Issue Advocacy

Area Experts

• Danielle Schlanger Senior Vice President
  Danielle Schlanger Senior Vice President

  Danielle Schlanger is a Senior Vice President at Fenton, specializing in political and executive communications and providing strategic counsel to CEOs, clients and campaigns. She works across Fenton’s political practice to help organizations on the left make headlines, change the discourse both inside the Beltway and out, and advance policies to make our country fairer.

  Before joining Fenton, Danielle was the New York State deputy communications director on the Mike Bloomberg 2020 campaign. She was previously both a speechwriter and communications strategist at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, where she played a key role in advancing high-profile initiatives including women.nyc and the Amazon HQ2 bid. She began her career as a journalist and has bylines in a number of leading publications.

  Danielle received her bachelor’s degree in urban and regional studies from Cornell University and a master’s in public administration from Columbia University.

  • Issue Advocacy
• Daria Hall Executive Vice President
  Daria Hall Executive Vice President

  Daria L. Hall (she/her/hers) is an executive vice president in the D.C. hub of Fenton Communications, the first national agency founded to focus solely on social impact. She leads the firm’s Racial Justice & DEI Group, where she works with clients and consults with staff to incorporate authentic storytelling, compelling messaging, and effective communications strategies to advance racial justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion – across sectors and issues. She also launched and chairs the firm’s DEI Task Force, an internal team of staff at different levels, which supports practices and policies to sustain an equitable and inclusive culture at Fenton.

  With over 20 years of communications experience, Daria has worked at agencies and in-house in the corporate, non-profit, and government sectors. An award-winning communications leader, she possesses skills in strategic communications, message and narrative development, coalition-building, and partnership engagement. Her portfolio of clients at Fenton has included: Black Voters Matter, Slave Rebellion Reenactment with Artist Dread Scott, The African American Alliance for CDFI CEOs, Stanford SPARQ, Hope Credit Union, The A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, among others. She was also an adjunct professor in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of the District of Columbia, the only public university in the nation’s capital and the only urban land-grant university in the United States.

  Previously, Daria served as the vice president of communications and external relations at America’s Promise Alliance in D.C., the nation’s largest network dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth, where she was responsible for overseeing communications campaigns focused on raising awareness and driving action in support of young people.

  Over the years, Daria has participated in several social impact programs including, Leadership Montgomery, American Express Leadership Academy 2.0 at the Aspen Institute, the Council of Urban Professionals, and Coro Leadership New York. Currently, she serves on the boards of multiple nonprofits: Mikva Challenge, Partnership for Extraordinary Minds (xMinds), Friends of White Oak, and the Education Writers Association.

  Daria has an Executive Master of Public Administration degree from Baruch College, a City University of New York. She also has an M.A. in Communications and a B.A. in English from New York University and Spelman College, respectively. A native Washingtonian, Daria is a proud graduate of D.C. Public Schools.

  • Issue Advocacy
  • Racial Justice & DEI
• Erik Olvera Chief Of Issue Advocacy
  Erik Olvera Chief Of Issue Advocacy

  Erik Olvera is an accomplished communications strategist with more than 20 years of experience working with several of the nation’s leading environmental, LGBTQ, racial justice and voting rights organizations.

  He currently serves as Fenton’s Chief of Issue Advocacy, providing organizations focused on advocacy, politics and social justice with communications strategy and support to achieve their goals through campaigns that increase awareness, shape public discourse and build loyalty with new audiences.

  Prior to joining Fenton, he served as the Chief Communications Officer at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), where he oversaw all aspects of the racial justice organization’s legal and public policy communications. While there, he provided strategic guidance as the organization looked toward its future and led several projects to deepen the legacy organization’s work with the communities that it serves.

  Before SPLC, he was the head of communications for environmentalist Tom Steyer’s GOTV and political organizations, where he helped develop the Need to Impeach movement. He previously served as the Senior Director of Communications for Earthjustice, where he was responsible for shaping discourse for the organization’s legal and public policy work.

  The Regis University alumnus also spent several years leading communications for the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), where he worked on a wide range of LGBTQ legislation and legal cases. Some of his work at NCLR includes designing the Born Perfect public education campaign to end conversion therapy on minors nationwide and developing the communications plan that helped lead to the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court marriage equality victory.

  • Issue Advocacy
• Kamali-Ann Burke Senior Vice President
  Kamali-Ann Burke Senior Vice President

  Kamali Burke is a Senior Vice President at Fenton, specializing in media relations, branding, project management and strategic marketing communications.

  She is part of the Racial Justice and DEI practice. Kamali has a desire to make advancements in social issues including education inequity, racial injustice and nutrition. She has worked with clients at Fenton including the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York, Cycle for Survival, Facing History and Ourselves, the National Women’s Law Center and Teachers Pay Teachers.

  • Issue Advocacy
  • Racial Justice & DEI
• Donté Donald Vice President
  Donté Donald Vice President

  Donté Donald is a Vice President at Fenton, specializing in media relations, organizational branding and project management.

  Donté has developed and implemented communications strategies for some of the most esteemed organizations in the progressive movement. Before joining Fenton, Donté supported New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray as the Director of Public Affairs for the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Partnerships and the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City.

  Prior to this, he was a national spokesperson on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. He began his career at two of the most well-regarded national economic policy think tanks in the country, Demos and the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).

  • Issue Advocacy
  • Racial Justice & DEI
• Gabrielle Victor Account Executive
  Gabrielle Victor Account Executive

  Gabrielle is an Account Executive at Fenton, where she utilizes her previous Customer Service Representative experience and organization skills to assist stakeholders and account teams while they implement strategies to make lasting change with clients. Gabrielle supports her teams with precise organizational skills while fostering and growing relationships with reporters nationally.

  Gabrielle is passionate about fighting against antisemitism and strives to make the world a safer place for people of all backgrounds. Through partnerships with Fenton, she has worked with the Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, Jewish Community and Family Services and Tzedek Association.

  Gabrielle’s goal has always been to provide the best support for her team and promote effective and smooth operations. Her prior experience with Independence Blue Cross, a nonprofit insurance company, led her to her position at Fenton. Gabrielle graduated from the University of Delaware with a degree in English and a minor in Jewish studies. You can find her reading or baking in her free time.

  • Issue Advocacy
• Lena Haime Senior Account Executive
  Lena Haime Senior Account Executive

  Lena Haime is an Account Executive at Fenton, where she utilizes her campaign and public relations background to implement strategies that make lasting change with a broad range of progressive clients. Lena supports the account teams to execute strategies that move the needle on issues of equity and justice.

  Lena’s goal has always been to work towards a more equitable world. Her prior experience at SHADOW, a comprehensive PR and marketing firm, and the Georgia Senate Runoff campaigns led to her position at Fenton. Lena graduated from the The George Washington University with a degree in American Studies and a minor in Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies.

  • Issue Advocacy
• Mercy Albaran Vice President
  Mercy Albaran Vice President

  Mercy Albaran is a Vice President at Fenton and a proud Oakland, CA native. She brings a strong background in nonprofit communications and uses her messaging, training and media relations skills to share the stories behind struggles for social justice. Some of her recent clients include the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the GSA Network and the James Irvine Foundation.

  The daughter of an immigrant caregiver, Mercy was inspired to take on the lead communications role at the California branch of the National Domestic Workers Alliance prior to Fenton. Outside of the office, Mercy is a member of GABRIELA, an international, grassroots alliance fighting for the liberation of Filipina womxn and overseas workers. In her spare time, she likes to learn languages, sing with her partner and beatbox.

  • Issue Advocacy
• Sierra Salser Account Director
  Sierra Salser Account Director

  Sierra Salser is an Account Director at Fenton, where she utilizes her skills in communications to support organizations that amplify her passion for social justice and equitable impact.

  Before joining Fenton, Sierra worked at Whiteboard Advisors, a mission-driven strategic consulting, research and communications firm. As a member of their communications team, she worked with nonprofits, foundations, skills training companies, think tanks and others driving radical change in the education space and workforce development. Sierra’s interest in social impact began as a Public Relations and Student Engagement Officer at Austin College in Sherman, Texas where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science.

  • Issue Advocacy
  • Racial Justice & DEI