Our Team

Kim Carlos, J.D.
President & CEO

Kim Carlos brings over twelve years of in-depth experience from the public, private and non-profit sectors in the areas of public affairs, political consulting, grassroots advocacy and coalition building, public involvement, public relations, and community relations.  She has extensive experience with the public sector and knows how public entities operate - how they communicate with decision-makers, constituents and among themselves.  She knows not only the how – but the who.

Kim has a wide range of experience that strengthens the firm.  She is an attorney, has served as a political consultant for various campaigns, and served as legislative aide to a Missouri State Representative, Director of Community Affairs for the Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, Senior Policy Advisor for a Kansas City Missouri City Councilman, and Development Director for an urban revitalization project in the City of Kansas City, Missouri’s City Planning and Development Department.  She has worked at all levels of government and has held key top-level positions with local and state elected officials in Missouri. 

Kim has been instrumental in creating public affairs and grassroots advocacy initiatives for a variety of organizations and issues.  She is an expert at creating public education campaigns to educate the general public on how public policy issues affect their daily lives.  She has worked extensively with non-profit, business and associations on public policy and grassroots advocacy issues. Some of the organizations that Kim has worked with in this capacity include the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Cancer Society, the Community Association of Non-Profit Business Executives, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Pfizer, Inc., the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and the Regional Transit Alliance.  By combining her advocacy, legislative and public relations experience, she is able to create comprehensive advocacy campaigns which utilize a variety of tools, including grassroots mobilization, grasstops recruitment and media advocacy. 

Kim’s work in the Kansas City, Missouri Mayor, City Council and Planning and Development Departments have provided her with experience in community-based planning and public involvement campaigns.  As an attorney who has practiced law in two major Kansas City law firms, as well as a political consultant who has worked on and managed dozens of campaigns, Kim understands the legal and political complexities that can accompany major public initiatives.  With Kim’s extensive knowledge of municipal planning, land use, zoning and community development issues, coupled with her keen understanding of both the legal and political environments, she is well-situated to assist her clients in the public involvement and public affairs arena.  She has provided public involvement expertise to many major development, public infrastructure and transportation projects in the Greater Kansas City area including I-70 First Tier Environmental Impact Study, Kansas City Riverfront Development,  Line Creek Valley Development Plan, Prospect Corridor Initiative, Sprint Arena, Tiffany Springs Parkway Realignment Study and the Truman Sports Complex Renovation Project.

Kim also brings expertise in strategic communications, public relations and crisis communications.  She has developed strategic communications plans; organized dozens of press conferences, including drafting press releases and preparing press kits; pitched stories and successfully placed dozens of articles and stories in newspapers, magazines and on television; and planned successful community-wide events.  Kim also has served as the press spokesperson for various elected officials and organizations and provided media training to a variety of clients. 

Kim’s professional affiliations include the International Association for Public Participation, the Public Relations Society of America, the National Association of Women Business Owners and the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce. 

Kim graduated with honors from Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State University) with a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing and received her Juris Doctorate with honors from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law.  She is also a graduate of the Kauffman Fast Trac Program for Entrepreneurs.

Meghan Jansen
Strategic Partner
           
Meghan Jansen has more than five years of experience in public affairs, media relations and strategic communications. Most notable, is her extensive experience in grassroots advocacy. While working for The Hawthorn Group, a Washington, D.C. based public affairs firm, Meghan developed and implemented grassroots strategies for non-profits, associations and Fortune 500 companies on a variety of state and federal issues. Her work included federal and state legislation, issue campaigns, local and state ballot issues, employee Get-out-the-vote programs, and long-term grassroots membership education and maintenance programs.

Upon returning to her Midwest roots, Meghan worked in the government relations department of the American Cancer Society, coordinating all online and offline grassroots activity in state of Missouri, including managing a grassroots membership of more than 3,000 advocates.

Most recently, Meghan was the Regional Communications Director for Americans for Balanced Energy Choices, a national advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. In this role Meghan managed the communications activities for a twelve-state region in the southeast, advocating the organization’s positions on what were often complex energy issues through the use of earned media, public relations and strategic communications tactics.

Meghan has a Bachelor of Science in socio-political communications from Missouri State University and is earning a Master’s of Public Administration from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.