Bio

I've spent my career at the intersection of storytelling and strategy—but the truth is, this work has always been personal.

I grew up in New York City public housing. My father, a Puerto Rican community leader, died when I was 14, but not before teaching me to see the world through a lens of compassion and service. Lessons that shaped everything I've done since.

I became a journalist because I believed powerful stories could change the status quo. I learned how to listen, translate complexity, and find the human story beneath the policy debate. But I also learned that the best stories don't just inform—they build movements. And movements need more than great storytelling. They need strategy, infrastructure, and leaders who understand how to turn attention into action.

So I moved from journalism into organizational leadership. I've been Press Secretary to Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, an executive at the Legal Defense Fund, GLSEN, and Hopelab, a Senior Program Officer at the Gates Foundation, and founder of two consulting practices. The pattern across all these roles: I get brought in to build or rebuild—communications departments, strategic plans, teams that can deliver on ambitious missions.

I've guided organizations through nine executive transitions. Restructured departments. Helped leaders figure out what their organization needs to be, not just what it's always been. The work is never just about communications or strategy in isolation—it's about building organizations that can sustain impact over time, even when leaders change, funding shifts, or the political landscape evolves.

What drives me is simple: I believe people with privilege—any kind of privilege—have a responsibility to use it to improve the lives of others.

I founded JMart Strategies, my second consulting practice, to partner with mission-driven organizations through the moments that define their futures.

I serve on the Clarkson University Board of Trustees and have served on 10 other organizational boards, including Hello Future, Excellence Community Schools, the Coalition of New American Voters, the West End House Boys & Girls Club, and over a decade on Clarkson's National Alumni Association Leadership Board.

In 2025, I received Clarkson University's Golden Knight Award, the university's most prestigious alumni honor, recognizing distinguished service, career achievement, and community involvement. I previously received the Woodstock Award in 2010 for outstanding young alumni achievement.

I'm a runner. I'm a lover of pigeons. I'm a native New Yorker, and I share my life and world with my favorite Pirate. If you're leading an organization through a pivotal moment and need someone who's actually done this work—not just advised on it—let's talk.