renewal project, the University's four million square foot hospital re-construction including support services and the School of Medicine. The Development agreement, approved unanimously by the Palo Alto City Council, included over $50 million in community benefits for the City. The $4 billion project broke ground in 2013 with an expected completion date in 2017.
Steve's experience in Palo Alto also included managing numerous corporate expansions including Facebook's expansion in the Stanford Research Park, the renovation of the VMware campus, and Hewlett Packard's consolidation of its Palo Alto headquarters.
Also in Palo Alto, Steve oversaw the modernization of the development review process which included an overhaul of the City's development code and electronic permit tracking which improved customer service and reduced permit processing times. He also represented the City in negotiations with the California High Speed Rail Authority in Sacramento. The City of Palo Alto took a statewide leadership role in convincing the Authority to revise its plan to retain the at-grade track configuration within the existing Caltrain right-of-way, greatly reducing the impact on peninsula communities.
Prior to Steve's Palo Alto experience, he was Deputy Planning Director for the City of San Jose from 1999 to 2002. Among other duties, Steve led the City's code enforcement efforts for the Strong Neighborhood Initiative, a unique partnership between community leaders and the City's service providers. By way of this program ten San Jose neighborhoods were selected to bring targeted services to the City's most economically challenged neighborhoods.
From 1991 to 1999, Steve was Planning Manager and Community Development Director for the East Bay community of San Leandro. Notable projects included the development of the Marina Square Auto Mall, Bayfair Mall modernization, and E. 14th Street urban design improvements. Also in San Leandro, Steve managed the formation of the Joint San Leandro/Alameda County Redevelopment area, one of the largest joint project areas in the State at the time.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner, Sacramento
Steve Hansen has almost twenty years of experience navigating the complexities of state and local government policy making and politics. He specializes in advocacy, strategic planning, complex policy development, and targeted communications and marketing. With his thoughtful and disciplined approach, he resolves even the most complex challenges.
Steve served on the Sacramento City Council from 2012-2020. Steve has been a leading voice for smart growth, multi-modal transportation, public safety, economic development and innovation in government service. During his tenure, he served eight years as Chair and on the board of the Sacramento Regional Transit District, Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, and the Sacramento Transportation Authority. He also served on the boards of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, the Midtown Association, the Broadway Partnership, the Sacramento History Alliance, the Sacramento Cable Commission, the Regional Sanitation District, Paratransit, Inc, and as chair of the Local Government Commission.
During Steve's time on the Council, he passed key initiatives, such as building new arts and educational facilities, new street lighting, Vision Zero and complete streets policies, pro-housing YIMBY ordinances, increased protections for LGBT employees and residents, legalizing urban agriculture and urban farm stands, banning flavored vaping products, securing protections for tenants against excessive rent increases and unfair evictions, and working to bring new mobility options to Sacramento's residents via microtransit, improved bus service, and shared-rideables. He worked tirelessly to reopen a local elementary school in the Central City. Other accomplishments include creating new and improving existing District 4 parks, working to build more affordable housing, investing in artists and the creative economy, and championing bike and pedestrian mobility projects.
Before joining Lighthouse Public Affairs, Steve served as Director of the Capital Center for Law & Policy at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, where he developed strategic initiatives, created an innovative social media campaign, and managed student and alumni public policy advocacy programs.
Steve spent eight great years as a Senior Regional Manager on Genentech's State Government Affairs team with a variety of significant roles, including political and policy relations in 41 states with an expertise in health care law, technology issues, and business regulation. Prior to Genentech, he was Legislative Director for Equality California from 2004-2006, a statewide non-profit advocacy group for the LGBT community. In that capacity, he was responsible for policy development, direct, community, and grassroots advocacy, strategic planning, media, and budgeting. At Equality California, Steve oversaw the passage of 20 pieces of legislation over a three-year period. Although ultimately vetoed, this included the first-ever marriage equality bill to be passed by a state legislature.
Finally, Steve got his start as an Executive Fellow in the Secretary of the California State and Consumer Services Agency in the Davis Administration working on issues related to insurance, contracting, environmental stewardship, economic development, and the rights of crime victims.
Steve was honored in 2010 by the Sacramento Business Journal as one of the "40 Under 40" for his community service and business work. Additionally, Steve has previously been involved in a variety of different organizations, including Secretary of the board of directors for CARES, a primary care clinic for people with HIV/AIDS, Secretary of the board of directors for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, a public-private partnership focused on improving Sacramento's downtown community and business district, and service on the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund's Campaign Board, which works to increase the diversity of elected officials at all levels of government.
Steve has a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations from Gonzaga University, a Juris Doctorate from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law with a certificate in Health Law & Public Policy, and is a member of the California Bar. He grew up in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
A fourth-generation Bay Area native, Taylor Jordan's approach to advocacy involves mixing structured analysis and experience-based intuition.
Since 2010, Taylor has served as a trusted political adviser for many major Bay Area land use projects, most recently including Kilroy Realty's transformative 2.1 million square foot Flower Mart project in Central SOMA (when completed, the Flower Mart will be the second-largest office/retail project in the history of San Francisco, after the Embarcadero Center).
Representing a broad range of other clients such as AT&T, Verizon, CorePower Yoga, Citibank, Starbucks, Joe and The Juice, Williams-Sonoma, PetSmart, Acadia Realty, Oyster Development, and The Moscone Center, Taylor has successfully helped navigate dozens of complex projects through the murky waters of Bay Area politics. Prior to consulting, Taylor played a key role in organizing Gavin Newsom's successful bid for Lieutenant Governor of California.
Taylor earned his Juris Doctorate as a Dean's Scholar at Loyola Marymount University Law School, and his Bachelor's degree as a Gluck Fellow at the UCLA School of Music. In his spare time, Taylor serves as the Co-Chair of The Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza and as the principal clarinetist with The San Francisco Wind Symphony.
Veronica Bell is a native San Franciscan and experienced corporate strategist adept in policy, community engagement, public-private partnerships, reputation management, crisis management and corporate communications. As a Partner at Lighthouse Public Affairs, Veronica has worked with some of the Bay Area's largest companies, providing strategic and political guidance in San Francisco. She has entitled millions of square feet of new office and retail development, representing developers on some of the region's most ambitious projects. Veronica has represented tech companies on local legislation that impacts housing, transportation, and general business operations. She has strong relationships with community leaders, elected officials, and other decision-makers.
Prior to joining Lighthouse Public Affairs, Veronica led Google's Community and Public Policy efforts in the Bay Area through a period of tremendous growth. In this role, Veronica worked with government agencies, non-governmental organizations, community groups, environmentalists, and elected officials on a variety of efforts, including public-private partnerships, transportation planning, land use, and corporate philanthropy.
During her tenure at Google, notable achievements in San Francisco include Free Muni for Youth, a public-private partnership between Google and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency that provided free MUNI passes for low and moderate-income youths. Additionally, Veronica finalized a public-private partnership agreement that provided free wifi in San Francisco parks. This initiative helped to bridge the digital divide and provide access for San Francisco residents, particularly students, who did not have consistent access to the internet. Veronica created a public-private partnership between Google and the city of Mountain View to provide dedicated wifi access in the downtown corridor and a technology grant to improve access to the internet for public spaces, including the library and community center. Veronica also worked on Google's investment in affordable housing in the peninsula.
Before leading Google's local Bay Area efforts, Veronica held a variety of roles in her nine-year tenure there, including planning launch events for new office openings around the world, creating marketing and outreach programs for developer partners, and managing partnerships with nonprofits and educational organizations.
Prior to Google, Veronica was employed by Microsoft from 1999 to 2005, where she worked on a myriad of projects, including Xbox Developer Outreach, Technology Education, and Recruiting. Veronica managed Xbox's presence at Game Developers Conferences around the world and managed the content development and marketing of developer training events.
While working in Xbox, Veronica founded a group for Women in Gaming to help increase opportunities for women within the gaming industry and to provide a community for those already involved.
In addition to Veronica's 20+ years of experience in a broad array of business areas, she has also been involved in many philanthropic and civic projects. She currently serves on the Board of the San Francisco Zoo and Conservation Society. She also serves on the Board of SF Made, an organization dedicated to building a vibrant manufacturing sector in San Francisco for locally made goods. Veronica served as a board member of SPUR (San Francisco Planning and Urban Research) for three years.
Veronica lives in San Francisco with her husband and three children.