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Meet The Team

We are communications operatives who have been battle tested in the most challenging and complicated campaigns, causes and corporate environments in the country.

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Meet The Focal Point Team

Focal Point Strategy Group is staffed with experienced  operatives who have been battle tested in the most challenging and complicated campaigns, causes and corporate environments in the country. 

We bring years worth of media relationships and experience handling every possible scenario from product launches to crisis communications. This top tier team utilizes a blend of traditional and modern communication channels to optimize message reach and impact – and deliver for our clients.

Zac Petkanas

Founding Partner

Zac Petkanas is a veteran communications strategist and messaging expert with nearly 20 years experience working at the highest levels of Capitol Hill and on the toughest political and advocacy campaigns in the country.

He began his career on Capitol Hill, running communications for the House Committee on Rules and ending as Communications Director to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

He spent nearly a decade living on the road, running communications for the hardest fought congressional, state and presidential campaigns in the country from Harry Reid’s legendary 2010 Senate re-election to rapid response for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential operation.

Petkanas is an expert at building partner coalitions and rapid response War Rooms. As Senior Advisor to the Democratic National Committee, he built and ran the acclaimed Trump War Room to hold the new administration accountable through its first 100 days, including through the cabinet confirmation process, Supreme Court confirmations and policies like the Muslim Ban.

Since then, he’s built and run dozens of rapid response operations for partner coalitions and organizations, including around the Coronavirus pandemic, the Mueller Report, both Trump impeachments, passing the Inflation Reduction Act, the Trump indictments, and attacks on voting rights in the 2020 and 2024 elections.

Petkanas is a frequent commentator on cable news and appears regularly in the New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press and many other major media outlets.

Email Zac@focalpointstrategygroup.com

Kyle Herrig

Founding Partner

Kyle Herrig is a seasoned communications and research strategist who has spent the last two decades at the heart of Washington’s most challenging political and advocacy battles.

He has been a key player in building the progressive movement’s accountability infrastructure. As the founder and former president of Accountable.US, a nonpartisan, progressive organization, Herrig utilized investigative research and impactful communications to hold government officials and special interests accountable. He also co-founded American Oversight, a legal powerhouse that employs open records litigation to ensure policymakers are held accountable.

Most recently, Herrig founded and led the Congressional Integrity Project, a 501(c)(4) organization that played a pivotal role in high-stakes political conflicts surrounding the use of investigations and oversight powers by House Republicans. Notably, his work successfully halted two House impeachment inquiries—one into President Biden and another into Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

A lawyer by training, Herrig advises numerous progressive and legal organizations on their communications and research strategies. He is a sought-after commentator on a wide range of issues, regularly providing insights to prominent outlets such as the Washington Post, the New York Times, Politico, and various state and local publications.

Email Kyle@focalpointstrategygroup.com

Ryan Thomas
Vice President 

Having worked at the intersection of government, campaigns, and issue advocacy, Ryan Thomas helps our clients—ranging from nonprofits and issue advocacy groups, to private companies—achieve their communications goals and generate media coverage for their work in order to advance their agendas. Ryan was most recently the Coalitions Communications Director on Mandela Barnes for Wisconsin and the Democratic National Committee’s Midwest Press Secretary. Previously, he worked as National Press Secretary for Stand Up America, Communications Manager at The Hub Project, and on the communications teams for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Obama White House.

Ryan got his start in politics after failing to make it big as a child actor. Based in DC, he grew up in Florida and hails from Minnesota.

Email Ryan@focalpointstrategygroup.com

Nicole Haley
Vice President

Nicole Haley brings a wealth of experience in politics where she applies her expertise to support organizations dedicated to defending democracy and advancing the rights of all individuals. Nicole ran communications efforts for the Congressional Integrity Project, where she played a key role in holding Congressional Republicans accountable during the impeachment investigation into President Biden. Earlier in her career she led communications at the Defend Democracy Project, managed the Coronavirus War Room at Protect Our Care, and worked on research teams at the state and national level, including Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Email Nicole@focalpointstrategygroup.com

Joann Saridakis
Campaigns Director

Joann Saridakis is the Campaigns Director at Focal Point Strategy Group, where she helps spearhead the development of our expanding advocacy campaign and war room practice.

Before joining Focal Point Strategy Group, Joann served as Regional Campaigns Director at the League of Conservation Voters, where she guided electoral and issue advocacy efforts across 16 states, helping secure critical Democratic wins in Nevada, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

An experienced campaign operative with more than a decade of experience on competitive races, Joann has worked in senior roles in races across the country, including managing a DCCC Red to Blue race in the Midwest in 2020, the re-election of an embattled state delegate as part of the Virginia legislative wins in 2019, and serving as a senior staffer on now-Senator Catherine Cortez Masto’s first election to the Senate in 2016.

A native of New Jersey, Joann is a diehard fan of Philly sports and Bruce Springsteen and enjoys robust debates about the nonexistence of Central Jersey.

Email Joann@focalpointstrategygroup.com

Esperanza Peral
Senior Associate

Esperanza Peral is the Senior Associate at Focal Point Strategy Group, where she helps play a pivotal role in executing strategic communication initiatives for clients dedicated to defending democracy.

Prior to joining Focal Point, Esperanza served as Deputy Press Secretary for the North Carolina Coordinated Campaign, where she contributed to shaping messaging and media strategies in a critical election cycle. She also gained valuable experience as a Research Fellow at Jones Mandel, where she supported data-driven political analysis.

A proud North Carolinian and Tar Heel, Esperanza recently relocated to Washington, D.C., with her English Bulldog, Boo.

Email Esperanza@focalpointstrategygroup.com

Jayson O’Neill
Senior Director

Jayson O’Neill previously was a Senior Manager for Sustainable Finance at Climate Nexus, leading communications for organizations and investors on climate financial regulations and risks. With nearly two decades of experience in political, environmental, and conservation communications, Jayson has held roles in government and business, as well as accountability, conservation, and climate organizations. His work has been cited in major publications and he has testified before Congress. Based in Montana, Jayson is also a volunteer ski patroller, hunter, flyfisher, and public lands advocate.

Email Jayson@focalpointstrategygroup.com

Joe Vogel
Senior Director

Joe Vogel has helped launch political campaigns and issue-advocacy organizations at all levels. He started his career as an advance staffer for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign. After working to elect Virginia Governor Ralph Northam in 2017, Joe joined Senator Cory Booker’s political team, helping build his presidential campaign. Joe went on to lead the campaign’s national advance operation, before managing operations for Mike Bloomberg’s national advance team. He has helped plan messaging strategies, produce rallies, and execute press conferences for organizations focused on gun violence prevention, access to reproductive healthcare, and tech accountability.

Joe serves as a State Legislator in Maryland, and in 2024 was a candidate for the U.S. Congress. He lives in Gaithersburg, MD, just down the street from where he grew up, and is one of Noah Kahan’s top listeners on Spotify.

Email Joe@focalpointstrategygroup.com

César Vargas-Torrico
Senior Associate

César Vargas-Torrico is the Senior Associate at Focal Point Strategy Group, where he works with the team to craft communications materials and helps manage, create, and distribute materials on behalf of clients.

Before joining Focal Point Strategy Group, César served as the Press Assistant for Senator Chris Coons, where he played a key role in the management of the Senator’s social media accounts, drafted press releases and advisories, lifted the Senators’ work in his Judiciary, Small Business, and Appropriations committees, and assisted press staff in the daily operations of a highly productive press office. In 2019, César started on the Hill in the House Committee on Rules and then Congresswoman Norma Torres’ team.

Hailing from Bolivia, Cesar’s secret weapon is a Spotify playlist that seamlessly transitions from reggaeton to campaign strategy podcasts. When César isn’t helping his team craft press materials, he spends time with his Siberian Husky and plays the electric guitar in his Washington-D.C. based band.

Email Cesar@focalpointstrategygroup.com

Olivia Amitay
Senior Associate

As a Senior Associate at Focal Point Strategy Group, Olivia Amitay focuses on approaching climate communications from various perspectives to drive action. Olivia was most recently an Associate at Climate Nexus, where she developed her skills in media relations while communicating climate finance issues. She also previously served as a Producer for The Sweaty Penguin Podcast, a PBS comedic climate program aimed at making environmental news accessible. In her free time, Olivia enjoys collecting vinyls, vintage shopping, and cultivating her houseplant collection.

Email Olivia@focalpointstrategygroup.com

Leah Hurwitz
Senior Associate

Leah Hurwitz is a Senior Associate at Focal Point Strategy Group, where she manages client and media relationships, produces various communication materials, and supports the team’s strategic initiatives. Prior to joining Focal Point, Leah was a Press Assistant on the Harris-Walz campaign, supporting the communications team’s day-to-day operations. She also served as a Press Assistant for the Democratic National Convention Committee, where she played a key role in planning and executing communications operations and strategies leading up to and during the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

Email Leah@focalpointstrategygroup.com

Mary Jennings
Communications Specialist

Mary is a veteran communications strategist who has served in top roles on presidential campaigns, including the Hillary Clinton campaign, and the corporate world, including WeWork.

Email Mary@focalpointstrategygroup.com