ZITA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant
- Finance Manager
- TZG 's Finance Manager
Alexsandra Rodriguez is TZG's Finance Manager and is an Executive Assistant providing direct support to TZG CEO Trish Zita. Alexsandra is responsible for a broad range of office operations that allow TZG to function efficiently. She has many years of administrative experience having previously worked as a paralegal for a full-service law firm in the Mercer County area. Her enthusiasm, positive attitude and attention to detail benefits TZG's entire lobbying team ensuring them and our clients that their schedules and requests are handled with great diligence.
Alexsandra received her Associate Degree from Career Technical Institute in Washington, DC.
Beth Dohm is an Executive Vice President at The Zita Group. Beth provides legislative and public affairs advice to several Fortune 500 companies, non-profit, trade, and professional associations. Beth is an accomplished and effective lobbyist with years of experience in a broad range of policy issues including telecommunications, healthcare, and many general business issues. She manages several client accounts and ensures that her clients are well informed and up-to-date of legislative, regulatory, and political developments that impact their interests. During the course of her career, Beth has led efforts on several challenging legislative initiatives. She developed the strategies and executed them successfully which led to the enactment of a number of pieces of legislation on behalf of her clients.
In her role as an Executive Vice President, Beth manages TZG's political fundraising outreach efforts, internal office operations, and the firm's communications and social media program.
Beth began her career as a legislative aide to two former state legislators from Bergen County, NJ.
Following the election of Mercer County Executive Dan Benson, Beth was selected to serve on the County Executive-Elect's Transition Team that will help to shape his agenda as he prepares to take office in January 2024.
Beth was also named to ROI-NJ's Influencers Power List 2024 and 2023 in the Government and Public Affairs category. This list designates the biggest influencers in business in the state of New Jersey in several industry categories. Beth was also named to ROI-NJ's ROI Influencers Women in Business list in 2024, 2023 and 2022 which recognizes accomplished women in top leadership roles in various industries.
In her community, Beth serves on the Hamilton Township Economic Development Advisory Commission, a position she was appointed to by the Township Council in 2023.
Prior to this, Beth served as an appointed member of the East Windsor Township Planning Board and the East Windsor Economic Development Committee.
Beth is a graduate of Rutgers College in New Brunswick, NJ, and holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science.
Christopher Hughes is a Senior Vice President at The Zita Group. He provides legislative and public affairs advice to a variety of clients. Christopher is widely recognized by elected officials, policy makers and government staff as a trustworthy and knowledgeable advisor, informed by a deep working knowledge of state government and public policy, with extensive experience in the public and private sectors.
Prior to joining TZG, Christopher was Assistant Vice President of Government Relations for Virtua Health, South Jersey's largest health care system. In this role, he was responsible for furthering Virtua's strategic initiatives and priorities to improve the health and well-being of people who lived in the region through public policy initiatives at all levels of government.
Christopher served in various roles throughout New Jersey state government for over a decade. He served as a legislative caucus Budget Director, overseeing the development of all fiscal and budgetary policies and communications for the New Jersey Assembly Republican Office.
Prior to this position, he served as Chief of Staff to the NJ Department of Banking and Insurance, which regulates the state's banking, insurance, and real estate industries. In this role he worked with the Governor's Office to implement various components of the federal Affordable Care Act as well as other significant insurance reforms and initiatives.
Christopher also served as the lead staffer for the NJ Department of Banking and Insurance Transition Subcommittee in 2009 and wrote the committee's report to Governor Chris Christie and his incoming Administration.
Christopher received a bachelor's degree in History and Political Science from Rutgers College, Rutgers University, where he was also an Undergraduate Associate at the Eagleton Institute of Politics. He later earned his juris doctorate from Rutgers School of Law - Camden. Christopher is admitted to practice law in the state of New Jersey and the federal District of New Jersey.
Job Titles:
- Senior Counsel for Legislative and Regulatory Affairs
Both a lawyer and a lobbyist, Edward ("Ed") McGlynn is well-known and widely respected for his depth of knowledge of state government and politics. A former Chief of Staff to Governor Thomas H. Kean, Ed brings a lifetime of public affairs experience to TZG clients. With four decades in the public and private sectors, Ed knows how to create and implement strategies that will help your organization succeed and achieve its goals.
Ed began his career in state government in 1982 as Special Assistant Deputy Attorney General and became one of the longest serving Governor's Chief of Staff after holding the post for Governor Tom Kean's entire second term from 1985 to 1990.
After leaving government, he practiced law at Robinson, St. John & Wayne and provided public affairs and lobbying services at the Alman Group. Prior to joining TZG, Ed operated his own consulting firm, ERM Government Affairs, where he represented major corporations, small businesses, as well as numerous associations and non-profit organizations at all levels of government throughout the state.
For the past ten years, Ed has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of McKendree University, his alma mater in Lebanon, Illinois. Ed has also served on numerous state boards and commissions including The State House Commission, The Board of Meridian Health System's Government Affairs, Health Resources, and Nursing & Rehabilitation Boards, and the New Jersey Racing Commission where he was appointed by Governor Christine Todd Whitman and reappointed by Governors Richard Codey and James McGreevey.
Ed also serves as the General Counsel to Jenkinson's Boardwalk and their related entities, a position he has held since 1992.
Ed is a member of the New Jersey and New York Bar Associations and is admitted to practice before the United States Third Judicial Circuit and the United States Supreme Court.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President
- Board Member of Both the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association
- Public Affairs Counsel
Eric Orlando has been providing legislative and public affairs counsel to a variety of clients for more than two decades. His experience includes policy development, grassroots outreach / coalition development, direct advocacy, press relations, and research.
He has managed complex policy initiatives and negotiated successful outcomes in the legislative and regulatory arenas. He is a tireless advocate who succeeds by understanding the issues better than his adversaries, crafting arguments to support his goals that are based on facts, and maintaining a portfolio of relationships with the policymakers and staff that matter. As a result, Eric is widely respected by not only his clients, but by those whose opinions he seeks to shape. In 2024, Eric was named to NJBIZ's Power 100 List which honors the most important leaders in New Jersey's business community.
Eric currently also serves as Government Affairs Director for the Brewers Guild of New Jersey. Eric previously served as the Guild's first Executive Director beginning upon its founding in 2018. The Guild represents the policy interests of the over 150 pioneering independent craft breweries & brewpubs in the Garden State. The Guild's mission is to ensure that positive trends for local, independent craft beer in the state continue through the promotion of sensible, innovative policies that will help increase purchase opportunities for consumers and the overall visibility of New Jersey craft beer. Most recently in 2023, Eric led the state craft brewing industry's successful government affairs and strategic communications efforts to end state-imposed license restrictions through the signing of Public Law 2023, Chapter 290. In these roles with the Guild, Eric has been named to the annual ROI-NJ Influencers List in 2023 and 2024.
In 2017, Eric completed a year-long fellowship program conducted by Lead New Jersey (LNJ), the state's most prominent leadership development organization, joining a prestigious community of the state's most respected leaders in business and government.
Eric is currently a Board Member of both the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association and Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce, serving on the Chamber's Legislative Affairs Committee.
He began his career as a legislative aide to former Assemblywoman Connie Myers and is a graduate of Lafayette College.
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Vice President With
Karlito Almeda serves as Vice President with The Zita Group. He provides legislative and public affairs advice to a diverse array of clients. Karlito brings a wealth of experience, having navigated the complexities of New Jersey politics and policy for several years.
Job Titles:
- Research Associate
- Legislative Research Associate
Katelyn Fuller serves as TZG's Legislative Research Associate, providing
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Member of Mercer County Bar Association
Kendall "Ken" Murphy is a lobbyist and attorney with over thirty years of experience working in New Jersey's courts and in state government offices. Whether working for the State Legislature, State departments and agencies, or as a seasoned attorney, Ken has devoted his professional life to using his vast knowledge of the law and public policy to get results for his clients.
Ken also served as a public defender for the City of Trenton.
Ken currently serves on the Board of Directors of Recovery Advocates of America, a non-profit peer-based recovery program providing substance use interventions and navigation resources for the treatment of substance use disorders.
Ken is a member of Mercer County Bar Association, and has also belonged to the American Trial Lawyers Association, and the State Bar Association. Ken is also admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Kisha Hicks is an Executive Assistant at the Zita Group. Kisha has over 20 years of administrative experience and ensures the smooth day-to-day operation of the firm. Kisha has a strong track record of high performance in a fast-paced environment. Her enthusiasm, positive attitude, and attention to detail benefit TZG's Lobbying team ensuring that their schedules and requests are handled with care and attention to detail.
Kisha also helps manage TZG events and provides assistance in a variety of daily office operations and serves as a point of reference for inquiries and requests from TZG clients.
Kisha is active in her community and volunteers her time at the Willingboro Community Center as a Team Mom for the community's Drill Team of Willingboro, NJ.
Kisha is currently attending Rowan College at Burlington County pursuing an Associate's Degree in Business.
Matt McDermott is a highly respected public affairs professional with more than 25 years of public and private sector experience developing and successfully deploying advocacy-based strategic plans to resolve complex issues and advance policy agendas. He is widely recognized by chief executives, policy makers and professional staff as a trustworthy, insightful and solutions-driven advisor, informed by an intimate working knowledge of all three branches of state government, with extensive senior management experience in both the Legislative and Executive branches. Matt has served in two administrations, including seven years as a senior staff member to Governor Chris Christie, and held senior leadership positions in four state departments.
Matt is passionate about delivering results in the public sector arena utilizing his extensive government process knowledge, persistent, persuasive communications skills and productive high-level relationships with key decision makers and critical communities.
Prior to joining TZG, Matt served as the Assistant Commissioner for Government and Community Relations at the NJ Department of Transportation. Previously, he served as Director of Appointments for Governor Chris Christie for more than four years, acting as a senior strategic advisor to the Governor on candidate recommendations and nominee confirmation strategies essential to advancing the administration's agenda for cabinet-level, judicial, prosecutorial and volunteer board positions. In that role, he was responsible for negotiating directly with elected officials, senior executives and cabinet members.
He has served in other senior positions including Chief of Staff to Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno, and Chief of Staff and Deputy Commissioner at the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development and as Director of Communications for the NJ Department of Treasury. From 2002-2010, he was the principal of McDermott Public Affairs, a full service public affairs consulting firm. He successfully provided advocacy, strategic planning, coalition-building and direct lobbying services to clients in the maritime, pharmaceutical, building and construction and workforce development industries.
Matt received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Patrizia "Trish" Zita co-founded The Zita Group in 2007 and is the firm's Principal owner. Trish has managed The Zita Group since its inception building it into one of the top five firms in the state and the largest firm founded and owned by a woman.
Beyond leading the firm, Trish provides hands-on representation for several Fortune 500 and multinational companies, as well as healthcare and non-profit organizations, and trade association clients. Trish is known for her exceptional strategic instincts and extensive relationships with key decision makers. She is a trusted confidant to many in NJ's business and political arenas.