Currently I am providing public relations, media and political communications consulting services to a range of clients, including the City of Los Angeles and the OSCE/ODIHR, for whom I consulted as a political analyst with the core election observation team for the December 2020 parliamentary elections in Romania.

The RCIPS is the single, national police force for the UK Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands, standing at 343 enlisted officers and 64 civilians strong, and serving 60,000 residents and 2 million annual visitors across three islands.My Role: Directed all communications and media relations for the department. Supervised two direct reports.STRATEGIC ADVISING– Advised the Commissioner of Police and executive police leadership (Senior Command Team) on strategic and crisis communications, and sensitive situations of reputational vulnerability.– Developed a communications strategy to promote the image and brand of the police service and its relaunched Community Policing Program, through media outreach, community engagement, and an expanded digital and social media presence. COMMUNICATIONS– Produced communications policies and procedures that improved the accuracy, consistency and presentation of police information provided to the media and public.– Initiated crisis communications protocols for major crime incidents, reputational controversies, and natural disaster scenarios that improved responsiveness and mitigated public concern.– Led effective recruitment and public safety campaigns in both paid and unpaid media.MEDIA RELATIONS– Generated hundreds of press releases and created a manual to regularize information release.– Acted as press spokesperson in regular appearances on television and radio, and managed all media appearances and press conferences of Senior Command.– Conducted media training to increase the diversity of officers in the media.– Built resilient partnerships with journalists that produced more balanced coverage of police issues.DIGITAL– Developed and launched a new organizational website (www.rcips.ky), including a mobile app with varied functionalities, including public safety, crime and traffic alerts, and administrative form submissions.– Hired and managed web site development contractors and managed the project budget.

The Mission’s top priority is to facilitate a comprehensive settlement of the Transdniestrian conflict through peaceful negotiations, based on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova, with a special status for Transdniestria within Moldova.ADVISING AND MEDIATION – Acted as the Head of Mission’s (a US Ambassador) main liaison with government partners, civil society, Transdniestrian authorities, and community activists on hotly-contested human rights and minority rights issues.– Identified areas of consensus and potential compromise, and recommended advocacy strategies to the Head of Mission.- Mediated emerging disputes with government partners and civil society representatives.– Researched and produced a document with international experts assessing both sides of a longstanding dispute on language rights, which served as a cornerstone negotiation instrument on the issue.PROGRAM MANAGEMENT – Managed multiple simultaneous projects on detention monitoring, language rights, and the improvement of internal disciplinary procedures for the Ministry of Interior (police);- Led project implementation teams, including the hiring and supervision of contracted partners, and conducted evaluation and monitoring.– Supervised a unit of three local staff and managed a programmatic budget of two hundred thousand euro ($224,000 USD).

The OSCE Office in Baku was established in 1999 with a mandate to assist the Azerbaijani government fulfill its OSCE commitments to human rights, the rule of law and democratic institutions.My role: Developing and directing the Office’s policy, projects, and advocacy on all democratization issues, including media freedom and elections, in a tense and restricted political and media environment.ADVISING AND LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY– Advised the Head of Office (a Turkish ambassador) on stakeholder engagement and advocacy strategies with the host government, independent media, civil society, diplomats and opposition politicians.– Coordinated the drafting of legislative proposals on domestic violence (DV), the decriminalization of defamation, and election administration, together with civil society experts.– Organized Office advocacy for promoting these proposals with parliament and government, which resulted in the passage of the new DV law.PROGRAM MANAGEMENT– Supervised wide-ranging projects across the country to strengthen media freedom and access to information, improve the transparency and fairness of election process, and increase the participation of women in civic life. - Managed a staff of four and several contracted partners in the development and execution of these projects, implementing four hundred thousand euro ($456,000 USD annually.– Conducted close monitoring and evaluation to develop programmatic objectives in line with country needs.

Conducted publicity and strategic media outreach for a non-profit organization founded to increase the quality of criminal justice reporting. Organized events and seminars with the aim of improving relationships between law enforcement, journalists and criminologists.

The State Bar of California is the licensing body for California attorneys, and the Enforcement Unit investigates complaints and prosecutes attorneys for violations of the California Rules of Professional Conduct and Business and Professions Code. My Role: Conducted complex disciplinary investigations into serious allegations of attorney misconduct, including misappropriation, fraud, reckless failures to perform, and prosecutorial misconduct. – Coordinated with district attorneys’ offices on complex fraud investigations referred for criminal prosecution, and gave testimony in court.– Where allegations were not substantiated, mediated disputes and resolutions between attorneys and clients.– Assisted in public outreach and education initiatives regarding the mission of the State Bar and the restitution available to victims through the Client Security Fund.