We are persistent, committed partners.
Our diverse and talented team lives our values every day by partnering with clients we believe in to drive meaningful change.
– Matt Dorf, president and founder

Audrey Carroll
AssociateHow do you drive meaningful change?
I use a people-first approach to ensure messaging and tactics are mission-driven and purposeful.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
I led the social media efforts for a 12-hour Capitol Hill vigil attended by faith leaders, advocates and members of Congress.
Jeni’s Darkest Chocolate
Favorite movieSabrina (1954)
Favorite hobbySewing

Alexa Lamanna Clark
Senior DirectorHow do you drive meaningful change?
I partner with our clients to uplift the voices of those most impacted by the critical issues we work on, creating a platform for leaders and advocates to speak truth to power and to further progressive policy.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
When the federal government failed to provide critical COVID-19 stimulus support to millions of immigrants, I worked with undocumented immigrants to help them tell their stories of sacrifice, loss and perseverance in order to expose the human toll of the pandemic on millions in need of protection.

Drew Courtney
Vice PresidentHow do you drive meaningful change?
I help clients communicate about complicated issues simply and powerfully, focusing on real world impacts and the difference policies and programs can make in the lives of ordinary people.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
In collaboration with our client Whistleblower Aid, I helped to ensure that the public learned about internal Facebook research and the impact of the platform’s decisions with a strategic media roll out that transformed the landscape for how we talk about public regulation of social media.

Shannon Craig Straw
PartnerHow do you drive meaningful change?
I dive deep into our client’s identity and mission, and work side-by-side with them to develop effective, compelling core messaging that equips them to achieve their goals.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
When proposed changes to a program for parents and young children would have made it less effective, I developed messaging and an advocacy toolkit that enabled our coalition client to secure funding without the damaging changes.
Mint chocolate chip
Favorite movieThe American President
Favorite hobbyWatching baseball

Eleanor Donohue
AssociateHow do you drive meaningful change?
I work to identify every side and coexisting narratives within a single issue area, and use my understanding of audiences to successfully craft messaging that resonates.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
Outside of the office, I have long been involved in a pancreatic cancer advocacy organization, including managing communications and media relations for the Capital affiliate.
Jeni’s Salted Peanut Butter with Chocolate Flecks
Favorite moviePride and Prejudice (2005)
Favorite hobbyReading murder mysteries

Matt Dorf
President and FounderHow do you drive meaningful change?
I guide clients to reach the audiences they need to achieve their goals. Then, I collaborate with them to leverage these public-facing moments to further their advocacy, membership and/or development efforts.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
Founding a strategic communications firm that lives its values, encourages our team members to thrive, and partners with clients we believe in to drive meaningful change

Radim Dragomaca
Senior StrategistHow do you drive meaningful change?
I help my clients effectively position their message in a competitive marketplace of ideas and agendas and identify the best opportunities to break through and achieve their goals.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
I collaborated with a client to build a series of partnerships and programs as a part of our effort to elevate and amplify their profile among strategic audiences. The client was ultimately recognized with an award from a former Secretary of Defense and a standing ovation in the Hall of Flags at the US Chamber of Commerce.
Hazelnut Gelato
Favorite movieDeath of Stalin
Favorite hobbyCooking for my friends

Ari Geller
Managing PartnerHow do you drive meaningful change?
I focus on ensuring that our work with clients is goal-oriented. Any media we place or content we develop is aimed a motivating an audience to take the necessary action to advance the client’s agenda.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
My proudest achievement was helping a client elevate their voice in a moment of particular national importance. Doing so immediately changed the narrative and opened the door for other allies to follow our client’s lead.
Chocolate
Favorite movieThe Princess Bride
Favorite hobbyGoing to the movies

Blake Goodman
StrategistHow do you drive meaningful change?
I collaborate with clients to establish both short-term and long-term communications goals, while assessing the rapidly-changing news cycle and finding opportunities to highlight their work and purpose.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
After a highly competitive election, I drafted and distributed a statement that underscored our client’s uniquely consequential role in the campaign and the positive outcome, garnering extensive media coverage that reached key audiences.
Mint chocolate chip
Favorite movieBack to the Future
Favorite hobbyPlaying tennis

Alissa Kaplan Michaels
Senior AdvisorHow do you drive meaningful change?
By guiding clients to communicate both efficiently and effectively, I help to amplify advocacy efforts on a global scale.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
I am most proud of my work that raises awareness of human rights issues.
Anything chocolate
Favorite moviePan’s Labyrinth
Favorite hobbyPhotographing sunflowers

Samantha Kupferman
PartnerHow do you drive meaningful change?
Leveraging my background in journalism and political communications, I facilitate clients — and potential clients — in understanding where they’re trying to go and the most effective ways to get there.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
I was privileged to stand by the side of more than 100 Holocaust survivors as they returned to Auschwitz for the 75th anniversary of its liberation and bravely stood up to share their stories.
Chocolate chip cookie dough
Favorite movieTitanic
Favorite hobbyHiking

Jonathan Levenfeld
StrategistHow do you drive meaningful change?
I work alongside our clients to create messaging that highlights their vital work and advances their long-term goals.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
When the pandemic emerged in early 2020, I overhauled the campaign’s communications strategy and organized a series of webinars across different digital platforms, ensuring that the candidate could continue to reach her target audiences throughout the district.
Cookies and cream
Favorite movieInterstellar
Favorite hobbyPlaying Tennis

Meredith MacKenzie de Silva
PartnerHow do you drive meaningful change?
I support people working on the front lines of injustice: immigration lawyers, human rights researchers, and advocates supporting people experiencing domestic violence.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
The work I am currently doing to remind the United States of its values and obligations to be a defender of human rights, including the right to migrate and to seek asylum, is particularly important. We are working with several human rights and immigrant advocacy groups to remind political leaders of both parties that we are a nation of immigrants, built on the rule of law.
Sea salt caramel
Favorite movieMy Big Fat Greek Wedding
Favorite hobbyDistance running

Nicole O’Neill
AssociateHow do you drive meaningful change?
I conduct in-depth research on a client’s mission, sector and audience to collaboratively shape their messaging and outreach in support of their goals.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
I created a video series for a client to underscore the challenges of being a female professional in a male-dominated career and provide advice for aspiring young women in their fields.
Turkey Hill’s Double Dunker
Favorite movieMama Mia!
Favorite hobbyReading

Christine Peterson
Vice President of Talent & EquityHow do you drive meaningful change?
I build dynamic workplace cultures where team members thrive, do their best work, feel safe, and are seen, heard and included.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
Reducing occupational segregation by mentoring and developing young women so they may achieve career mobility
French Vanilla
Favorite movieWhen Harry Met Sally
Favorite hobbyCooking

Shamari White
AssociateHow do you drive meaningful change?
I conduct research on clients’ work, audiences and impact on society and then use that knowledge to create creative and impactful messaging and outreach.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment?
After a significant and historic event that resulted in an onslaught of media requests, WEST worked to provide clients with measures to organize and identify the best media opportunities.
Birthday cake
Favorite movieBreakfast at Tiffany’s
Favorite hobbyCreating music playlists via Apple Music and Spotify

Romelo Wilson
AssociateHow do you drive meaningful change?
I approach each of my clients’ goals with logic and empathy to collaborate with them to develop effective messaging and smart strategies.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
Outside of the office, I support a national summer learning organization to implement strength-based messaging strategies and curricula focused on social/emotional learning.
Butter Pecan
Favorite movieFreedom Writers (2007)
Favorite hobbyDancing

Ashley Zhao
AssociateHow do you drive meaningful change?
I focus on understanding and highlighting our clients’ goals to help them develop the necessary strategies to promote positive social change.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
I co-authored a FiveThirtyEight article based on an analysis of anti-CRT bills across 40 state legislatures, which revealed how most of these bills simply echoed fear-mongering rhetoric from the Trump administration.
Trader Joe’s Cold Brew Coffee and Boba
Favorite movieEverything Everywhere All at Once
Favorite hobbyThrifting
What is it like to work at WEST?
We believe in our clients and share their passion, values and commitment to a better world. And we know that the lasting, meaningful change we want to create is only possible with a team of people who have diverse backgrounds, perspectives and beliefs. As we work to create change in the world around us, we are also creating and strengthening equitable workplace cultures at WEST and across our industry where employees can thrive.