Hannah Brenchley

Hannah is a member of the research team in Washington D.C. where she works with a variety of SKDK’s advocacy, non-profit, and corporate clients. Prior to joining SKDK Hannah worked at GBAO, a Democratic public opinion research firm, where she conducted strategic and message research for political candidates and advocacy organizations across the country. During her tenure she polled for key congressional and statewide candidates, as well as doing quantitative and qualitative research on public attitudes towards criminal justice reform, voting rights, abortion access, and education policy.

A Southern California native, Hannah graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Public Affairs. She began her research career at EMILY’s List, where she conducted issue stance and voting record vetting and worked to elect more women to higher office

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Ileana Astorga

Ileana is a member of the paid media team in Washington, D.C., where she works on various political campaigns.

Prior to joining SKDK, Ileana served as a Legislative Correspondent for Senator Bennet’s (CO-D) office focusing on education, foreign affairs, and infrastructure. She has experience working on local and national campaigns where, she developed a deep passion for campaign work.

Ileana graduated from Duke University with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. She is originally from Denver, Colorado.

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Johanna Hernandez

Johanna is a Senior Associate in SKDK’s New York City Public Affairs team, where she works on a variety of the firm’s healthcare, energy, and education clients.

Prior to joining SKDK, Johanna developed her passion for strategic communications working across brand, multicultural, and advocacy clients. She has also done freelance public relations work and internships within the music and issue advocacy spaces.

Originally from Hudson County, New Jersey, Johanna graduated from CUNY- The City College of New York with a bachelor’s degree in Media Communications.

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Jess D’Amelia

Jess is an experienced communications professional with expertise in public affairs and public relations. Prior to joining the public affairs team as a senior associate, Jess spent time working for several non-profits in the US and abroad, developing a specialization in strategic communications and messaging.

Jess has experience working with a diverse range of clients on several successful political and advocacy campaigns, including the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, the “Green Light” Bill, and the Child-Parent Security Act. She has a keen interest in women’s issues and healthcare advocacy and she takes pride in working to create a more equitable future for all.

Jess is a Capital Region native and a graduate of Marist College. She originally joined SKDK as a public affairs intern after earning her B.A. in Communication.

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Vig Tharmarajah

Vig is a Senior Associate on SKDK’s New York City public affairs team, where he works on a variety of the firm’s advocacy, corporate and nonprofit clients.

He originally joined SKDK as a public affairs intern, supporting various teams and projects. Prior to that, Vig worked on Congressman Joe Kennedy’s Senate campaign and at The Blue Lab in Boston where he helped Democratic candidates run for office at the city and state levels. He has also worked on local and statewide races in New York and Maryland and has interned for a Member of Parliament in the U.K.

Vig is a New York City native and graduated from Boston University with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science.

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Alaina Berner

Alaina Berner is a communications professional with a range of experience in messaging, press relationships, and digital content creation to help achieve clients’ goals.

Before joining SKDK, Alaina served as Communications Director for Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), crafting messaging and increasing the Congresswoman’s name recognition across her district. Prior to that, as Press Assistant for the House Democratic Caucus under the Chairmanship of Congressman Joe Crowley, Alaina assisted Democratic member offices in promoting personal and national narratives.

Alaina is an Arlington native and graduate of University of Michigan with degrees in Political Science and Spanish.

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