Meet The Team
We are communications operatives who have been battle tested in the most challenging and complicated campaigns, causes and corporate environments in the country.
Our Team Brings deep media relationships and years of experience navigating everything from product launches to crisis communications.
We blend traditional and modern channels to maximize reach, sharpen narratives, and deliver real impact for our clients.
Zac Petkanas
Founding Partner
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Zac Petkanas is a veteran communications strategist and messaging expert with nearly 20 years experience working at the highest levels of Capitol Hill and on the toughest political and advocacy campaigns in the country.
He began his career on Capitol Hill, running communications for the House Committee on Rules and ending as Communications Director to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
He spent nearly a decade living on the road, running communications for the hardest fought congressional, state and presidential campaigns in the country from Harry Reid’s legendary 2010 Senate re-election to rapid response for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential operation.
Petkanas is an expert at building partner coalitions and rapid response War Rooms. As Senior Advisor to the Democratic National Committee, he built and ran the acclaimed Trump War Room to hold the new administration accountable through its first 100 days, including through the cabinet confirmation process, Supreme Court confirmations and policies like the Muslim Ban.
Since then, he’s built and run dozens of rapid response operations for partner coalitions and organizations, including around the Coronavirus pandemic, the Mueller Report, both Trump impeachments, passing the Inflation Reduction Act, the Trump indictments, and attacks on voting rights in the 2020 and 2024 elections.
Petkanas is a frequent commentator on cable news and appears regularly in the New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press and many other major media outlets.
Kyle Herrig
Founding Partner
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Kyle Herrig is a seasoned communications and research strategist who has spent the last two decades at the heart of Washington’s most challenging political and advocacy battles.
He has been a key player in building the progressive movement’s accountability infrastructure. As the founder and former president of Accountable.US, a nonpartisan, progressive organization, Herrig utilized investigative research and impactful communications to hold government officials and special interests accountable. He also co-founded American Oversight, a legal powerhouse that employs open records litigation to ensure policymakers are held accountable.
Most recently, Herrig founded and led the Congressional Integrity Project, a 501(c)(4) organization that played a pivotal role in high-stakes political conflicts surrounding the use of investigations and oversight powers by House Republicans. Notably, his work successfully halted two House impeachment inquiries—one into President Biden and another into Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
A lawyer by training, Herrig advises numerous progressive and legal organizations on their communications and research strategies. He is a sought-after commentator on a wide range of issues, regularly providing insights to prominent outlets such as the Washington Post, the New York Times, Politico, and various state and local publications.
Julia Ezell-Thomas
Vice President
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Julia Ezell-Thomas is a digital strategist whose career path is anything but typical for Washington. While most operatives have spent their careers cycling through campaigns and politics, Julia has worked across an eclectic mix of industries — from nonprofits and professional sports networks to live entertainment, edtech, and even a national science association. That cross-sector experience gives her a unique edge in understanding how to connect with vastly different audiences and build digital strategies that actually break through.
At Focal Point, Julia leads the firm’s creator engagement program and digital services, helping clients harness the power of social platforms and online communities to tell their story, drive conversation, and shape public opinion. She has developed strategies that span the full spectrum of digital work: building brand identities, producing viral content, and launching campaigns that resonate well beyond the DC bubble.
When she’s not plotting the next big digital move, Julia is married and raising two kids — which means she’s also running the most demanding rapid-response operation of all: Parenthood.
Derek Martin
Vice President
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Derek Martin brings 15 years of investigative expertise to politics, advocacy, and public accountability. As a founding team member of Accountable.US, Derek helped build the organization into one of the country’s leading watchdogs—so effective that even the architects of Project 2025 publicly acknowledged its impact. He also served at the National Security Agency, conducting supply chain counterintelligence and protecting critical government IT infrastructure from foreign threats.
A former Democratic research consultant, Derek has supported high-stakes independent expenditure campaigns nationwide, helping candidates win gubernatorial, Senate, and legislative races through rigorous, detail-driven opposition research.
At Focal Point, Derek advises progressive campaigns and policy advocates navigating Washington’s shifting terrain, developing accountability strategies and identifying innovative paths to winning narratives. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Politico.
Originally from the Kansas City area, Derek now calls Washington, DC home.
Lizzy Price
Vice President
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Lizzy Price is a strategic communications executive with more than 15 years of experience leading high-impact campaigns, partnerships, and coalition efforts. As a consultant, she has helped organizations design and operationalize strategic partner communications hubs and manage the coalition behind one of the largest mass mobilizations in U.S. history.
Previously, Lizzy launched and led the partnerships program at Accountable.US, expanding the organization’s footprint across the progressive ecosystem and driving strategic communications that generated coverage in more than 40 national outlets. She also served as National Communications Director at For Our Future and as Director of Gubernatorial Campaigns at American Bridge 21st Century, where she helped orchestrate defining media moments in the Virginia and Pennsylvania gubernatorial races.
At Focal Point, Lizzy advises clients on coalition strategy, partnerships, and integrated communications. She combines deep campaign experience with narrative strategy—thinking beyond media clips to build durable storylines that shape the broader media environment and reach key audiences and stakeholders.
After over a decade in DC, Lizzy is now based in North Carolina and lives with her husband and their toddler.
Abhi Rahman
Vice President
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Abhi Rahman is a strategic communications executive with more than 15 years of experience leading communications high-impact campaigns, party committees, and for some of the biggest brands and companies in the world. Abhi Rahman comes to Focal Point after serving as the Deputy Communications Director and States Communications Director for the Democratic National Committee. In this role, Abhi oversaw the state level communications vertical for the Committee, along with serving as a key messaging and planning strategist and one of the main media relations specialists for the Democratic Party.
Prior to this position, Abhi served as the Communications Director for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. While at the DLCC, Abhi earned the Committee five times the amount of press as they had ever earned before in a calendar year and more national television hits in 9 months than they had the six years combined prior.
Abhi came to the DLCC from Penta Group, where he served a Senior Director and worked on important tech and financial clients – from Google to Amazon to Mastercard. Prior to Penta, Abhi worked at Abernathy MacGregor, where he served as a VP in their public affairs practice and led the client relations for Google Cloud, Truist Bank, and other clients.
Prior to that position, Abhi served as the Senior Advisor and Spokesperson for Beto O'Rourke's Gubernatorial campaign in Texas and as the only VP of communications and PR for a Democratic consulting firm.
In 2019 and 2020, Abhi served as the communications director for the Texas Democratic Party and the Texas Democratic coordinated campaign, leading the Texas Democratic Party to be the most-covered state party in the country. Prior to this position, Abhi served as a Senior Communications Advisor and Rapid Response Director for Stacey Abrams' historic Gubernatorial campaign in Georgia, helping lead Abrams to be the most "google-searched" candidate in the 2018 elections.
At Focal Point, Abhi advises clients on strategic communications planning, execution of top communications priorities, media strategy, and building for short-term and long term results. He combines deep campaign experience with a bias towards action and execution – how do we achieve the results we’re looking for in today’s fractured communications landscape?
Abhi is a Colorado native who now resides in Maryland with his wife.
Jacen Bowman
Director of Digital & Creator Engagement
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Jacen Bowman is a digital strategist, organizer, and cultural connector who has spent his career bringing advocacy and political messages into spaces traditional campaigns rarely reach. His work is rooted in a simple belief: the communities most affected by an issue should help shape the campaign, not just be its audience.
Before joining Focal Point, Jacen was Associate Director of Digital & Creative Strategy at the Human Rights Campaign, where he helped lead national social media strategy, creator partnerships, rapid response, and digital campaigns advancing LGBTQ+ equality. He was instrumental in taking HRC into cultural and community spaces where it hadn't traditionally shown up, building stronger connections with Black and Brown LGBTQ+ audiences. Earlier in his career, he worked as a field organizer and senior digital campaign organizer across multiple states, with deep roots in the South, including Texas and Georgia.
At Focal Point, Jacen runs the day-to-day of the firm's creator engagement practice, connecting clients and causes with trusted voices across the country. He knows this work from both sides. In addition to building creator programs, he's been a creator himself, including supporting Kamala Harris's campaign. That perspective shapes how he partners with creators: with real respect for their voice, their audience, and the trust they've built.
Based in Philadelphia, Jacen serves as President of Philadelphia Black Pride and as a commissioner on Governor Josh Shapiro's Advisory Commission on LGBTQ Affairs. He's also a celebrity makeup artist and proud member of IATSE Local 798, which means he's just as at home backstage as he is in a strategy session.
jayson o’neill
Senior Director
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Jayson O’Neill previously was a Senior Manager for Sustainable Finance at Climate Nexus, leading communications for organizations and investors on climate financial regulations and risks. With nearly two decades of experience in political, environmental, and conservation communications, Jayson has held roles in government and business, as well as accountability, conservation, and climate organizations. His work has been cited in major publications and he has testified before Congress. Based in Montana, Jayson is also a volunteer ski patroller, hunter, flyfisher, and public lands advocate.
Emily hoyle
Senior Associate
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Emily Hoyle is a Senior Associate at Focal Point Strategy Group, where she connects clients with key reporters, producers, and creators, develops strategic communications materials, and supports clients’ broader goals.
Emily previously served as Deputy Press Secretary at Accountable.US, where she designed and executed campaigns exposing conflicts of interest in the Trump administration, advocating for fairer tax policy, and challenging corporate price-gouging. She brings a nonprofit communications background that helps her reach audiences beyond the DC bubble.
Originally from Portland, Oregon, Emily enjoys baking, running, and walking her dog, Daisy. Newly married, she is based in Washington, DC.
esperanza peral
Senior Associate
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Esperanza Peral is the Senior Associate at Focal Point Strategy Group, where she helps play a pivotal role in executing strategic communication initiatives for clients dedicated to defending democracy.
Prior to joining Focal Point, Esperanza served as Deputy Press Secretary for the North Carolina Coordinated Campaign, where she contributed to shaping messaging and media strategies in a critical election cycle. She also gained valuable experience as a Research Fellow at Jones Mandel, where she supported data-driven political analysis.
A proud North Carolinian and Tar Heel, Esperanza recently relocated to Washington, D.C., with her English Bulldog, Boo.
jack merritt
Senior Associate
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Jack Merritt is a Senior Associate at Focal Point Strategy Group, where he prepares and distributes various communications materials for clients in the accountability and legal advocacy space. Jack was most recently a Press Assistant at the Democratic National Committee, where he played a central role in the organization’s 2024 rapid response operation, including its “Trump’s MAGA Veepstakes” project. Prior to that, he was a Communications Assistant on Evan McMullin’s 2022 U.S. Senate campaign, where he helped craft and execute the candidate’s overall communications strategy. He also gained valuable experience as a Press Intern for both Rep. Susie Lee and Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
A born-and-raised South Carolinian, Jack is a former ice cream slinger and barista, and loves both Star Wars and Star Trek. He lives in Washington, DC.
jamel jones
Associate
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Jamel Jones is an Associate at Focal Point Strategy Group, where he supports the firm's Creator Engagement practice by helping clients identify and build relationships with the digital voices shaping today's cultural and political conversations.
Jamel brings a background rooted in electoral politics and grassroots organizing. His experience in intersectional coalition-building and voter mobilization — with the Human Rights Campaign, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, and Wisconsin Progress — gives him a distinctive battleground-state perspective and deep insight into the trends and narratives driving engagement across suburban and rural communities nationwide.
Most recently, Jamel served in government affairs at Accountable.US, where he connected original, high-impact research with key decision-makers. His work in legislative tracking and stakeholder engagement helped power advocacy strategies and elevate public-facing narratives that held powerful interests accountable.
At Focal Point, Jamel pairs an organizer's instincts with a passion for digital storytelling to help clients engage in authentic, high-impact dialogues with content creators and influencers. A Wisconsin native, he is based near Milwaukee.
elijah schulman
Research Associate
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Elijah Schulman is a Research Associate at Focal Point Strategy Group, where he conducts due diligence analyses and assists clients in understanding complex issue and policy landscapes. Before joining Focal Point, Elijah led opposition research and field operations as the Field Director for a campaign for New York City Council, and served as a Research Fellow at government watchdog Accountable.US.
When his nose isn't buried in a legislative database, it can usually be found between the pages of an atlas. He enjoys historical linguistics, public transit, and watching Jeopardy. Originally from Maryland, Elijah has spent time in North Carolina and the Basque Country and now resides in Brooklyn, New York.