The Team
Our team brings together strategic communications, crisis communications, and stakeholder outreach to help organizations drive change. We believe in team — and in becoming a core part of yours. It’s why we’ve helped such a variety of clients succeed, from Governor Maura Healey’s historic campaign to national and local organizations effecting change in health care, reproductive freedom, technology, transportation, education, and clean energy.
Meet Katie
Katie Ward is Vice President of Public Affairs and Communication
Katie leads integrated communications programs for a variety of clients in the nonprofit, health care, and education fields. She has executed national thought-leadership campaigns and secured high impact earned media placements for her clients. Katie’s clients include Delta Dental of Massachusetts, the Project on Predatory Student Lending, Neighborhood Villages, Environmental Voter Project, and more.
Prior to joining the practice in 2017, Katie was Senior Director of Communications at United Way of Massachusetts Bay, and previously worked in the press office of Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino.
Meet Emalie
Emalie Gainey is Assistant Vice President of Public Affairs
Emalie focuses on media relations, helping clients drive change and influence public policy through national and local media placements and stakeholder outreach. Emalie’s clients include CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, Neighborhood Villages, the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, and more.
Prior to joining the team, Emalie worked in the Press Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General for over a decade. As Press Secretary for Attorney General Maura Healey, she helped manage communications on issues including health care, the opioid crisis, data privacy, civil rights, labor, human trafficking, and the environment.
Some of our Public Affairs clients include:
Our Work
While our clients’ communications needs are always evolving, our dedication to results is constant. To succeed in your mission, you must utilize the right communications levers — from earned media to owned content. From branding and creative to paid media communications. We will help you think strategically about which levers are right for you, and then execute them. Some of our client work includes:
What We've Been Up To
CareQuest Institute For Oral Health
When CareQuest Institute for Oral Health launched as a new, national organization with a mission to build a more accessible, equitable, and integrated health care system, we helped introduce their new brand and establish it as a powerful leader in health care advocacy and innovation. Our ongoing strategic communications work with their team touches every facet of public affairs, including media relations, thought leadership, video and web content, speaking and event opportunities, communicating and advancing their policy agenda, and more. We secured high impact national media placements for their work and leaders in outlets such as USA Today, New York Times, and Health Affairs; pitched and developed a speaking presentation for SXSW for the organization’s CEO; secured and facilitated paid media forums with The Hill, Politico, and The Root focused on core policy issues including expansion of dental benefits in Medicare and Medicaid. Working together, we’ve exceeded CareQuest Institute’s organizational media goals and metrics year over year.
USA Today
American Indian, Alaska Native communities face 'disproportionate burden' of poor oral health
The Root
Our Black Maternal Health Crisis Is a Racial Justice Issue That Demands Bold Solutions
Boston Globe
Former head of Dimock Center launches dental health care nonprofit with focus on equity
NBC News
DIY dental 'hacks' keep going viral on TikTok. But dentists say they can be dangerous and painful.
What We've Been Up To
Neighborhood Villages
Neighborhood Villages is a non-profit organization working to fix our nation's broken child care system. To spread awareness and enact meaningful change, we work with Neighborhood Villages to advance their policy and communications goals through earned media and content creation. As an extension of their team, we manage all of their media relations as well as a broad range of content and communications needs, including website content management, social media, videos, annual reports, fact sheets, and more. Working with the Neighborhood Villages team, we have secured high impact media placements highlighting their work providing operational support to the early education and child care sector, as well as their policy work. To advance engagement around Neighborhood Villages’ advocacy work, we also helped create and launch original “Fix Child Care” branding and content, including a merchandise store where supporters can purchase items on the Neighborhood Villages website.
Boston Globe
Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donates $2 million to Neighborhood Villages for quality affordable child care
Harvard Magazine
The Childcare Crisis
Fortune
‘Now we sit on the precipice of collapse’: Childcare shortages and empty classrooms could get even worse
Early Learning Nation
Neighborhood Villages: Boston-Based Child Care Innovation Lab for Solutions that Can Scale
What We've Been Up To
Reproductive Equity Now
In November 2021, Reproductive Equity Now, formerly NARAL Massachusetts, separated from its national non-profit affiliate and relaunched as an independent organization with an expanded mission. Knowing the Supreme Court was likely to overturn Roe v. Wade just six months later, we needed not only a new name and brand identity, but one that reflected the urgent need to protect and expand abortion access. Because we approached this as a public affairs challenge and not just a branding challenge, we focused on creating a process that would build consensus among policy leaders and the pro-choice movement, who are essential to Reproductive Equity Now’s mission. We created and executed a cohesive, multi-channel communications strategy — including creating a new name, logo, brand identity, website, and social channels, in addition to managing earned media coverage — that had the full support of key stakeholders. In addition to the brand launch, our team continues to support their mission and growth throughout the year with various projects including the creation of video content, email and blog content, and targeted digital advertising. We also helped Reproductive Equity Now announce its 2023 expansion into New Hampshire and Connecticut.