Careers in Politics

Hon. 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.

Celso Baez serves as Director of Government Affairs at CapMetro. With nearly fifteen years of experience as a community engagement practitioner and public administration professional, Celso brings a deep cross-sector background that includes: political campaigns, government relations and policy, public transportation, public education, health care service delivery, and public health.

Baez is passionate about serving to improve the great equalizers that afforded him and his family opportunities to prosper and lead a dignified life. His track record of influencing public-serving organizations towards prioritizing participatory decision-making processes is laudable. He has accomplished this through important work at CapMetro, Austin’s public transportation authority, at Austin ISD, Central Texas’ largest public school district, and at Central Health, Travis County’s public hospital district.

Celso is a founding committee member of United Way for Greater Austin’s Young Leaders Society and has served as President of the Board of Directors of La Fuente Learning Center. Celso is a member of the International Association for Public Participation, FuturoFund Austin. He is a Hispanic Austin Leadership, a Leadership Austin Emerge, and an Austin ISD UpClose graduate. Celso has served on the board of directors at Keep Austin Beautiful, served as an appointee on the City of Austin's Urban Transportation Commission, Task Force on Community Engagement, and the Mayor’s Task Force on Institutional Racism and Systemic Inequities. Celso currently serves on The New Philanthropist’s inaugural Legacy Leadership Council and recently co-chaired I Live Here I Give Here’s signature annual event, See Us Give. 

Celso is a Pasadena, Texas native, an alumnus of St. Edward’s University and The University of Texas at Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs, and has been a coastal Texas transplant for 18 years. Celso is passionate about strong and involved communities, a lover of culture, and enjoys hammocking at state parks together with his wife Samantha and their two boys, plus their energetic Australian Shepherd named Pappy in tow. Celso is likely readying a brisket for a 12 hour-long smoke in time for family meal on Sunday.

Katya Ehresman is a 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.

Kassie Phebillo is the Student Engagement Director at the Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project; she 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.

Jesus Perales 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 Quintana 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.

Mason Reed is the founder of Blue Victory Communications, and he 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.

Max Rombado is the Legislative Director at Raise Your Hand Texas, supporting the development of policy priorities, tracking legislation, and collaborating 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.

Cole Wilson 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.

Ali S. Zaidi is 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.

Representative Andrew Murr was first elected in 2014 to represent District 53 in the Texas House of Representatives. The district includes Bandera, Crane, Crockett, Edwards, Kerr, Kimble, Llano, Mason, Medina, Menard, McCulloch, Pecos, Real, Schleicher, Sutton and Upton Counties. An eighth generation Texan, he was raised on a ranch in Kimble County, and attended school in Junction. 

Representative Murr attended Texas A&M University, receiving a bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, in Agricultural Development with an emphasis on economics and policy. Following graduation, he worked toward his master's degree at A&M and earned his teaching certification, completing his student teaching in Mason. He subsequently graduated with the highest honors from Texas Tech University School of Law. In 2008, Representative Murr was elected Kimble County Attorney and then later appointed to the position of County Judge.  

As County Judge, Representative Murr presided over hundreds of criminal, civil, and probate cases and was never overturned on appeal. In his term of office, he slashed county spending by 31% by cutting waste and inefficiency. Under his leadership, Kimble County today retained one of the lowest tax rates in the state, maintaining zero debt and incurring no future pension obligations. Representative Murr continued to serve as Kimble County Judge until late 2013, when he announced his candidacy for state office. 

Representative Murr currently serves as the Chairman of the House Committee on General Investigating in the Texas House. During his tenure in the House, he has served on the Corrections Committee (Chair), Redistricting Committee, Transportation Committee, Culture, Recreation and TourismCommittee, Rules and ResolutionsCommittee, Ways and Means Committee, Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee, State Federal Power and Responsibility Committee (Vice Chair), Local and Consent Calendars Committee, Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee (Vice Chair), Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, Select Committee on Mental Health, the Select Committee on Opioids and Substance Abuse, and the House Interim Study Committee on Aggregate Production Operations.  

Representative Murr lives on the family ranch in Junction with his children, Coke, Jackson, Caroline, Finn, and wife, Amanda. Murr raises cattle, maintains a general law practice and is a member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Junction. 

Jamie McWright has been serving as President of the Associated Republicans of Texas (ART) since April 2014. ART traces its roots back to 1974 when one hundred dedicated Republicans, under the leadership of U.S. Senator John Tower, began laying the groundwork for a remarkable comeback and a string of Republican victories. For the past five decades, ART has been a pillar of support for Republicans in Texas.  

Between 2009 and 2022, ART raised $33.3 million and supported over 242 Republican candidates for the state legislature. The recent success of ART is due in large part to ART’s distinguished Board Members and Jamie’s leadership at the PAC.  

Prior to joining ART, Jamie spent nearly 11 years on the Washington, DC, staff of U.S.Senator John Cornyn. Jamie supported the Senator in a variety of positions over the decade including policy, political and administrative. In 2009, when Senator Cornyn became Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC),Jamie divided her time serving both in the Senate office and at the NRSC. In her final two years in Washington, Jamie was appointed Whip Liaison to support Senator Cornyn in his position as Republican Whip.  

Jamie grew up in west Texas and currently resides in Austin. She has a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Houston.  

Marc Rodriguez’s current clients include Apple, Atos, Bexar County, Brooks Development Authority, City of Eagle Pass, City of San Antonio, CPS Energy, Entergy, LaMantia Family, Las Vegas Sands, Maverick County, Needmore Ranch, North Highland, North Texas Commission, Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors Association, Populus, SAS, San Antonio Water System, Texas Central, and VIA Metropolitan Transit Authority. Previously, Mr. Rodriguez worked as a government relations consultant with Lloyd, Gosselink, Blevins, Baldwin & Townsend, P.C. as the firm expert on the legislative process and served as a lobbyist for various clients. He also worked as a planner and intergovernmental relations manager for the City of San Antonio and was Vice President for Governmental Affairs for the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Rodriguez has served on numerous nonprofit boards of directors including the Texas Association of Business, Austin Area Research Organization (AARO), the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau, United Way of Central Texas, the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce and presently Vice-Chairman of Southwest Human Services Corporation. In his work as a government relations consultant, he uses his personal experience as an entrepreneur to identify with and understand his clients' industry challenges. Clients also benefit from his expertise as a political advisor, analyst, strategist and tactician. Mr. Rodriguez has worked on state legislative issues for the last 13 consecutive Texas state legislative sessions and has a professional history of representing entities with elected and appointed boards. Additionally, he has coordinated efforts with volunteers, private consultants, and representatives of governmental agencies. As a professional advocate, Mr. Rodriguez has specific expertise to address public policy issues including utility regulation, infrastructure, urban affairs and natural resources. He is presently the owner of a government relations consulting firm, Principal – Texas Lobby Partners, President of TOPE Development, a real estate company and a partner with Paradeis Largadere – Austin Airport. He holds a B.A. in Urban Affairs and Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas. Mr. Rodriguez is married to Jennifer Rodriguez and has four daughters - Alyssa (22), Bella (17), Carmen (16), and Danielle (14).

Matt House is a public affairs consultant with extensive experience on Capitol Hill and political campaigns. He began hascareer in the office of Congressman Paul Hodes before spending the majority of his career with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, serving as communications director for five years. He's a veteran of multiple House and Senate campaigns in New Hampshire, New York, and Massachusetts and now advises clients in highly regulated industries as well as pro-democracy and government reform organizations. 

Terri Broussard Williams has built her career on a solid reputation as an authentic, courageous, and impactful change agent. Throughout her journey as an award-winning corporate lobbyist, non-profit executive, and public speaker, Terri has transformed public and community service into a professional art form, positively impacting the lives of millions of people. During her two-decade-plus career as a lobbyist, Terri realized her dream of creating significant, community-shifting outcomes. Her most distinguished accomplishments include passing key pieces of legislation, such as The Louisiana Smoke-Free Air Act. She achieved this game-changing career milestone as part of an all-female lobbying team at the promising age of 27. As one of Austin Business Journal’s Most Influential Women in Central Texas, Terri’s commitment to creating meaningful, groundbreaking, and systemic change is clear. Having worked for household brands such as Amazon, American Heart Association, and Edward Jones, Terri has established herself as a respected leader in corporate and nonprofit sectors, driving impactful initiatives and advocating for positive social change. She also provides inspirational and philanthropic leadership to advisory boards, including the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Engagement, the Louisiana State University Diversity Advisory Board, and the LBJ School of Public Policy – Women’s Campaign School Advisory Board. Terri continues to “pay it forward” with thought leadership around change as the founder of the Movement Maker platform www.movementmakercollective.com. Terri graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Master’s of Non-Profit Leadership with an emphasis on social impact strategy. As the student commencement speaker and winner of the Excellence in Social Impact Award, she demonstrated her authenticity as an approachable, courageous, and refreshing thought leader fully capable of inspiring her classmates to create change and turn moments into transformative movements. Previously, Terri graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Social Impact Strategy Executive Education Program, where she served as a Teaching Fellow, and received a Graduate Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University. She is also a member of the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice Dean’s Alumni Advisory Board. Terri also served as the inaugural instructor for the Social Justice Graduate Certificate Program at The Bush School and Center for Non-Profits and Philanthropy at Texas A&M. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and is the proud chair of The Reilly Center for Public Affairs and Media National Advisory Board.

Ali S. Zaidi is 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.

Lyndsey Blagrave Patterson is the Texas State Director for Axiom Strategies. She has a reputation for delivering victories for underdog candidates who buck the status quo and challenge the establishment. Lyndsey is a master at crafting narratives that permeate through the noise and leveraging data to move the needle with the right audience. 

Lyndsey has been the creative strategist and operational force behind big-spend races across Texas and beyond. In New Mexico, she successfully flipped and held onto major state house seats. Her work for County Judge Tim O’Hare secured the Republican stronghold in blue-trending Tarrant County, and she locked down a victory for Nate Schatzline in a hard-fought Texas House primary and runoff. 

Over the past few months, Lyndsey developed messaging strategies and campaign plans that resulted in wins in major legislative primaries including Brent Money, Wes Virdell, and Don McLaughlin, and she unseated a 22-year incumbent on the State Board of Education.  

Originally from Midland, TX, Lyndsey graduated from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene. She met her husband Matt on a Texas Senate campaign, and they now reside in Austin. 

Max Lars was raised in a small town in Northeast Louisiana called Haughton, and has been involved in Texas government and politics for over the last decade. 

Max got his first start in Dallas as a field organizer, covering Dallas and Ellis County,  for Wendy Davis’ gubernatorial race in 2013. After that, he moved to Austin and has called his home ever since.  

During that time he has worked for elected officials in the State Capitol with State Representative Craig Eiland (D- Galveston), Donna Howard (D-Austin), and was the Chief of Staff for State Representative John Bucy (D-Austin). 

Between those stints, he spent time working on campaigns across Texas. In 2018, he worked as the Field Director to State Representative Sheryl Cole’s campaign in Austin and, later, went on to be the assistant political director for Annie’s List. During the 2020 cycle, he worked as a regional political director for the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee. Most recently, he was the campaign manager for Mayor Kirk Watson’s 2022 campaign.  

Currently, Max serves as the senior policy advisor for Mayor Kirk Watson overseeing various issues that include housing, transportation, arts & culture, and economic development.  

Max graduated from Southern University at Shreveport. He is a lifelong New Orleans Saints fan, occasionally DJs on the side, and his favorite pair of sneakers are the Space Jam Jordan 11s. 

Summer Luciano serves as the Deputy Director of Government Affairs at the General Land Office.  A native of El Paso, and graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso, Luciano began her career in the Pink Dome in 2005 in the Senate. Since then, she moved to the Texas House, working directly for members as well as serving over eight years with the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, including as executive director. Throughout the past two decades, she has volunteered with countless Texas advocacy and legislative campaigns and spends her spare time adopting rescue dogs and serving her community.

Juan Sepúlveda chairs All4Ed’s governing board and is the Visiting Radford Professor of Practice in Urban Education at Trinity University, where he teaches on urban education and community building. He expects his role at Trinity to expand into connecting the University more broadly with San Antonio and across the nation while serving as a community engagement and leadership development partner and resource.

Most recently, Mr. Sepúlveda was senior vice president of station services and system leadership at PBS, where he collaborated with more than 160 PBS stations across the country to strengthen their connections to their local communities and to each other as a national public media network. Mr. Sepúlveda joined PBS from the Democratic National Committee where he was senior advisor for Hispanic affairs. Prior to that, he served as executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, where he designed and led the first-ever Hispanic Policy Conference along with a series of Hispanic Community Action Summits across the country that brought together representatives of offices and federal agencies with Latino community leaders to build relationships and partnerships to tackle key community issues.

His national strategy consulting organization, the Common Enterprise, which grew out of a national Rockefeller Foundation initiative, took him to more than thirty-five states where he worked with communities in urban and rural settings as varied as the Appalachian region in the Southeast and numerous towns in the Deep South to American Indian tribes and Urban Indian communities in the Northwest and Midwest to rapidly growing cities on both coasts and the Southwest and many more places in between. From 2004 to 2009, Mr. Sepúlveda hosted “Conversations” on PBS member station KLRN.

Mr. Sepúlveda grew up in a working class Mexican-American neighborhood in Topeka, Kansas, and has been involved in community organizing and politics since the age of sixteen, when he was the first high school student hired to work for the Kansas Secretary of State. He also worked closely with the late Willie Velasquez and the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and permanently moved to San Antonio, Texas, in the late 1980s, making it his new home. He completed a political biography of Velasquez and an organizational history of Southwest Voter, The Life and Times of Willie Velasquez—Su Voto Es Su Voz (Your Vote is Your Voice), published by Arte Público Press.

Mr. Sepúlveda is the third Latino ever awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. He graduated from Harvard College with a BA degree in government. He also holds a BA degree in politics, philosophy, and economics from the Queen’s College, Oxford University and a JD degree from Stanford Law School.

Dr. Ross Hunt in 2009, with Matt Brownfield, created our first in-house proprietary mobile canvassing application. Backed by years of data and analytics experience, Ross has proven to be the industry’s leading targeting specialist–from local school boards to the U.S. Senate. Ross’ expert analysis of strategic and tactical situations a campaign faces blends perfectly into his unmatched ability to deliver individual-level targeting for mail, phones, digital, texts, and canvassing that is efficient, molded by message efficacy, and returns the greatest votes per record. 

Ross is the head of branding and our national strategic operations, bringing his unique insights to all 50 states. Ross’ proximity to targeting as well as campaign strategy make him an asset to all of our partners and allows MNA to provide significantly more efficient campaign strategies than our competition. 

Ross with our CTO Blake Reynolds maintains MNA’s internal polling firm that provides scientific opinion research to our clients, our partner consultants, PACs, and corporate interests nationwide. 

Ross lives in Dallas with his family and is an avid runner, having won the Fort Worth Marathon. Ross is a voracious reader and occasionally can be found writing about the Classics. Ross is a graduate of St. John’s College and received his Ph.D. from the University of Dallas in 2016. 

Dr. Leroy Alloway is the Chief of Staff at VIA Metropolitan Transit, bringing expertise in government affairs and public administration. Their background reflects a strong focus on public service and community engagement. 

Within VIA Metropolitan Transit, Leroy has held positions of increasing responsibility, including Chief Government and External Affairs Officer and Director of Government & Community Relations. In these roles, they focused on stakeholder engagement and government relations, contributing to the organization's strategic objectives within the transportation sector. They also served as Vice President, Government Affairs at Metro, further developing their capabilities in government relations and public policy.

Prior to their tenure at VIA, Leroy served as Program Manager, Planning & Public Involvement at the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, contributing to effective transportation planning. Earlier in their career, as Director, Community Development at Alamo Regional Mobility Authority, they focused on community outreach and development initiatives. Leroy also served as Director, Business Development at Analytic Focus, applying their expertise to business development strategies.

Leroy's experience extends to academia, where they served as a Part Time Instructor of Political Science at Texas Lutheran University. In this role, they delivered instruction in public administration, established testing materials, and implemented practical simulations for students, focusing on policy presentation based on real-world scenarios. 

Leroy holds a Doctor of Public Administration from Capella University, a Master of Public Administration from The University of Texas at San Antonio, and a Bachelor of Arts from Texas Lutheran University. They are also an Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV-SP), certified by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure.

Katya Ehresman is the Voting Rights Program Manager at Common Cause Texas, where she manages the statewide voting rights legislative coalition prioritizing defeating voter suppression bills in the state capitol. She has experience in nonprofits across the sector of voting rights and civic engagement, as well as chief strategists and campaign management experience in multiple local, statewide, and federal campaigns.

Eli Melendrez is a lobbyist and researcher for the Texas American Federation of Teachers (Texas AFT). Eli’s policy areas of focus are school funding, retirement security, and higher education, representing the union’s interest in policy conversations and negotiations at the Texas Capitol. Reports authored by Eli have been cited by numerous elected officials, candidates, and news publications. Eli spearheaded Texas AFT's efforts to pass a $5 billion pension increase for retired educators through the Texas Legislature last Spring, as well as the accompanying voter-approved constitutional amendment at the ballot box last Fall.  

Ana O'Quin, LMSW, currently serves as the Advocacy and Changemaking Manager at the Girls Empowerment Network, where responsibilities include developing advocacy initiatives and overseeing a two-year policy agenda focused on girls' needs in Texas. Ana has extensive experience in mental health policy, having worked as a Policy Fellow at Girls Empowerment Network and a Pediatric Health Referrals Coordinator at Dell Medical School. Previous roles include a Policy Intern at NAMI Texas, where Ana engaged in legislative advocacy, and a Student Researcher at the Center for Public Justice, where a notable policy report on teen food insecurity was produced. Ana holds a Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor's degree in Social Work from Baylor University.

Alec Puente currently works as the Texas Government Relations Director for the American Heart Association, working with policymakers, stakeholders, and volunteers to improve the health of Texans and reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease and stroke through strong public policy. Alec earned his bachelor’s degree, master’s, and J.D. at the University of Texas and lives in Austin, TX.

Zohaib “Zo” Qadri was elected to represent District 9 in 2022. He proudly represents the neighborhoods of Downtown, Rainey St., Old West Austin, West Campus, Hyde Park, Travis Heights, Bouldin Creek, Mueller, Cherrywood, and more. Zo is eager to tackle Austin’s housing crisis, to fight for an expanded and equitable transit system, and to protect and uplift our most vulnerable citizens. Zo firmly believes that everyone deserves a voice and access to the abundance of opportunities in our beautiful city. 

The first-born child of immigrants, Zo moved to Texas at the age of 12 with his parents and two younger sisters. His younger brother was born 5 years later. Initially hoping to follow in the footsteps of his parents, Zo moved to Austin to pursue a career in medicine by starting a degree in biology at the University of Texas. After witnessing first-hand how the local cost of living crisis is inflicting on Austin’s most vulnerable residents, Zo was inspired to improve his adopted community and decided to switch paths by studying the humanities. Zo later received a Masters of Public Administration from Texas State University and a second graduate degree from Rice University in Global Affairs.

After finishing his graduate studies, Zo plunged head-first into community advocacy and political campaigns. In 2018, he helped direct political outreach to AAPI voters during Beto O’Rourke’s 2018 U.S. Senate run. Zo later merged his academic knowledge with real world experience in the legislative process during his time as a legislative assistant in the Texas House of Representatives. Zo’s leadership skills and love of coaching others to reach diverse voters led him to South Carolina during the 2020 Democratic Primary, where he helped lead Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s campaign as a Regional Organizing Director.

In his career, Zo has taken on multiple projects, ranging from advising activist groups and advocacy campaigns on utilizing technology to achieve their goals, to building strategic alliances to accomplish tangible results for progressive campaigns and issue-oriented organizations.

During the challenging years following the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zo volunteered with local community groups such as Austin Needs Water, the Central Texas Food Bank, and Del Valle Community Coalition to ensure underserved communities throughout Austin had their basic needs met. He also has previously served on the Advisory Committee for the Travis County Democratic Party, and the boards of Austin Muslim Democrats, Asian Democrats of Central Texas, and Emgage USA. He currently serves on the board of Ground Game Texas. 

Zo currently lives in Central Austin with his wife, Wafa, a physician assistant at Baylor Scott & White, and their cat, Daisy Mae.

Cole Wilson has dedicated his life to making postsecondary education more accessible, more affordable, and more attainable. He currently serves as Legislative Director for Rep. Vikki Goodwin. He has worked as a college-access counselor with at-risk youth at Boys Hope Girls Hope of New York, he’s fought for college affordability and student access to healthcare at the Texas State Legislature with Young Invincibles, and has published renowned academic research on workforce access and the future of work.  

After getting his start in college through Austin Community College, Cole went on to transfer to the University of Texas, earn a bachelor's degree, and later a masters degree in education from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. He’s consulted for organizations like the DC-based Education Design Lab and served as a researcher at the Harvard Project on Workforce. He’s led student-centric civic engagement initiatives on over a dozen campuses as an employee of the Annette Strauss Institute, served in leadership positions on boards of organizations like Brass Out Loud (a music education nonprofit), Young Invincibles, and the Austin Monitor. He’s worked on dozens of Democratic campaigns with Stanford Campaigns, served as Rep. Jarvis Johnson’s Legislative Director for the 86^th Legislature, and served in the lobby during the 85^th Legislature. He remains connected to the community as a Leadership Austin graduate and is a member of the Austin Young Chamber of Commerce. In his spare time, you can catch him on a stage behind the drums somewhere in Austin.  

Julián Castro served as U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama from 2014-2017. Before that, he was Mayor of his native San Antonio, Texas — the youngest mayor of a Top 50 American city at the time. In 2012, he gave a rousing keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention, during which he described the American Dream as a relay to be passed from generation to generation. After his historic campaign for president in 2020, Secretary Castro launched People First Future in May to help elect bold, progressive candidates whose campaigns are focused on improving the lives of all people they hope to represent. In September, Secretary Castro launched "Our America with Julián Castro," a podcast with Lemonada Media that puts a spotlight on vulnerable communities and takes a humanizing and hopeful look at how drastically the American experience shifts from one person to the next. In July, Secretary Castro became an MSNBC/NBC Political Analyst. 

Denise Davis is a native Texan with nearly two decades experience working in the Texas Legislature.  Ms. Davis has extensive experience in drafting winning strategies on complex legislation, administrative rules, legal memoranda and briefs for clients in both the public and private sectors. 

Ms. Davis has been consistently ranked as one of Texas’ top lobbyists by Mike Hailey’s “Capitol Inside,” most recently in the top 30 of its 2019 and 2021 Texas Lobby Power Rankings and #1 on the 2013 Rising Lobby Stars list. Since 2013, Davis Kaufman PLLC has been ranked among the top 10 law firm lobby practices. 

Before founding Davis Kaufman PLLC in 2012, Ms. Davis served as Chief of Staff to House Speaker Joe R. Straus. As Chief of Staff, she provided strategic and operational advice to the Speaker and the entire House leadership, and oversaw the legislative agenda and daily activities of the Speaker’s Office. 

Prior to her tenure as Chief of Staff, Ms. Davis served for several sessions as House Parliamentarian and Special Counsel to the Texas House of Representatives, where she advised the Speaker and members of the House on all ethics, legal and parliamentary matters relating to the Texas House of Representatives, including points of order, House Rules and precedent, and open records. 

Her public service also includes work as General Counsel to Lt. Governor Bill Ratliff, Director and Counsel to the Texas Judicial Council under Chief Justice Tom Phillips, General Counsel to the Senate Jurisprudence Committee under Senator Rodney Ellis, Legislative Counsel for the Texas Legislative Council and as Assistant Public Information/Press Officer for Lt. Governor William P. Hobby. 

In addition to her many years in public service, Ms. Davis has also worked in private practice, serving as Special Counsel to the corporate department of an international law firm, where she provided public policy law and governmental relations services to corporate clients. 

Ms. Davis received her Bachelor of Arts in Government from The University of Texas at Austin and her law degree from The University of Texas School of Law. While at the Law School, Ms. Davis served as Notes Editor for the American Journal of Criminal Law. 

Natalie Montelongo currently serves as a Deputy Director in the Office of Political Outreach and Strategy at the White House, where she has built and oversees a network of stakeholders in all 50 states. Previously, she was the National Political Director on Julián Castro’s Presidential run, and later a Senior Advisor on Elizabeth Warren’s campaign. With a passion for social justice, Montelongo has led campaigns that have resulted in reforming discriminatory policing, ended racial profiling on corporate bus lines, and have shined a light on illegal mass prosecutions at the border. Her work on electoral campaigns have influenced progressive policies, and have mobilized communities of color to the polls. In both the 2016 and 2020 cycles, Montelongo launched national initiatives to harnessing the power of the Latina vote. She was behind Hillary Clinton’s “Mujeres in Politics”, and Elizabeth Warren’s “Latinas Fight, Latinas Win”. 

Senator Eckhardt has deep roots in Central Texas and deep commitment to improving opportunity for all Texans. After receiving an LBJ School Master of Public Affairs and law degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1998, Eckhardt worked for eight years as an Assistant Travis County Attorney. From 2006-2013 she served as Travis County Commissioner representing 300,000 people. From 2015-2020 she served as the Travis County Judge presiding over the Commissioners Court and representing 1.3 million people. In July of 2020, Sen. Eckhardt won her current seat representing Senate District 14, which stretches from Bastrop, across greater Austin, and into Logo Vista to the west.  

Senator Eckhardt learned public service from her mother and father and is inspired to continue serving by her son and daughter. Her mother Nadine Eckhardt and her father Congressman Bob Eckhardt served Texas and especially the most vulnerable Texans in the halls of the State Capitol and the US Capitol. Her children Nadine (high school senior) and Hank (college sophomore) inspire her daily to make Texas a better place for generations to come. 

Susan Combs is a successful, experienced executive at both the state and federal level. She has 16 years of statewide leadership in Texas, providing strategic and innovative management, as well as nearly threeyears at the U.S. Department of the Interior in executive management. At Interior, Combs was the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget, and Chief Financial Officer. Most recently Combs served as the Chair of the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission, which was created by Congress, to celebrate the19th Amendment centennial nationally in August 2020. Combs is presently a Fellow at the University of Texas Center for Identity where she is working to assiston matters relating to personal data privacy.  

In Texas, Combs served in various elected positions between 1993 and 2015. Combs served as the state’s Comptroller from 2007 to 2015. One of her most important accomplishments was to establish an educational metric for all public schools – She was the first woman Agriculture Commissioner and serving from 1998 to 2007, she also served as a state legislator from 1993 to 1996. She has written a memoir, Texas Tenacity, outlining her path towards public service, and the challenges along the way. Her articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The Hill, the Austin American-Statesman, the San Antonio Express-News, the Houston Chronicle, among others.  

Combs is the manager and owner of a more than 140-year-old family ranching,hunting and grazing management operation in West Texas.