Drew Wilson
LSN Partners announced another major expansion this week.
The bipartisan, full-service consulting firm announced nine additions to the team, including a trio of hires at its Washington D.C. office and several others who will bolster its presence in South Florida.
“We don’t just advise our clients; we become a part of their team and work to achieve objectives together. Our 2021 expansion exemplifies LSN’s commitment to offer more expertise as we seek to continuously improve,” LSN Founder and Managing Partner Alex Heckler.
The hires include new Senior Adviser of Transportation and Infrastructure Elliot “Lee” Sander, who has served as a chief executive at several transportation companies.
The Washington office is promoting Jose Fuentes to partner and welcoming Tom Quinn as a new one.
Quinn will lead LSN Partners’ Washington practice focusing on science and technology, bolstered by a specialization in appropriations. He brings vast experience and expertise to clients who need to navigate the often complex processes within the Executive and Legislative branches of government.
Fuentes is a seasoned public affairs, federal policy, and crisis communications expert with decades of experience in several federal agencies. He will focus his talents on the intricacies, trends, and impacts of federal affairs and legislation on client matters. Fuentes, well respected in the Hispanic community, has been appointed to serve on the Board of Directors for the Latino Coalition and as the Co-Chair of the TLC Procurement Committee.
Neil Ohlhausen is also joining the firm’s Washington office as a Senior Associate. He comes to LSN from the National Governors Association, where he worked for many years in government relations. Ohlhausen specializes in the intersection of federal and state governments and will serve clients with legislative and regulatory monitoring, as well as developing advocacy strategies.
In South Florida, LSN named Adele Valencia as a new partner in its Miami-Dade practice. Valencia’s expertise is in helping clients through all phases of the government procurement process: code compliance, bid protests, and other local matters. Before joining LSN, she served as the Director of Code Compliance for the City of Miami. Valencia is also the former COO for the then-County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava, who is now County Mayor.
Meanwhile, the Broward practice expands with the addition of Pratima Raju and Joshua Freeman as associates and Lisa Castillo as LSN Broward Chief of Staff.
Raju, a former Chief of Staff to Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Steve Glassman, brings over a decade of experience in legislative strategy and policymaking to the firm, working directly with executives, elected officials, and community leaders to advance projects and initiatives at all levels of government.
Freeman, a former Chief of Staff to County Commissioner and current Broward Mayor Steve Geller, will offer project management and government relations advocacy for LSN’s clients.
Castillo is former Chief of Staff to the Broward Sheriff’s Office and a former aide to a Broward County Commissioner. She will assist clients in many areas: law enforcement, security, public safety and more.
Finally, the firm touted the recent addition of communications vet Mike Hernández, a messaging and PR guru who specializes in corporate and political messaging, crisis message management, and company communications. Hernández served as a senior vice president at Mercury, a prominent public relations firm in its own right. Before that, he was on staff with former Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez as his director of communications and a senior adviser.
“This addition of stellar individuals to our current extraordinary team will enable LSN to continue to offer clients a global reach with a local perspective and optimistically successful results,” said LSN Managing Partner Marcelo Llorente.
