CIVITΛS Public Affairs Group

Our Work

Winning Advocacy & Public Affairs Campaigns.

From strengthening communities to enhancing common sense public policy and expanding equality, our team of seasoned professionals based in Washington, D.C., Boston, and New York are equipped with the know-how and network to get the job done.

Civitas works with leaders from across the political spectrum to forge bold, bipartisan government relations plans and to craft cutting-edge communications and marketing campaigns. We are at the helm of shaping public policy at the local, state, and federal levels. And we have the track record to prove it.

We know that for substantive wins with lasting results, this work has to be done on both sides of the aisle. Our team includes Democrats, Republicans, and Independents with deep and long-lasting relationships at the local, state, and federal level. We work with the leading pollsters and consultants from across the political spectrum who share our commitment to results.

Civitas is led by founding partners Patrick Guerriero and Bill Smith, managing partner Katherine Grainger, and partner Marc Solomon. All four partners played significant roles in securing marriage equality nationwide. Bill and Patrick spearheaded the groundbreakingly successful Gill Action effort to enact state laws on relationship recognition and bring conservatives into the bipartisan effort, a key part of the comprehensive strategy to get the U.S. Supreme Court to grant same-sex couples marriage rights nationwide. Katherine served as assistant counsel for civil rights to the Governor of New York where she helped write and negotiate New York’s marriage equality law. It is because of Katherine’s multi-issue expertise and intersectional knowledge, that gaining marriage rights for gay and lesbian New Yorkers did not inadvertently undercut the state’s existing civil rights protections. Marc served as a key architect of the movement and the national campaign director for Freedom to Marry. He wrote the acclaimed book on the political and organizing strategy behind the movement: Winning Marriage: The Inside Story of How Same-Sex Couples Took on the Politicians and Pundits – and Won.

Similarly, each of the principals at Civitas has experience leading national movements that drive lasting and transformational change. James Dozier leads the firm’s right-of-center client portfolio and previously led Gill Action’s electoral and legislative efforts in New England and the Mountain West. Denise Feriozzi served as the deputy executive director at EMILY’s List where she led efforts to recruit, train, and elect progressive women at the state and local levels and ran the WOMEN VOTE! program, including an historic effort that elected the U.S. Senate’s first openly LGBT senator. Celine Mizrahi has spent her career working at the intersection of politics, policy, and organizing as an advocate for economic justice, workers’ rights, democracy, and civil rights, including for over a decade as a senior team member for U.S. House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler and for the New York City Council.

We are proud of the issues and organizations we choose to work with at Civitas – all of which represent our shared value set and the difference we hope to make in society.

Civitas (siv'i-tas): Good citizenship with Individual and collective responsibility. Accepting certain obligations to one another and to future generations.

Our People

Civitas is led by founding partners Patrick Guerriero and Bill Smith, managing partner Katherine Grainger, and partner Marc Solomon. Working with in-house experts and leaders from across the political spectrum, the Civitas team forges bold, bipartisan government relations plans and crafts cutting-edge communications and marketing campaigns.

Patrick Guerriero

Founding Partner

Bill Smith

Founding Partner

Katherine Grainger, Esq.

Managing Partner

Marc Solomon

Partner

James C. Dozier

Principal

Denise Feriozzi

Principal

Celine Mizrahi

Principal

Caleb Queen

Senior Director of Operations and Finance

Mary Jane Lewis

Controller

Nathan Smith

Senior Associate

Chris Cordingley

Senior Associate

Rubab Hassan

Senior Associate

Alicia Diaz

Senior Associate

Will Devine

Senior Associate

Hannah Tyrrell

Associate

Lucrezia Sanes

Associate

Sonya Desai

Associate

Madeline Albert

Associate

Sharon Cai

Associate

Erin Kang

Project Coordinator

Some of Our Clients

Below is a sampling of our past and present clients and their successes.

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Alliance for Safety and Justice

The Alliance for Safety and Justice aims to win new safety priorities in states across the country.
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Alliance for Youth Action

Aliiance for Youth Action is uniting America's unstoppable young people to strengthen our democracy, fix our economy & fight injustice.
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American Promise

Americans uniting to win the For Our Freedom Amendment so we the people—not money—govern our country.
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Astraea

The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice is a multi-gendered, multi-racial, multi-identity organization that grew from a lesbian feminist vision.
Autism Speaks
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Autism Speaks

Autism Speaks is the world’s leading autism advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research on autism's causes, prevention, and treatments.
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Black Policy Institute

The Institute is a policy advocacy and leadership training fellowship that provides the tools needed to transform Black communities into constituencies that wield independent, Black political power.
Brady Campaign
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Brady Campaign

The mission of the Brady organization is to create a safer America for all of us that will lead to a dramatic reduction in gun deaths and injuries.
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Campaign Legal Center

CLC’s mission is to improve our democracy and protect the fundamental right of all Americans to participate in the political process.
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The Center

The Center is the heart and home of NYC’s LGBTQ community, providing programs for health, wellness, and community connection.
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Center for Reproductive Rights

The Center for Reproductive Rights uses the power of law to advance reproductive rights as fundamental human rights around the world.
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Center for Secure & Modern Elections

The Center for Secure and Modern Elections is dedicated to advancing pro-voter policies at the state level.
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Centerline

Centerline works to advance centrist policies that defend core constitutional freedoms and liberties, preserve a free market economy, and limit the role of government in Americans’ everyday lives.
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Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES)

CRES supports Republicans who have shown leadership on clean energy and climate issues.
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CityHealth

CityHealth is designed to give city leaders a policy blueprint to use as a lever to improve residents’ lives and help their cities thrive.
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Collaborative for Gender + Reproductive Equity

CGRE brings new funding to game-changing investments that protect and advance gender and reproductive equity in the United States.
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Energy Foundation

Energy Foundation's mission is to secure a clean and equitable energy future to tackle the climate crisis.
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FairVote

FairVote is a nonpartisan organization seeking better elections for all. We research and advance voting reforms that make democracy more functional and representative for every American.
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Family Equality

Family Equality has spent more than 40 years ensuring that everyone has the freedom to find, form, and sustain their families by advancing equality for the LGBTQ+ community.
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Federal Agencies Project

The Federal Agencies Project (FAP) seeks to bring about lasting policy changes that improve the lives and well being of all Americans.
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Freedom for All Americans

Freedom for All Americans is the bipartisan campaign to win nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ Americans.
Tim Gill
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Gill Foundation

Built through the generosity and strategic vision of LGBT pioneer Tim Gill, the Gill Foundation is one of the nation's largest funders of work to achieve LGBT equality.
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GLAAD

GLAAD increases media accountability and community engagement that ensures authentic LGBTQ stories are seen, heard, and actualized.
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Global Citizen Year

Global Citizen Year is addressing our current global challenges by changing the composition, operating system, and impact of the next generation of changemakers.
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The Health Initiative

The Health Initiative is a nationwide effort to spur a new conversation about – and new investments in – health.
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Health Leads

Health Leads envisions a healthcare system that addresses all patients’ basic resource needs as a standard part of quality care.
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Hopewell Fund

The Hopewell Fund manages domestic and international initiatives aimed at advancing public good and achieving equity for all people.
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ImpactAssets

ImpactAssets is an impact investing trailblazer, dedicated to changing the trajectory of our planet’s future and improving the lives of all people.
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In Our Own Voice

In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda is a Reproductive Justice partnership of eight Black women’s Reproductive Justice organizations.
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Inseparable

Inseparable is a growing coalition of people from across the country who share a common goal to fundamentally improve mental health care policy — to take care of ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities.
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Joyful Heart Foundation

The Joyful Heart Foundation works to help sexual assault survivors heal and reclaim a sense of joy in their lives.
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Leadership Now Project

The Leadership Now Project is a membership organization of business and thought leaders taking action to protect and renew American democracy.
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LPAC

LPAC builds political strength and increases representation for and with LGBTQ women.
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Minnesota Vikings

Civitas worked with the Minnesota Vikings on the planning and execution of their LGBTQ Summit.
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National Alliance

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (National Alliance) is the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the public charter school movement.
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National Audubon Society

Audubon mobilizes its network of members, chapters, centers, and state offices to connect people with nature and the power to protect it.
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The National Council for Mental Wellbeing

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing is the unifying voice of health care organizations that deliver mental health and addictions treatment and services.
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National Employment Law Project

National Employment Law Project is a leading advocacy organization with the mission to build a just and inclusive economy where all workers have expansive rights and thrive in good jobs.
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National Immigration Law Center

The National Immigration Law Center is dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of immigrants with low income.
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National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH)

NIRH works to build power to change public policy and galvanize public support on reproductive health and contraception.
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North Star Project

The North Star Project is building a collective, multi-year effort to reach gender justice in the United States.
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The Pipeline Fund

The Pipeline Fund is working toward a reflective democracy where skilled, diverse, community leaders are fully supported to run for office, run campaigns, and pass progressive policies.
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Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of people worldwide.
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Progressive Governance Academy

The Progressive Governance Academy is a program that builds and develops the leadership and governance skills of progressive state and local elected officials across the country.
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Project Right Side

Project Right Side provides research and analysis to engage Republicans in supporting gay and lesbian issues across the political spectrum, thereby improving the political climate for all Americans.
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RADical Hope

RADical Hope is committed to improving the lives and futures of young adults by strengthening connections and building resilience.
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SAGE

SAGE is the country’s largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ older people.
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Shatterproof

Shatterproof is a national organization dedicated to ending the devastation and stigma of addiction.
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Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation

The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation is committed to inspiring philanthropy and community service.
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Supermajority

Supermajority is a voting advocacy hub focused not only on protecting women’s rights, but on bringing women together as a political force that transcended age, race, and background.
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The Suzanne Wright Foundation

The Suzanne Wright Foundation is dedicated to saving lives by increasing pancreatic cancer research through public awareness.
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Thornburg Foundation

The Thornburg Foundation invests in enduring solutions to help solve problems affecting people and our planet.
True Colors Fund
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True Colors Fund

Founded by Cyndi Lauper, True Colors Fund seeks to bring an end to LGBT youth homelessness, and inspire everyone to actively participate in advancing equality for all.
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The Trust for Public Land

The Trust for Public Land works to create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come.
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United States of Care

United States of Care works to ensure that every single American has access to quality, affordable health care regardless of health status, social need, or income.
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The Voter Participation Center

The Voter Participation Center works to register, turnout, and raise issue awareness among voters.
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Voto Latino

Voto Latino is a pioneering civic media organization focused on empowering young Latinos to become agents of change through innovative digital campaigns.
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Well Being Trust

Well Being Trust is a national foundation dedicated to advancing a vision of a nation where everyone is well in mental, social and spiritual health.
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Year Up

Year Up provides low-income young adults with the skills, experiences, and support that will empower them to reach their full potential through careers and higher education.

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In the News

January 12, 2023

Civitas Public Affairs Group Announces New Hire and Promotions

May 10, 2022

Marc Solomon named partner at Civitas Public Affairs Group

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