New Year, New People, New Roles
If you’re like us, you probably can’t believe it’s 2022 either. But like it or not, the new year is here – and it’s a doozy for our Denny Civic Solutions team, with a whole bunch of new developments to announce! So without further ado…
New Year
1. What better way to kick off a new year than by announcing a new client? We’re thrilled that, for the duration of 2022, we’ll be working alongside the Heinz Endowments and the National Center on Education and the Economy on a brand new effort to support Pennsylvania’s urban public school districts and help drive systems change leading to better outcomes for students, educators, and districts.
Our work begins with the upcoming launch of a campaign focused on addressing Pennsylvania’s massive (and growing) public teacher shortage. Nothing is more important to the future of our Commonwealth than providing a quality education for its students. We can’t wait to show you what we’re cooking up.
2. Meanwhile, as the new year also sadly ushers in a new spike in COVID cases, we’re reminded that this pandemic is here to stay for the foreseeable future. That’s why this year, we’re committing to expanding our Digital Advocacy Day service to even more clients, both current and future.
We’re proud to offer this service, allowing clients to move their critical issues forward even when traditional advocacy tools like rallies and in-person legislator meetings are becoming increasingly difficult to plan.
We’ve already deployed Digital Advocacy Days for The Family Care Campaign, #StrongMomStrongBaby, Open Primaries PA, the Children’s Aid Society Foundation, and more. We’d love to host one with you. Learn more here.
New People
1. We’re especially excited to welcome a new member of the DCS team – meet our new Social Media Strategist, Darya Kharabi!
Born and raised in Northern Virginia, Darya is a passionate advocate for universal healthcare, womens’ bodily autonomy, judicial accountability, immigration, and more. Previous to DCS, Darya worked as the Director of Public Relations for Carnegie Mellon’s Frame Gallery, then as Digital Marketing Coordinator for the Pittsburgh City Paper. In addition, they’ve been a part of leadership in many of Carnegie Mellon’s student orgs, including WRCT 88.3FM and Call to Action CMU.
Having worked with a diverse array of people, from emerging artists and engineers to seasoned journalists and veteran activists, Darya comes prepared with a fresh, energetic new perspective to contribute to the team. In their free time, Darya enjoys foraging, cooking, spending time with their chunky calico cat Sasha, and courtroom sketching.
2. The new faces don’t stop there! We’re also excited to announce a new strategic partnership with Stephanie Watkins, a seasoned government relations specialist based in Harrisburg. Stephanie is already jumping in on projects including the new teacher shortage effort mentioned above, plus the Protect Sick Babies effort led by our friends at the Mid-Atlantic Mothers’ Milk Bank.
Currently the owner of Cleverly LLC, Stephanie began her career working inside the capitol building in Harrisburg leading policy planning and development and working closely with legislative leadership teams on issues ranging from health care to energy to education. Following her time in the capitol, she jumped into the world of contract lobbying alongside veteran lobbyists getting to know key decision makers in the House, Senate, and Executive branches of government.
Most recently, Stephanie served as vice president for state legislative advocacy for the Hospital and Health System Association of Pennsylvania, where she navigated the advocacy world on complex state budgetary issues, workplace violence policy changes, liability protections, clinical/operational decision points and, of course, advocating within the intense environment during a health care pandemic.
When she’s not working with the incredible advocates of Harrisburg, she enjoys spending time with her husband Kip and their two Jack Russells, Annie and Miles.
3. They say all good things must come to an end. And while we’d like to pretend that isn’t always true, it is bittersweet to share that Jane Earll, our dear friend and strategic consultant, announced her well-earned retirement as of December 31st.
Following an incredible career in public service – marked by 16 years as Pennsylvania State Senator, running as the first-ever woman to be nominated by her party for Lieutenant Governor, and serving as an assistant District Attorney in her beloved Erie – Jane has spent the last several years working on numerous projects alongside our crew here at Denny Civic Solutions.
We’d be lying if we said we won’t miss her sage advice and never-fail counsel, but we’d also be lying if we said we weren’t excited for her to enjoy the heck out of her retirement! Congratulations, Jane, and we promise we won’t bombard you with phone calls (too much) from here on out!
New Roles
Last but not least, we’re excited to announce two new and expanded roles (and one very sunny relocation) for DCS team members:
1. First, we’re excited to share that Charlie Lotz has been named DCS Chief Strategy Officer as of January 1st. As CSO, he will oversee the implementation and continued development of our DCS strategic plan, work to expand our digital marketing efforts, oversee coalition management training for fellow team members, and continue to provide direct client services. Charlie has been with Denny Civic Solutions since 2012, continuously expanding his responsibilities from his original role as Social Media and Web Content Director (working remotely from Spain, no less) to this new role. And speaking of Spain…
Charlie will also be shifting to fully remote work at the end of January, as he and his wife Sarah will be moving back to Seville, Spain to be closer to Sarah’s family. And while his physical location may be changing, he’ll still maintain (slightly adjusted) EST working hours and be fully contactable by phone, email, and video call. In addition to those Digital Advocacy Days we mentioned earlier, we view the move as just another way DCS is working to embrace “the new normal” of our new, global digital workplace!
2. Finally, we’re thrilled to announce that Anna Havrilla has been named our new Director of Strategic Communications and Client Services! In the two-and-a-half years since Anna first joined the DCS team as our Public Policy Intern, she has rapidly and repeatedly demonstrated her incredible ability and work ethic while delivering unparalleled service to our clients.
The new title brings expanded management responsibilities for overseeing our growing team, as well as broader client service delivery and strategic oversight over multiple aspects of our civic campaign process. Anna has spent every minute since joining DCS demonstrating her ability to handle whatever challenges come her way – which is why we know she’ll knock this latest one out of the park. Congrats, Anna!