Our Team
Meet Our Team
Heather W. Grizzle
PartnerMeasurably Successful Communications Strategies
With a background that spans corporate, non-profit and political communications in the US and Europe, Heather will help you communicate more effectively to both internal and external audiences. She brings to bear more than fifteen years’ experience in communications including media relations, brand development, crisis management and stakeholder engagement. As a published author and ghost-writer, she will ensure that you communicate with impact and in your own voice.
Heather has an intuition for balancing the competing priorities of task, mission, and people, which helps her design creative solutions and translate them into concrete courses of action with defined, measurable impacts.
As a Board member for multiple large charities in the US, the UK, and internationally, Heather has gained practical experience in the needs and challenges of complex, diverse organizations from the perspective of an advisor and the ultimate owner of the outcome.
Josh Ong
PartnerAmplifying your brand story
Josh is a seasoned communications advisor with strong experience leading campaigns ranging from media relations to brand awareness. He has consulted across the whole range of company lifecycles, from early stage startups to the Fortune 500. Previously, Josh served as Director of Global Brand Strategy & Communications at Cheetah Mobile where he led overseas branding, marketing and communications. Josh also spent years working as an Editor at The Next Web covering technology, startups, and capital markets. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Rhetoric and Music from the University of California, Berkeley and is an honoree of Crain’s New York Business 40 Under 40 (2018).
Laura Atwood Dueker
Bringing Ideas to Life
Laura has a knack for helping brands and businesses cut through the crowded space of visual identity and positioning. By leveraging her natural and developed creativity, she will help you get noticed, be understood, and have mass appeal. With over a decade of experience in design and marketing, Laura specializes in brand identity, print and social media collateral, logo development, presentations, newsletters, and web design. Laura brings ideas to life by working with clients to engage their customers and stakeholders with a timeless, appropriate, and memorable visual identity.
Valerie Stone
Hawthorne, PhD
Bridging Science and Communication
Success in constituent and client communications is measured by the ability to tell a story that moves people to action. Valerie has nearly ten years’ experience in constructing narratives. She began her career as a classically trained research scientist publishing papers on new molecular ways to fight breast cancer. After moving to a clinical setting and interacting with patients, she realized data is of no use when no one understands it.
Using her natural ability to communicate the complicated into relatable information for all to understand, she can help you make others understand the “why”. She will collect both qualitative stories and resource quantitative data, critical to effective story-telling. Through collecting client stories and combining them with metrics, she will help you craft a relatable message, suited to any level of expertise, that will inspire others to confidently act.
Joe Watkins
Bridging the Business and
Government Divide
Skills honed through asset management, media relations, school administration, and government affairs allow Joe to navigate complex challenges on behalf of clients. As a regular political commentator and co-host on various networks including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, and Al Jazeera, Joe is fully prepared to be an ambassador of your brand. He understands how to leverage the media to elevate an issue and is a tested spokesperson in a time of crisis. With a foundation of experience in government as a former White House and U.S. Senate aide, Joe has the ability to generate the right outcomes for clients through his broad and deep network and a solid understanding of the governmental and political systems.