Southwest Strategies Welcomes Three Senior Account Executives

SAN DIEGO - Oct. 8, 2014 - PRLog -- Southwest Strategies, one of San Diego's top public affairs firms, is pleased to announce that it has welcomed three new members to its growing team. Hope Reilly, Jake Sneeden and Ashley Johnson have recently joined the firm as senior account executives. Their additions have provided new expertise and skills to serve the firm's clients and projects.

Hope Reilly comes to Southwest Strategies as a seasoned public affairs professional, bringing more than four years of strategic communications and government relations experience to the company. Her current clients include the San Diego Association of Governments and Poseidon Water.

Prior to joining Southwest Strategies, Reilly worked as a Senior Associate at Amplify Public Affairs in Washington, D.C. In this capacity, she gained experience managing a wide variety of issues, clients and advocacy campaigns. She excelled at navigating the public and private sectors, and leveraging traditional and social media platforms in order to raise issue awareness for her clients on both a regional and national scale. While at Amplify, Reilly led several clients to policy victories, utilizing innovative communications strategies to influence public opinion and mobilize both the legislative and executive branches of the federal government.

"Hope has a tremendous passion for the work she does," said company president Chris Wahl. "She applies her experience and knowledge to make sure that her client needs are always met and addressed."

In addition to her experience in public affairs, Reilly also spent time working for ABC News in Washington, D.C. While at ABC, she co-authored ABC News' The Note and reported on the 2008 presidential election.

Reilly received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Communication from George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs, with a minor in International Politics and Economics. She is also a member of the Junior League of San Diego.

Jake Sneeden comes to Southwest Strategies with experience in public sector consulting. He applies a dynamic range of experience working with federal agencies, building coalitions and executing national outreach plans in his work on an array of accounts, including H.G. Fenton Company and Falck.

Prior to joining Southwest Strategies, he was a consultant with Eastern Research Group where he worked on projects with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies. His work focused on developing public-private partnerships to promote clean energy markets, building tools to support energy efficiency programs, planning nationwide communications strategies and helping companies communicate their sustainability efforts. In his work with EPA, he spearheaded the development of a national consortium of K-12 schools purchasing renewable energy. He has experience with project management, stakeholder outreach and engagement, and strategic communications.

"Jake is smart and proactive, and he has a desire to learn and thrive within our company," said Chairman Alan Ziegaus. "He has demonstrated that he produces excellent work, and the clients he works with are, without a doubt, in good hands."

Sneeden spent the spring of 2012 as an intern for U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, attending numerous congressional briefings and assisting with constituent engagement on energy, international affairs and health care issues. After graduating college, he worked for a startup, building an iPhone app designed to support finance driven solutions to climate change and poverty in developing countries.

Sneeden graduated cum laude from Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service with a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service, majoring in International Politics with a concentration in Security Studies. Sneeden is an active member of the Equinox Center's Leaders 2020 program and the Surfrider Foundation's San Diego Chapter. He is also a proficient French speaker.

Ashley Johnson joins Southwest Strategies after working for more than six years in the U.S. Congress and government affairs. Prior to joining Southwest Strategies, Johnson was a senior-level policy advisor to the Chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee, which oversees the nation's social welfare programs. As a Congressional aide, she advised on subcommittee policy and set legislative priorities in the areas of energy, environment, housing, transportation, defense and foreign affairs. While working in Congress, Johnson also drafted legislation related to public lands, housing, veterans' affairs and government reform and successfully secured hearings and House passage for a number of these initiatives.

On Capitol Hill, Johnson co-managed several bipartisan Congressional caucuses—including the Congressional Renewable Energy Caucus, Goods Movement Caucus and National Parks Caucus. These opportunities enabled Johnson to excel at building and strengthening relationships across diverse groups and individuals. Her ability to build diverse relationships, develop and implement effective strategy, and tackle complex problems will be an asset to Southwest Strategies and its clients.

"We are excited to have Ashley's political and governmental expertise as part of our firm now," said Ziegaus. "We need people like Ashley that excel in strategy and relationship building."

Johnson began her career in Washington, D.C. at a government relations firm immediately after graduating from Utah State University with degrees in political science and psychology.

About Southwest Strategies

San Diego-based Southwest Strategies offers a full range of communications and strategic services for a diverse client list. The firm's services include public affairs, community relations, crisis communications, public relations, media relations and government affairs. The company has been ranked by the San Diego Business Journal as one of San Diego's top 10 public relations firms. Alan Ziegaus and Chris Wahl formed Southwest Strategies in April 2000. For more information, visit http://www.swspr.com.