Global Strategy Group

Jon Silvan is Founding Partner and CEO of GSG. GSG is regularly ranked as a top public affairs firm and was recently recognized as Public Affairs Agency of the Year by PRovoke Media. Jon has guided GSG’s growth for more than two decades from a boutique agency into a leading public affairs, communications, and research firm with an award-winning team of over 150 professionals in six offices across the U.S.

As a strategist and advisor, Jon is known for his smart counsel, sharp insights, and drive to win. Jon provides guidance to GSG’s clients on a wide range of issues including public affairs, corporate positioning, reputation management, and political strategy.

Jon’s clients include Fortune 500 companies, national issue advocacy groups, and some of the country’s top government officials. Among his numerous achievements, Jon partnered with World Trade Center developer Silverstein Properties to gain necessary stakeholder support to break ground and rebuild at Ground Zero. He has advised many elected officials over the years including New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, and NYC City Comptroller Scott Stringer.

Jon helps his clients tackle pressing issues, often at the center of the national spotlight. Some of Jon’s clients also include, Apollo Global Management, the Black Economic Alliance, Facebook, Major League Soccer, MGM Resorts, CVS Health, Port Authority of NY/NJ, the MTA, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Rockefeller Foundation, Hispanic Federation, Pershing Square Capital Management, and T-Mobile.

Jon is regularly acknowledged for his talents and expertise in his field. He was named #2 on Observer’s 2021 PR Power 50 list. He was recognized by City & State NY as one of the 100 most powerful people in New York City politics and as one of 2021’s top Political PR Professionals.

Jon is a member of the Arthur Page Society, which represents C-level communicators. He served as Treasurer of the PR Council, a Steering Committee member of A Better New York (ABNY), he is a board member of the Citizens Budget Commission, a member of the Partnership for NYC, and Vice Chair of the Storahtelling Board of Directors for Lab/Shul, a nonprofit organization that advances Jewish literacy through the arts.

A proud lifelong New Yorker, Jon lives in Tribeca with his wife Marnie Berk, a public interest attorney and their three children.

Jefrey Pollock is the Founding Partner and President of GSG. Since its inception, Jefrey has helped build GSG into a premier strategic research and communications firm that the Holmes Report previously named Public Affairs Agency of the Year (Americas). Jefrey was twice awarded “Pollster of the Year” by his peers in the bi-partisan American Association of Political Consultants and has year over year been named one of the most powerful people in New York politics by City and State.

Jefrey’s political clients include Governors John Carney (DE), Janet Mills (ME), and JB Pritzker (IL); Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Joe Manchin (WV), Ed Markey (MA), and Jacky Rosen (NV); Attorneys General Letitia James (NY), and Josh Shapiro (PA); Lieutenant Governors Bethany Hall-Long (DE), Denny Heck (WA), and Kathy Hochul (NY); State Auditor Rob Sand (IA); State Comptroller Susana Mendoza (IL); and members of Congress David Cicilline (RI), Jason Crow (CO), Val Demings (FL), Dwight Evans (PA), Bill Foster (IL), Josh Gottheimer (NJ), Jim Himes (CT), Steven Horsford (NV), Sean Patrick Maloney (NY), Don McEachin (VA), Greg Meeks (NY), Jerry Nadler (NY), Kathleen Rice (NY), Linda Sanchez (CA), Ritchie Torres (NY), and others. He has also worked for national organizations such as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Governors Association, EMILY’s List, Priorities USA Action, End Citizens United, Senate Majority PAC, and House Majority PAC.

Jefrey has conducted issue advocacy research, brand analysis, and attitudinal studies for Major League Baseball, Everytown for Gun Safety, Comcast, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Harvard University, AFSCME, Giffords, Ford Motor Company, Con Edison, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, University of Pennsylvania, and MGM Resorts.

Pollock has also served as a pollster and consultant for international political campaigns and democratic change initiatives in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Kazakhstan, Albania, Trinidad and Tobago, Georgia, and Kosovo. He was part of the research and strategy team for the successful election of former President of the Dominican Republic Leonel Fernández and previously worked for Governor Pedro Rosselló of Puerto Rico.

He was one of the original contributors on MSNBC when the channel first launched, and regularly appears as a political pundit for ABC, CNN, and FOX News Channel television programming. An accomplished author and editorialist, Jefrey’s writings have appeared on the AP wire, Philadelphia Inquirer, Campaigns & Elections magazine, Polling Report, and msnbc.com. He also has served as the moderator for focus groups with voters for ABC’s This Week. Additionally, Jefrey has testified before the United States House Ways and Means Committee to discuss American public opinion on tax reform.

Jefrey has served as an Instructor of Public Policy and Administration at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs for over 16 years. He has guest lectured at the United States Military Academy, Harvard University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Pollock holds a Master’s in Public Policy and Administration with a concentration in Advanced Statistical Analysis from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree in American History.

He is on the national board of the American Association of Political Consultants and has recently been named a member of the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations. He is also a proud member of the Screen Actors Guild SAG/AFTRA having appeared in two major motion pictures (The Place Beyond the Pines and Non-Stop).

A recognized speaker, author and media analyst, Tanya Meck is a seasoned business leader and communications strategist with experience in corporate reputation, crisis communications, executive visibility, and issue campaigns. She brings over 20 years of experience at the high stakes intersection of media, business, and politics.

Tanya leads GSG’s global communications and public affairs business and is a member of the company’s executive committee. The company was recently named Public Affairs Agency of the Year, and is consistently ranked by industry publications among the top global communications firms. Focused on executable approaches to business challenges, Tanya counsels prominent national and global brands such as The LEGO Group, Dunkin’ Donuts, Nielsen, MGM Resorts, the Rockefeller Foundation, Google, H&R Block. She also advises advocacy campaigns on some of the leading issues of the day including education, women in leadership, choice, and immigration.

Tanya has also been an in-house communications director for a publicly-traded Fortune 500 company, high-ranking government official, and run political campaigns—both as a candidate and as an advisor.

She has over a decade of on-air experience with television and radio, and held a weekly spot on programs such as the Emmy-nominated Sunday morning political news show FOX CT Capitol Report. In addition, she regularly speaks to the media on the topics of communications, corporate reputation, crisis management, and politics. Also a life-long advocate of women and girls, she has authored numerous studies and reports on Title IX in sports, sexual harassment laws, and disparities in gender portrayals in the media.

Tanya graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, where she was an All-American athlete. In 2018, she was inducted into Drew’s Athletics Hall of Fame as one of the schools’ all-time top offensive field hockey players. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy Studies from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut where she served as a graduate fellow and a collegiate field hockey and lacrosse coach.

Nick Gourevitch leads GSG’s research practice, where he oversees the largest Democratic polling firm in the country. GSG has polled in more federal races than any other Democratic polling firm since the 2010 election cycle. In addition to serving as one of the firm’s top pollsters and communications strategists, he is responsible for business strategy and growth, overseeing research innovation and methodology, and leads a nationwide team of professionals with diverse experience and clients.

Since 2012, Nick has been one of the top pollsters to Priorities USA Action, the Super PAC that is working to defeat Donald Trump in 2020, and previously supported Hillary Clinton’s campaign for president, as well as the re-election of President Obama. Nick is also a lead pollster for Navigator, a polling project that provides progressives regular messaging and language guidance on the issues of the day.

Nick conducts research for a wide array of Democratic Party elected officials and institutions, including the Democratic Governors Association, for whom he led cutting edge experiments on the future of polling. Other institutional clients include the DCCC, DLCC, Senate Majority PAC, and the National Democratic Redistricting Committee.

Nick has a particular expertise on the issue of immigration, having worked for leading advocacy groups like FWD.us and The Immigration Hub, conducting research to understand the intersection between electoral politics and immigration policy. After the 2018 cycle, Nick co-authored an op-ed in USA Today, based on GSG polling, about how the Republican Party’s immigration scare tactics failed in the midterm elections.

He has been named to Campaigns and Elections magazine’s “Influencers 50” list of those who are “changing the way we think about campaigns, and shaping the future of the industry.” He is also regularly quoted in the media on politics in the New York Times, Washington Post, POLITICO, and other outlets.

Nick is a graduate of Brown University with a double major in Computer Science and Economics and holds a Master’s in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences from Columbia University. Nick lives in Larchmont, New York with his wife and three children.

Marc Litvinoff is a seasoned business and operations executive who combines large company discipline with small company savvy and energy. For over 20 years, Marc has focused on international operations, raising capital and M&A for a variety of professional services firms including ORC International, Guideline, Knowledge Networks and Gartner. He began his career in technology, working at ADP, MONY Financial Services and The Dreyfus Corporation.

At GSG, Marc is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the firm, including go-to-market strategy, technology, talent and finance. Prior to joining full time, he served as a GSG board member.

Marc is an avid photographer and traveller, having been to over 60 countries and all 50 states. In his free time, he is usually off looking for the perfect shot. Marc and his wife Sharon are empty nesters and live in Seattle, WA.

Marc is a graduate of Hofstra University with a degree in Banking, Finance & Investments.

Jeffrey Plaut began his public affairs career on the wrong side of a 19-2 vote in his fourth grade class. Since then, however, he has racked up far more wins than losses in applying his political, research and public affairs chops on behalf of elected officials, businesses, labor unions and major non-profits.

At GSG, Jeff helps clients win elections, high stake fights and major advocacy efforts. His view is that if you don’t know where you are heading, then you are unlikely to get there. He encourages his clients to figure out their opponent’s strategy, and then go out and beat them!

Jeff graduated with an B.S. in Psychology from Brown University. When he steps away from guiding his clients through public affairs battles, Jeff can be found teaching the next generation of consultants at Fordham University and serving on the board of Coro New York and the Human Needs Food Pantry. He lives in Montclair, NJ with his wife Amy, their three children, and their dog Benji.

Jeff’s clients include many members of Congress, national committees like the House Majority PAC, national labor unions, major foundations, and top corporations. Some of Jeff’s current and former clients include the IBM Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, SEIU 32BJ, Columbia University, and General Electric.

For Justin Lapatine, there’s nothing as professionally satisfying as running a tough, challenging campaign and winning. Yet somehow, the campaign to get his kids to clean their rooms has remained a losing proposition.

At GSG, Justin manages the firm’s public affairs practice where he develops and executes full service campaigns on behalf of corporate, advocacy and political clients. Justin has managed communications, grassroots, grasstops and coalition building campaigns for recent clients such as Silverstein Properties’ World Trade Center re-development, the Rockefeller Foundation, Google and Major League Soccer. He was named a “Rising Star” by Campaigns & Elections and one of “40 Under 40” by City Hall News.

Before joining GSG, Justin worked for Al Gore’s presidential race and for Mark Green’s campaign for New York City mayor. He remains actively involved in New York politics.

Justin earned a B.A. in Political Science and History from Duke University and a Master’s degree in Political Science from Columbia University.

Dana Yeganian first learned about politics at church, when her Congressman would come to play with his gospel band on the Sunday before every Election Day. This unique perspective of Southern politics has helped Dana guide her clients through regulatory, legislative, media and crisis issues, not only in the Southeast, but also in other regions of the country.

Before joining GSG, Dana led the client services team at Capstrat, a Ketchum-Omnicom agency in Raleigh, overseeing the firm’s practice areas in public affairs, energy, healthcare, technology and professional services, and leading the firm’s work with Duke Energy.

Earlier in her career, Dana served as a media spokesperson for Progress Energy on environmental, policy, regulatory, and crisis issues. She also worked in the press and policy offices for North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt.

Dana holds degrees in Journalism and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She spends her free time exploring New York City with her husband and two daughters.

Jim Papa runs GSG’s Washington, D.C. office, guiding operations and strategy for its public affairs, communications, and research practices. He advises CEOs and other C-suite executives as they grapple with public affairs challenges and opportunities across multiple industries, including health care, financial services, defense, technology, education, and the environment. Some of his current and former clients include General Motors, Global Foundries, H&R Block, LEGO, Micron, Pershing Square Capital Management, PhRMA, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Earthjustice, League of Conservation Voters, FWD.us, and People for the American Way.

Prior to joining GSG, from 2009-2012, Jim was Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs in the Obama White House. There, he handled a range of issues that included energy, health care, technology, transportation, the environment, and economic development. He played a role in the enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Affordable Care Act, Dodd-Frank financial regulatory reform, middle class tax cuts, the repeal of Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell, several Free Trade Agreements, and the reauthorization of the FAA. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said about Jim, “Papa is someone you want in the trenches with you.”

Prior to serving in the White House, Jim earned a reputation as a top flight communications and political strategist on Capitol Hill. He served as a senior advisor to Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel, Chief of Staff to Rep. Rush Holt, one of the only three scientists serving in Congress at that time, staff director and press secretary to Rep. Rosa DeLauro, and deputy staff director of Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle’s communications and technology leadership committee. As senior advisor to Emanuel, Jim managed the 2006 class of Democratic House freshmen, providing locally-tailored guidance on message development, crisis communications, stakeholder outreach, legislation, and media. 90% of those Members were re-elected in 2009, bucking the historical trend of losses following sweeping electoral gains.

Jim is an experienced spokesman and media trainer who has prepared clients for broadcast appearances ranging from Meet the Press to 60 Minutes. He has guest lectured at Georgetown University, George Washington University, and American University.

Jim has a J.D. from Georgetown Law and an undergraduate degree from Cornell University. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife, Katie, and their two children.

For nearly two decades, Matt Canter has led political and advocacy campaigns across the country, directing communications strategy for governors, members of Congress, and US Senators.

Prior to GSG, Canter was a top official at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, advising candidates and guiding campaigns across the country. National Journal named Canter among the top aides on Capitol Hill, and Buzzfeed listed him as one of the top communications operatives in Washington. Canter was instrumental in the work to pass the 9/11 Health and Victim Compensation Bill and repeal the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

At GSG, Canter helps lead the firm’s communications and opinion research practices in Washington, DC. He is passionate about unearthing new insights into why people think the way they do and developing messages that influence opinion and create change.

Born and raised in Wisconsin where the Green Bay Packers are the state religion, Canter now lives in Washington, DC with his wife Kyle, son Sam, daughter Maya and their dog Rudy.

Erin has built her career in communications, first as a state and national political journalist, and later as a strategic communications consultant for corporations, trade associations, non-profits and everything in between. And while she no longer trolls the halls of the US Congress looking for a scoop, she still has journalism in her veins, helping clients navigate the often-challenging and ever-evolving media landscape.

A Washingtonian who proudly boasts of her Montana ties, Erin is well-networked and understands that what works inside the Beltway doesn’t necessarily work elsewhere. Erin thrives under pressure, embraces tight deadlines, and takes on every client challenge as if it were her own. At GSG, Erin specializes in crisis communications, media relations and outreach, brand and profile enhancement, and storytelling.

When she’s not crisis communicating, you can find Erin testing out the latest fitness craze in DC or planning her next trip across the pond.