ALEX JOHNSON

Vice President

alex@brysongillette.com

Alex has nearly twenty years of successful cross-sector experience working with policymakers, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and philanthropy to solve complex problems and advance change. Most recently he served as Chief of Staff at The California Wellness Foundation, one of the largest private health foundations in the state. Alex led efforts to address gun violence as a preventable public health issue, reimagine the youth justice system, and address issues ranging from health equity, environmental justice, and immigration.

Prior to Cal Wellness, Alex managed the development and execution of Californians for Safety and Justice overall strategy and goals to advance best practices in justice reform; build coalitions with diverse stakeholders; engage in high-impact communications; and elevate the voices of diverse crime survivors in the debate on public safety policy. While at Children’s Defense Fund-California, Alex led statewide policy advocacy, program and organizing efforts focused on access to quality affordable health coverage and care for children and low-income families, reform the youth system, promoting educational equity, and ending child poverty. Under his leadership the organization won a long-fought battle to end solitary confinement in juvenile institutions.

Alex also brings significant government experience, having worked for a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. He served as a senior advisor on education, early childhood development, youth justice, and public safety issues impacting the Second District. In addition, Alex served two terms on the Los Angeles County Board of Education, including time as President, working to effectively shape policies and programs in the best interests of students and families. He began his career in New York City advocating for domestic violence victims as an assistant district attorney in Bronx County.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Alex is a graduate of Morehouse College and American University, Washington College of Law. He serves on the boards of Southern California Grantmakers, Trust for Public Land-California Advisory Board, and the Wiley Center for Speech and Language Therapy. Alex’s writings have appeared in Huffington Post, The Guardian, Los Angeles Daily News, San Jose Mercury News, Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, California Health Report, and Sacramento Bee.

ELSA ALVARADO

Director

elsa@brysongillette.com

Elsa Alvarado is a communications expert who leverages her years of senior-level public affairs experience from the Pentagon, the State Department, and the campaign trail, to position Bryson Gillette’s clients in the media and cultivate key stakeholders.

Most recently, Elsa served in the Biden-Harris Administration as Director of Strategic Communications in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs. In this role, she received the Office of the Secretary of Defense Award for Outstanding Achievement for her work in preparing the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense for their congressional engagements. During her tenure, Elsa successfully navigated high-level priorities through a series of world crises such as the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Elsa holds a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from Tsinghua University in Beijing, where she attended as a Schwarzman Scholar. Elsa also received a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Middlebury College.

In her spare time, Elsa serves on the D.C. Advisory Board for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, where she advocates for access to higher education for young Latino students. She is also an alumni/mentor for the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. Elsa is a native New Yorker and now resides in Washington D.C. with her partner, Hunter, and their Australian Shepherd puppy, Smokey.

MONIKA LEE

Senior Manager

monika@brysongillette.com

Monika joins Bryson Gillette after working as the Associate Communications Director at the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, a statewide health advocacy organization advancing health equity and racial justice. Previously, Monika worked on several statewide campaigns and ballot initiatives as a Campaign Coordinator at Paschal Roth. She has experience in full-scale communications work, from public education campaigns to targeted legislative work, all with a desire to bridge policymakers and elected officials to the communities they serve and are accountable to. She has worked across a variety of policy areas, including health, housing, clean energy, and labor unions.

Originally from San Diego, she currently resides in Sacramento. She graduated from Scripps College with a B.A. in Legal Studies, focusing on History. In her spare time, she served as the Campaign Manager for a local city council race, volunteers with Global Shapers Sacramento, an organization funded by the World Economic Forum, and enjoys bouldering, hiking, and baking.

MICHAEL OCON

Manager

michael.ocon@brysongillette.com

Michael Ocon is a recognized leader in the realm of educational equity, a trained political organizer, and a passionate advocate for institutional access. Michael is a first-generation college graduate, having attended Stanford University, where he received his B.A. in English Literature. As an undergraduate, he served as the inaugural Student Advisor to the Provost and Vice Provost of Student Affairs. In this newly-created role, he counseled administrators and trustees on issues related to budget reform, investment responsibility, community crisis response, public safety, and diversity and inclusion. Michael is also recognized as the Co-founder of the Stanford Coalition for Workers’ Rights, which raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for direct Covid-related relief for hundreds of workers in the Bay Area.

Michael’s passion for political organizing was focused through internships with Antonio Villaraigosa for Governor, the Office of Senator Kamala D. Harris, Kamala Harris for President, George Gascón for District Attorney, and SEIU-USWW. In these roles, he worked closely with senior staff on communications and rapid response, field organizing strategy, and policy advocacy on the issues of educational reform and youth voter engagement. A proud native of Pasadena, CA, Michael has also been politically active on a number of local races and advocacy campaigns, and serves on the board of College Access Plan, Pasadena.

A member of the Trojan family, Michael is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Administration at USC, where he serves on the governing boards of the Norman Topping Scholarship Fund, and the Graduate Policy and Administration Committee, and as a City/County Management Fellow. In his spare time, he’ll be found gaming with his friends, watching true crime documentaries, listening to R&B, and writing stories about the places and the people he calls home.

SETH LITT

Vice President

seth@brysongillette.com

Seth is a strategist, communicator, and doer who has spent 20 years bringing people together to find inspiration, build capacity, develop strategy and solve complex challenges. An experienced nonprofit executive, Seth has organized marginalized families in Los Angeles to secure policy victories and built coalitions to elevate and influence key issues. Equally skilled at media relations, shared strategy, and executing under pressure, Seth employs every tool at his disposal to help clients expand their imagination of what is possible and then achieve their goals, usually while working in a laugh or two.

A Bronx native, Seth founded a public high school in the South Bronx for young people who deserve a fair shot at happiness and success after being impacted by the criminal legal system. The absolute best part of that job was standing at the door in the morning and sharing corny, but real, words of encouragement. A great reminder that the words we say can create the world we want to live in.

Seth and his wife Lucy live in Washington DC with their two Australian Shepherds, Zeus and Lefty. In their spare time, they enjoy walking their dogs, playing fetch with their dogs, cleaning dog hair out of their robot vacuum, asking each other why they got a second dog, and wondering out loud if they should get a third dog.

Kyle Valdes

Intern

Kyle Valdes is a Cuban-American who was born and raised in Miami, FL. He is currently a senior at the University of Southern California where he is majoring in Business Administration and minoring in Advertising. He loves to travel, try new foods, and spend quality time with family and friends.

ALEXIS MOLDEN

Intern

Alexis Molden is a second year Political Science major at UCLA. During her first year, she had the opportunity to participate in student government and other advocacy projects that contributed towards helping marginalized communities. As a part of the fellowship for UCLA’s office of the External Vice President, she was able to represent UCLA by understanding and adhering to the different needs of the students on campus. She has also participated in Black Lobby Day as a delegate for her university as she discussed with Senators and Assembly Members the different ways to rectify local and national issues. Moreover, her role in the University of California Student of Color Conference allowed her to connect with other leaders to discuss plans of action in advocating for change. She has already begun to dedicate her career to advocating for equality and equitability within society, and is excited to continue fulfilling her passion of contributing towards change as an intern for Bryson Gillette.

SYNIA BOYER

Intern

Synia Boyer is a junior at Howard University, currently studying Strategic Communication. She is passionate about advancing equity in politics and even created a blog that covered social justice issues. Prior to joining Bryson Gillette, Synia developed social content for Evoke Kyne, a health public relations agency. Interning with the agency’s reputation and social impact team, she also conducted research and supported content for equity initiatives. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Synia enjoys meditation, listening to music, and spending time with her loved ones. She is excited to bring her progressive spirit to Bryson Gillette while learning more about media strategy in public affairs.

DIEGO ANDRADES

Intern

Diego is a senior double majoring in Political Science (honors) and Politics, Philosophy, and Law with a minor in Legal Studies. At USC, Diego found a passion for research, emphasizing in electoral politics, voting systems, and electoral accessibility. Diego's interests in politics have evolved beyond academia, and he has since leveraged his background in electoral research to advocate for progressive voting policies at organizations like Crooked Media and Common Cause.