GARRETT ARWA

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT | HEAD OF PAID MEDIA & POLITICAL COMMUNICATIONS

garrett@brysongillette.com

Garrett brings nearly 20 years of political experience across state and national campaigns as Bryson Gillette’s Senior Vice President and Head of Paid Media and Political. He has managed multi-million dollar budgets and advised high-level stakeholders including Congressional leaders, labor leaders, and statewide elected officials. His most important work at BG to date was his pivotal role in electing Kyra Harris Bolden and Kimberly Ann Thomas to the Michigan Supreme Court in 2024. Previously, he served as interim executive director of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, handling political outreach and lobbying during the last redistricting in 2021. His expertise spans paid media, organizing, non-partisan voter education, issue advocacy, candidate campaigning, and independent expenditures . His work has touched over 30 states.

Outside of the office, Garrett is an avid cook, will dance just about anywhere (especially department stores), can be found walking while listening to an audiobook, and loves to go on adventures with his wife Emily and their pug Franklin. 

DAMARA CATLETT

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT | BG ADVOCACY

damara@brysongillette.com

SETH LITT

VICE PRESIDENT | PUBLIC AFFAIRS

seth@brysongillette.com

Seth is a strategist, communicator, and doer who has spent 20 years bringing people together to build capacity and develop strategy to solve complex challenges. Equally skilled at media relations, brand-building, activating coalitions, and digital engagement, Seth employs every tool at his disposal to help his clients – from innovative national nonprofits to leading technology companies – expand their imagination of what is possible and then achieve their goals. A seasoned nonprofit executive and educator, Seth has strengthened public education, organized families in Los Angeles to win historic policy victories, co-founded a fund that supported more than 4,000 families during the pandemic, and founded a public high school in the South Bronx for youth affected by the criminal legal system.

Seth and his wife Lucy live in Washington DC with their two Australian Shepherds, Zeus and Lefty. 

KATHERINE PROVINS

Executive Assistant

katherine@brysongillette.com

Katherine Provins provides administrative support on a wide variety of projects for Bryson Gillette, including project management, client relations, finance, operations, and event planning.

Katherine is a Chicago native now living in Los Angeles. Outside of the office, you will find her at the dog park, hiking with her Boxer puppy, or spending time with her daughter.

ANNA WOOD

Senior Director | Enterprise Operations

anna@brysongillette.com

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Anna Wood manages Bryson Gillette’s internal operations and is thrilled to be part of the firm’s strategic growth. Anna wears many hats at Bryson Gillette, and is passionate about building smart, efficient processes that increase her colleagues’ impact. Prior to joining Bryson Gillette, Anna worked as the strategic operations manager at Los Angeles’ Central City Association. She also led organizing teams for youth voter mobilization and issue advocacy efforts as regional organizing manager at New Era Colorado. 

Outside of work you can find Anna exploring LA with her husband, packing the car for a weekend trip, or cuddling with her cats at home, tea or cocktail in hand.

JESSICA TAYLOR

Director | People Operations

jess@brysongillette.com

Jess Taylor provides strategic operations and human resources support to help scale team impact. She has served both political campaigns and public affairs clients through a variety of duties, including project management, media tracking, a variety of writing duties, and an array of production responsibilities. Prior to joining Bryson Gillette, Jess managed organizing teams and special projects for statewide and national political campaigns, including Senator Elizabeth Warren’s senate re-election campaign and presidential bid, and the Democratic ticket in New Hampshire in 2020.

Jess lives in Atlanta with her partner, Anna, where they’re aiming to try all of the delicious food, dance to lots of live music, and immerse themselves in the city’s legacy of activism.

RISA SUNAKAWA

SENIOR MANAGER

risa@brysongillette.com

Risa is a communications strategist specializing in earned media, particularly in tech reform, environmental justice, and education. From gaining national coverage for emerging initiatives to preparing spokespeople for major media opportunities, she brings a knack for creative storytelling that drives impactful narratives.

Risa is a Yankees fan, but will root for the Angels for Ohtani. In her free time, she likes pretending like she knows about wine.

REBECCA PEARCEY

PARTNER | PAID MEDIA & POLITICAL COMMUNICATIONS

rebecca@brysongillette.com

Rebecca is one of the nation’s most respected political strategists, bringing 25 years of experience leading winning campaigns at the local, state and national levels. She develops innovative media and campaign strategies that help candidates win tough races. A former political director and senior advisor for Senator Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign, she has guided hundreds of races nationwide and played a pivotal role in flipping over 400 legislative seats in 2018. Rebecca is also a dedicated mentor, training emerging diverse leaders in strategic campaign management, blending her deep expertise with a commitment to building the next generation of political talent.

If Rebecca hasn’t missed her flight, she is probably tweeting about how close she’s calling it and offering travel tips on Twitter.

JACQUELINE LEE RIVERA

VICE PRESIDENT

jacqueline@brysongillette.com

Jacqueline is a strategic communications leader who develops integrated campaigns that increase visibility, build influence, and advance mission-driven goals. She advises social impact organizations, cultural leaders, and global brands on aligning messaging, media, and partnerships to achieve measurable change. Her work bridges philanthropy, entertainment, and global brands to move ideas from strategy to concrete impact and has earned recognition from the Anthem Awards, Shorty Awards, and Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Awards for excellence in social impact.

Jacqueline is passionate about the power of storytelling to open hearts and minds and can be found watching the latest films, sampling new restaurants, and attending concerts across Los Angeles.

SHIRA FINE

PARTNER | HEAD OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS

shira@brysongillette.com

Shira leads the firm’s public affairs practice and has helped grow the company from 10 employees to more than 40 in a few short years. She specializes in launching new organizations and campaigns, guiding them from bold ideas to measurable impact. Shira advises foundations, nonprofits, and changemakers on strategy, media relations, branding, and crisis planning — helping philanthropic entities navigate emerging risks, designing crisis responses for hit television shows, and advancing responsible tech through XR for good and child safety campaigns. Her career highlights include spearheading Netflix’s Crip Camp social impact campaign and pressing technology companies to remove child sexual abuse material from their platforms. In 2026, she received both the PRWeek’s Women of Distinction award and PRNews’ Top Women in PR and Communications Changemaker award.

On the weekends, she can be found hiking in Griffith Park, wandering on the beach or discovering new playgrounds with her husband and two sons.

PAUL BEAN

Designer

paul@brysongillette.com

KASEY POULIN

Senior Director | Strategic Operations and Paid Media Production

kasey@brysongillette.com

Kasey Poulin leads the firm’s paid media and production work. From video production, ad buying all the way to direct mail, Kasey helps to shepherd our political and public affairs clients through the process of creating compelling paid media content from beginning to end. Previously, she was national travel manager for Senator Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign and before that served on Warren’s successful U.S. Senate re-election campaign. Kasey began her career as a field organizer for Jay González’s gubernatorial campaign in Massachusetts.

Kasey and her wife Annie live in Worcester, Massachusetts, where they enjoy getting involved in local political races.

MARCOS RODRIGUEZ

SENIOR DIRECTOR

marcos@brysongillette.com

With a decade of experience working at the intersection of strategic communications and political consulting, Marcos helps organizations navigate politically charged environments. From building crisis playbooks to preparing advocates for congressional hearings, he has guided clients through high-stakes moments. Marcos has trained leaders of top tech, philanthropic, and public institutions, landed op-eds in the Washington Post and USA Today, and designed communications strategies that reach audiences in both English and Spanish.

Marcos has guided candidates up and down the ballot through competitive campaigns, from Congress to school boards. In the closing weeks of the 2024 campaign, he worked at the Pennsylvania headquarters of the Harris campaign, working with senior leadership to develop Election Day communications. Marcos develops paid media campaigns that persuade and turn out voters, creates bilingual ads, and leverages research, polling, and creativity to help candidates win.

Outside of work, Marcos loves to travel and often spends his weekends outside of Los Angeles. He also enjoys trying new restaurants and knows the best spots in L.A. 

BILL BURTON

FOUNDING PARTNER | CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

bill@brysongillette.com

Bill is a renowned political and communications strategist who has worked as a senior adviser to some of the nation’s most influential political leaders, corporations, advocacy organizations, and nonprofits. After serving as national press secretary for then-Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, Bill became a senior adviser and deputy press secretary during President Obama’s first term in the White House. For over two decades, he has shepherded hundreds of candidates in races across the country while also driving national communications campaigns on the biggest issues of our time, from climate change and education reform to voting rights and racial justice. A natural communicator who simplifies complicated ideas and designs strategies that break through the noise, Bill empowers leaders and organizations large and small to communicate with authenticity and build lasting relationships with their audiences.

Since 2015, Bill has made Santa Barbara his home with his wife Kelly Ward Burton and three kids, Oscar, Emma, and Miles. Bill loves playing guitar and teaching his son to play basketball.