Driving Social Change through Federal Advocacy

Built on integrity, bipartisanship, and results, Center Road Solutions is a woman-owned, boutique public policy firm committed to working across the aisle to develop, drive, and achieve lasting change for nonprofits, foundations, and socially responsible businesses.

Policy Development

Working with clients to identify their pressing problems, we develop feasible and actionable policy solutions that can drive social impact and engage both Republicans and Democrats.

Advocacy

We directly advocate with Congressional and Regulatory Affairs on a bipartisan basis. Our model differs from traditional partisan government affairs firms in that we also work with client advocates and employees to amplify your issues while engaging your base.

Legislative Drafting

Traditional government affairs firms often do not draft legislation in-house, adding months to the process. We are led by licensed attorneys who work with you every step of the way and ensure policy objectives are met with sound legislative text to expedite introduction.

Public
Affairs

We provide public affairs services to help nonprofits and schools pass legislation and receive federal grant funding. These services include: Federal Grant Writing and Consulting, Partnership Development, Capitol Hill Advocacy Days, Congressional Briefings, Media Engagement (traditional and social), and Grassroots Mobilization.

About

Discovery Center Road Solutions: Empowering Women and Families Through Bold, Bipartisan Advocacy.

As the premier woman-owned, full-service government relations and public affairs firm, Center Road Solutions is dedicated to championing the causes of nonprofits that serve woman and families. Our unwavering commitment to ethical collaboration across parity lines enables us to forge innovative, balanced solutions that echo from Capitol Hill to Main Street.

Strategically positioned in the heart of the nation’s Capital, our team of seasoned experts is poised to guide clients through the political landscape, turning aspirations into tangible policy achievements. Our comprehensive suite of services includes lobbying, strategic policy consulting, public affairs strategy, and management, as well as federal grant writing and consulting.
Join forces with Center Road Solutions and experience the power of united, bipartisan advocacy.

About
Team

Our Team

We believe in a diverse range of bipartisan personnel to bring creative skills, thoughts and ideas to the table.

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Katrina Velasquez, Esq., M.A.

Managing Principal

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Katrina Velazquez, a distinguished attorney and advocate, is the dynamic force behind Center Road Solutions as its Founder and Managing Principal. With an exceptional track record of transforming partisan social issues into unifying, bipartisan causes, she propels them towards remarkable success. As a testament to her prowess, Katrina has been named one of The Hill’s Top Lobbyists for three consecutive years, and has also received the Professional Women in Advocacy Award in 2017, and the Meehan-Hartley Award for Public Service and Advocacy in 2017.

With over a decade of expertise in federal advocacy, grants, and law, Katrina skillfully navigates clients through the complexities of the federal process. Her extensive experience includes recent victories in school safety, military health, mental health, and violence prevention including the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, Into the Light for Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Act, Anna Westin Legacy Act, STANDUP Act, TRIUMPH for New Moms Act, SERVE Act, Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Reauthorization Act, and the STOP School Violence Act, amongst other authorizing and appropriations successes.

Join Katrina Velazquez and Center Road Solutions in their mission to create a more inclusive, compassionate, and effective political landscape for women and families across the nation.

Education:
Juris Doctorate from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law
Masters of Arts in International Politics from American University
Dual Bachelors of Arts in Law & Society and Public Relations, Purdue University.

Publications:
Streatfeild J, Hickson J, Austin SB, Hutcheson R, Kandel JS, Lampert JG, Myers EM, Richmond TK, Samnaliev M, Velasquez K, Weissman RS, Pezzullo L. Social and economic cost of eating disorders in the United States: Evidence to inform policy action. Int J Eat Disord 2021; 54(5): 851-868.

Austin SB, Hutcheson R, Wickramatilake-Templeman S, Velasquez K. The second wave of public policy advocacy for eating disorders: Charting the course to maximize population impact. Psychiatr Clin North Am 2019; 42(2): 319-336.
Velasquez K, Ivie A, Fegely SR, Raffoul A, Vitagliano J, Roberto CA, Austin SB. Dietary supplements for weight loss: Legal basis for excise tax and other government action to protect consumers from a public health menace. Am J Law Med 2022; 48: 38-53.

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Allison Ivie, M.P.P./M.A.

Principal

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Introducing Allison Ivie
Accomplished Principal and Strategic Leader at Center Road Solutions
Allison Ivie, a seasoned government relations and private sector consultant, serves as the Principal at Center Road Solutions. Garnering recognition as one of The Hill’s Top Lobbyists for Grassroots in 2022, alongside Katrina Velasquez, Founder and Managing Principal, Allison steers the firm’s efforts with expertise in direct lobbying, regulatory writing, strategic planning, partnership development, and public affairs.

Before joining Center Road Solutions, Allison’s impressive work with cutting-edge pharmaceutical and medical device companies led to three FDA approvals in the reproductive health, sexual health, and oncology fields. Her career in Washington, D.C. commenced as a Women’s Congressional Policy Institute Fellow in Representative Mike Thompson’s office (D-CA). During this time, Allison drafted and introduced bipartisan legislation to expand telehealth access to Medicare beneficiaries and negotiated stricter penalties for illegal marijuana cultivation on federal lands, which were subsequently adopted by the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

In addition to her role at Center Road Solutions, Allison actively contributes to the Women’s Congressional Staff Foundation as a Board of Directors member. Experience the power of collaboration and strategic leadership with Allison Ivie and the dedicated team at Center Road Solutions.

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Maddie Geschu

Senior Director of Government Relations

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Maddie serves as the Director of Government Relations at Center Road Solutions. With years of experience in organizing, issue advocacy, and direct lobbying, Maddie has a strong track record of passing bipartisan legislation that uplifts vulnerable individuals and communities. Previously, they built from scratch a social justice legislative portfolio for the League of Women Voters of the United States and worked as policy lead on immigration and hate crimes at OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates. Before that, they lobbied for youth appropriations in the Minnesota State Legislature and worked in the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health on healthcare access campaigns.

Education:
Bachelor of Arts in American Ethnic Studies, Macalester College

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Adriianna Lagorio, MA

Senior Director of Government Relations

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Adriianna serves as the Senior Director of Government Relations at Center Road Solutions. She previously served as the Legislative Director for Senior Appropriations Committee Member Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler. Adriianna led the Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations portfolio for the Congresswoman. She successfully helped secure funding of over $8.5 million for community project funding requests for mental health, substance abuse, and law enforcement. She’s overseen the creation of the first-ever Stillbirth Task Force at HHS, the creation and funding of the Maternal Mental Health Hotline, and first-time funding of the pediatric subspecialty loan repayment program. She has negotiated multiple bipartisan bills including the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.

Before Congress, she worked for the Orange County Board of Supervisors as a District Representative – leading the Spanish outreach in Santa Ana, California. She has been awarded grants to conduct field research in Medellin, Colombia. She’s served as a Heritage Foundation Health Fellow and was part the American University We Lead cohort of 2020.

Education:
The George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs M.A. Security Policy Studies
University of San Diego, Bachelors of Arts International Affairs and Spanish

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Emily Rosenberg, MPA

Director of Government Relations

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Emily Rosenberg serves as the Senior Associate at Center Road Solutions. Emily returns to public affairs after spending the past two years working with non-profits, helping to create programs and resources for underserved youth in Philadelphia. Prior to this she spent seven years working on state legislation in Pennsylvania for parental education on eating disorders in public schools. She was able to build bi-partisan support for the legislation and worked closely with former Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine (now Assistant Secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service). Emily collaborated with leading eating disorders organizations to advance legislation, both on the state and federal level, and brings in years of experience organizing and executing advocacy days.

Education:
Masters of Administration, Villanova University
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, American University

Publications:
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Gina L Tripicchio, Gareth J Jones, Chantelle N Hart, Moonsup Hyun, Emily DeSabato, Amy Giddings, Amanda Ehrhardt, Emily Rosenberg, A digitally enhanced home-based physical activity intervention for high-risk middle school youth during COVID-19, Translational Behavioral Medicine, 2021;, ibab151, https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibab151

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Jacqueline Dolata, MBA

Federal Grants Specialist

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Jacqueline Dolata serves as the Federal Grants Specialist aiding nonprofits and schools in identifying, writing, securing, and managing federal grants. She has spent the majority of her 14 year career writing grants to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) focused on community based approaches to addressing health disparities. As manager of the Case Western Reserve University Center for Reducing Health Disparities, Jacqueline has helped secure millions of dollars in federal funding to support efforts that engage and empower local nonprofits to tackle issues around social determinants of health. She specializes in turning the complex grantmaking process into actionable steps by developing online toolkits, professional networks, and other resources to assist both academicians and community nonprofits to have a better understanding of available funding opportunities, the grant writing process, and the value of strong community-academic partnerships. Jacqueline also directs a pilot funding and mentoring program for early stage researchers that awards small grants to those interested in building capacity for larger community based research funding.

Education
Masters in Business Administration in Health Care, Baldwin Wallace University
Bachelors in Biology, Mercyhurst University

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Marisa Pettit

Executive Assistant

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Marisa Pettit is an executive assistant with Center Road Solutions. Marisa remotely supports the team by leveraging her extensive background in management, education, and administration.

Education:
Masters in Curriculum and Instruction in Elementary Education, Southeastern Louisiana University
Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, Southeastern Louisiana University

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Nuria Piracha

Political Communications Intern

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Nuria Piracha is the 2023 spring semester communications intern with Center Road Solutions. Nuria uses her background in health policy, specifically working with nonprofits, to create communication assets that disseminate key goals and messaging to the general population.

Education:
Master of Public Health in Health Policy, George Mason University
Bachelor’s of Science in Community Health, George Mason University

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Anissa Kim Abboud

Political Research Intern

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Anissa Kim Abboud is the 2023 spring semester research intern with Center Road Solutions. During her undergraduate studies, she focused on various aspects within public health while also competing as a DI athlete, serving the state of Connecticut as a contact tracer, and advising her peers on best public health practices on Yale’s COVID-19-conscious campus during the 2020-2021 academic year. Interested in delving into policy around public health further, she continued her education, pursuing a Master’s in Public Health in the Department of Health Policy at the Yale School of Public Health. She will graduate from the 2-year program in May of 2023.

Education: MPH Candidate in Health Policy, Yale School of Public Health
Bachelor of Arts in the History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health, Yale University

Publications: Emily L. Mroz, Amanda Piechota, Talha Ali, Tara D. Matta-Singh, Anissa Abboud, Shubam Sharma, Marney A. White, Terri R. Fried, and Joan K. Monin. “‘Been There, Done That:’ A Grounded Theory of Future Caregiver Preparedness in Former Caregivers of Parents Living with Dementia.” Journal of the American Geriatrics Society December 22, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.18209.

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Evelynn Schoenthal

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Evelynn Schoenthal is the 2023 summer intern with Center Road Solutions. Her love for public service began in high school when she was a member of the Model Congress team drafting legislation and convincing her peers to support it. She decided to pursue a degree in political science and began pursuing a public health degree in her sophomore year to focus on public policy surrounding mental health, chronic diseases, and sexual education. Last semester, she interned for Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) in the U.S. House of Representatives as a legislative and press intern. Recently, she served as a Student Lobbyist on Capitol Hill meeting with staffers from both
the House and Senate offices on behalf of the Fraternal Government Relations Coalition. The purpose of this visit was to advocate for anti-hazing and freedom of association legislation. With prior experience on Capitol Hill, she is excited to begin her time with Center Road Solutions working with clients on the topics of eating disorders, maternal health, and gun violence.

Education:
Candidate for a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at the George Washington University
Candidate for a Bachelor of Science in Public Health at the George Washington University

“Center Road Solutions is more than a consulting firm. They are an exceptional partner that brings passion and dedication to every project and every client. They have helped our organization expand our relationships on both sides of the aisle and pass life-saving legislation including the STOP School Violence Act. We are so grateful to have them on our team and recommend them highly to advocates across fields.”

— Sandy Hook Promise

Our Clients

Our mission-oriented clients work to move the dial in a positive direction for society.

Issues: Medicare Medical Nutrition Therapy Coverage, Eating Disorders in the Military, Social Media and Eating Disorders, Training Health Professionals, NIH and DoD Research, CDC Surveillance

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Issues: Maternal Mental Health

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Issues: Black Maternal Mental Health

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Issue: Eating Disorders in the Military, TRICARE Policy, Telehealth, Mental Health Parity

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Issues: Women's Health, Women's Health Behaviors

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Issues: Maternal Health, Maternal Mental Health

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Issues: Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, School Violence Prevention

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Team
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Case Studies

Center Road Solutions achieves bipartisan results for its clients. See here for some examples of our achievements:

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Let's Get Connected

We welcome you to contact us for more information.

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