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

About Us

Center Road Solutions is the only woman-owned, full-service bipartisan government relations and public affairs firm for nonprofits focused on serving women and families. We are founded on the underlying principle of ethically working across the aisle to develop moderate solutions that resonate from Capitol Hill to Main Street.

Located in the nation’s capital, we help clients navigate the political process and achieve their federal policy goals through lobbying, strategic policy consulting, public affairs strategy and management, and federal grant writing and consulting.

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 is the Founder and Managing Principal of Center Road Solutions. A nationally and internationally recognized advocate and attorney, she specializes in turning partisan social issues into noncontroversial, bipartisan issues, and driving them across the finish line. Katrina offers over a decade of experience in federal advocacy, grants, and law to guide clients through the federal process, including work with the U.S. Department of Justice, Health & Human Services Administration, Homeland Security, as well as political campaigns, law firms, and nonprofits such as Baker & McKenzie, LLP and International Organization for Migration.

Katrina’s legislative achievements include passing the first-ever eating disorders legislation entitled the Anna Westin Act of 2015 within 21st Century Cures Act (P.L. 114-225), securing $5 million within the FY 2017 and 2018 Appropriations Act in new research funding to help military members and their families, and expanding access to $50 million within the FY 2018 Appropriations Act for schools across the nation to research and pilot school threat assessment within federal grants.

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.

Vice President

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Allison serves as the Vice President at Center Road Solutions. With close to a decade of experience in government relations and private sector consulting, she leads the firm’s work through direct lobbying, regulatory writing, strategic planning, partnership development and public affairs.

Prior, Allison worked with innovative pharmaceutical and medical device companies, securing three FDA approvals for drugs/medical devices in the reproductive health, sexual health and oncology fields. Allison’s career began in Washington, D.C. as a Women’s Congressional Policy Institute Fellow in Representative Mike Thompson’s office (D-CA). During her tenure in the Congressman’s office, she drafted and introduced the bipartisan Medicare Telehealth Parity Act (H.R. 5380) and negotiated harsher penalties for illegal marijuana cultivation on federal lands that were adopted by the U.S. Sentencing Commission. She serves on the Women’s Congressional Staff Foundation Board of Directors.

Education:
Masters in Public Policy and Master of Arts in Women and Gender Studies, Brandeis University, Heller School for Social Policy and Management
Dual Bachelor of Arts in General English and Multicultural Gender Studies, California State University, Chico

Publications:
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.

Ivie, A. (2013). Asset Theory and Prostitution. Women’s Policy Journal of Harvard, 10 (Spring 2013), 52-59. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/asset-theory-prostitution-implications-u-s-policy/docview/1751997777/se-2

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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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Shanna Mason, J.D.

Legal Clerk

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Shanna Mason is the Legal Clerk at Center Road Solutions. Shanna is a recent law school graduate with experience in labor and employment law and federal regulatory law. Her past experience includes serving as a Judicial Intern for the Honorable Joseph F. Leeson, Jr. of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, law clerkship at Mooney, Green, Saindon, Murphy & Welch, P.C., a Clerk Intern at Bedford Municipal Court, and interning with Center Road Solutions. Shanna also holds extensive legal research and persuasive communication experience through her roles as the Production Editor for the Journal of Law and Technology and a finalist in the Nell Hennessy Moot Court Competition.

Education:
Juris Doctorate from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law
Dual Bachelors of Arts in Political Science and Economics, The Pennsylvania State University

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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:
Cite
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.

View Bio

 

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:
Cite
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

“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: Maternal Mental Health

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Issues: Black Maternal Mental Health

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Issue: Federal Grant Consulting for Child Abuse Prevention

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Issue: Issues: Immigration, Education, Radical Equity and Inclusion, Civic Engagement and Census, Workforce Development and Technology.

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

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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: Women's Health, Women's Health Behaviors

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Issues: Children's Behavioral Health

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Team
clients
clients
casestudies

Case Studies

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

casestudies
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Let's Get Connected

We welcome you to contact us for more information.

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