Careers in Politics

Dennis Bonnen is a Texas businessman, former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, and co-founder of the public policy consulting firm Second Floor Strategies. A graduate of St. Edward’s University with a B.A. in Political Science, Bonnen was first elected to the Texas House in 1996 at just 24 years old, making him the youngest member of the legislature at the time. He went on to serve as Speaker Pro Tempore in 2013 and was elected Speaker in 2019, leading the House through a pivotal legislative session. He has worked in Washington, D.C., on Capitol Hill, managed a technology business, and spent years in the banking industry as a chief executive. Now, through Second Floor Strategies, he applies his decades of experience in government and business to help clients navigate complex policy challenges.  

Rebecca Acuña is a seasoned communications and government affairs professional with over 15 years of experience in public service, political campaigns, and corporate relations. She began her career in the Texas Legislature, serving as Chief of Staff and Communications Director for multiple state representatives, later becoming the first Latina to serve as Communications Director for a major political party in Texas. Rebecca has held key roles in federal and state politics, including Communications Director for a U.S. Congressman and Texas State Director for the Biden-Harris presidential campaign. She later transitioned to corporate government affairs, serving as Director at PepsiCo before joining AT&T as Assistant Vice President. Active in her community, she serves on the boards of the League of Women Voters of Greater Dallas and ChildCareGroup, and previously led the Latino Center for Leadership Development. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Rebecca remains committed to public service and leadership development.

Adrianne Fore began her political career in 2007 as an intern for State Representative Dwayne Bohac while a freshman at Pepperdine University. She later gained federal experience interning for Congressman Pete Olson in Washington, D.C. After graduating in 2010, she returned to Texas, working in both the House and Senate and contributing to campaigns, including the Perry Presidential Campaign and Justice Jeff Brown’s Texas Supreme Court race.Adrianne later served as Chief of Staff for Representative Doc Anderson, focusing on Agriculture & Livestock, the Rural Caucus, and broadband development. After six years in the role, she transitioned to the Association of Electric Companies of Texas, where she now serves as Vice President of Government Affairs, advocating for a more reliable, resilient, and affordable electric grid.

Carrie Simmons joined Texas Lobby Group in fall of 2014 and was named #1 “Rising Lobby Star” by Capitol Inside. Prior to joining TLG, Carrie started as a legislative aide in the Texas House of Representatives, and later as an account associate at Elizabeth Christian Public Relations and Affairs firm, Carrie was able to obtain the experience of passing, promoting and driving legislative solutions. 

In 2009, Carrie was hired as the Executive Director of the Texas House Republican Caucus. She provided legislative research and communication assistance to all 95 Republican Legislators in the Texas House of Representatives for over six years, three legislative sessions and multiple special sessions, providing a unique expertise. After the 83rd Legislative Session, Carrie joined forces with fellow female Republican leaders to start Red State Women PAC. Red State Women was created to engage, empower, and inspire women to become politically active within the Republican Party. Carrie holds a degree in Public Relations from the University of Texas at Austin. 

Manny Garcia is a co-founder of Seeker Strategies, a Black- and Brown-owned communications and advocacy firm working on high-profile issues in Texas and beyond. With nearly 20 years of experience in Texas politics, policy, and communications, he previously served as Executive Director of the Texas Democratic Party, managing a $25 million budget and a team of over 250 operatives. Garcia also led communications for Leticia Van de Putte’s lieutenant governor campaign and served as Director of Policy for the Mexican American Legislative Caucus. He began his career as an education policy researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned degrees in Government and Mexican American Studies, later becoming the first graduate of UT Austin’s Mexican American Studies Master’s program.

Dustin Tropp is the founder of Republican Jobs, a political staffing service that has placed over 2,000 operatives in campaigns nationwide. In 2023 alone, the organization placed 65 individuals in the Texas Legislature and many more in statehouses and on Capitol Hill.Previously, Dustin worked in policy advocacy at AIPAC and managed high-profile campaigns during the 2015–2016 election cycle. He later joined Murphy Nasica, helping staff thousands of roles across multiple elections. After managing a statewide campaign in Texas, he launched Republican Jobs in 2022. Dustin also founded the Austin Young Republicans in 2018, growing it to nearly 700 members, and now serves as Chair of the Young Republican National Federation’s Recruitment Committee, continuing to foster young conservative leaders.

Seasoned Democratic strategist and former Executive Director of the Texas House Democratic Caucus. She currently advises a wide range of clients - including state representatives, city councilmembers, and congressional candidates - on campaign strategy and policy development. Her background includes leading organizing and voting rights work at Common Cause Texas and the Texas Civil Rights Project. Katya also serves on the boards of MOVE Texas Action Fund and the Alumni Advisory Board of Annette Strauss Institute’s New Politics Forum, where she supports civic engagement and youth leadership across the state.She has previously managed and worked on successful campaigns across Austin, for multiple city councilmembers and judicial candidates, as well as oversaw a competitive statewide organizing program for the 2022 democratic nominee for lieutenant governor campaign.

Andrew Gonzales currently serves as the District 6 Trustee on the Austin ISD Board of Trustees. A third-generation educator and proud Austinite, Andrew is a graduate of Austin ISD schools, including Williams Elementary, Bedichek Middle School, and Akins High School. He holds four degrees from The University of Texas at Austin in government, history, international relations, and Latin American studies.Before joining the board, Andrew worked as a history teacher at Travis Early College High School and Lively Middle School. He also supported student success as a tutor for the AVID program across several AISD campuses. In addition to teaching, he served as a cooperating teacher for both Huston-Tillotson University and UT Austin, and was an active member of the National Council for the Social Studies. Andrew’s commitment to civic education and student advocacy has earned him multiple honors, including Generation Citizen’s Teacher Change Maker of the Year (2018), YWCA’s Ally of the Year (2019), and Travis ECHS Teacher of the Year (2020). As trustee, he currently serves on the Audit and Intergovernmental Relations committees.

Student Engagement Director at the Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project, Kassie oversees the Student Engagement Team, Advisory Board, and Fellowships. With 15 years of experience mentoring college and high school students, she has held roles at UT Austin's TX Votes, Georgetown University, and as a teacher and coach. Kassie’s passion for civic engagement began as a small-town newspaper reporter. During her time with TX Votes, she led efforts that registered nearly 20,000 students and doubled voter turnout. Kassie holds an MA in Communication, Culture & Technology from Georgetown University and a BA in Communication from Indiana Tech.

Joined Trellis Foundation in 2024 with more than ten years of experience in policy and advocacy. Prior to his arrival at the Foundation, he served as the Immigration Policy and Programs Coordinator at the Texas AFL-CIO, the state federation of labor unions. Jesus’ previous experience includes research, advocacy, and policy work at United We Dream and Young Invincibles and as a legislative staff member at the Texas Senate. Jesus earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Lamar University and a master’s degree in government and public service from the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University.

LaRessa is a fifth generation Texan and a first generation college attendee and graduate. LaRessa graduated from the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders with honors and was a part of their first graduating class in 2013. Her professional journey includes experience as a Texas capitol staffer, campaign manager for Councilwoman Vanessa Fuentes, digital organizer and governmental affairs consultant. Currently, she is the Associate Director of Public Affairs at the Texas Trial Lawyers Association. LaRessa is also an active member of several community organizations, including American YouthWorks, The New Philanthropists nonprofit boards and past board member of Young Hispanic Professional Association of Austin.

Founder of Blue Victory Communications, Mason has spent his career helping Democratic candidates across Texas win elections. Starting with State Representative James Talarico’s campaign in 2017, he gained valuable experience in message crafting and voter engagement. In 2021, Mason founded Blue Victory Communications to offer high-quality, affordable services with a focus on amplifying Democratic voices and creating lasting impact.

Legislative Director at Raise Your Hand Texas, Max supports the development of policy priorities, tracks legislation, and collaborates with legislative staff on education reforms. His focus includes teacher workforce, school finance, and pre-K issues. Previously, he was the organization’s policy research associate. Max holds a bachelor’s degree in government from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.

• Currently serves as State Rep. Vikki Goodwin’s Senior Legislative Director. Before joining Rep. Goodwin’s team, he worked with numerous education and policy-centric offices including the Young Invincibles, Boys Hope Girls Hope of New York, State Rep. Jarvis Johnson, and most notably the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life. He’s served as a researcher for the Harvard Project on Workforce and the Education Design Lab - his research has been cited in the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, published by the American Enterprise Institute, and used across the nation by dozens of community colleges and school districts. Cole attended Austin Community College as a Pell Grant recipient, earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Texas, and earned his Masters in Education from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education.

Currently Special Advisor for Education for the House Democratic Caucus after serving as Executive Director for the Caucus for three years. A veteran of statewide campaigns in Texas, most recently as campaign manager for Mike Collier for Lt. Governor, Zaidi also served as the Communications Director to Chairman Trey Martinez Fischer. He later went on to work for Biden for President in Iowa and Texas. In 2021, he became the first Muslim as well as the youngest campaign manager for a statewide campaign in Texas. Zaidi is a proud graduate of the University of Texas and will be a student at Harvard Law School starting this Fall.