About Us: Staff

Barbara Maynard, President

Barbara founded MCS in 1996, after serving as Director of Budget and Finance for L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina.  Often called on for her quantitative skills, knowledge of government budgets, municipal finance, and public policy, she has established herself as the “go to guru” among organized labor and affiliated political campaigns in Los Angeles. In addition, Barbara’s expertise in crisis management and media relations has been a cornerstone of her work in advising elected officials and some of the largest and most prominent progressive campaigns in California. She has a keen ability to translate complex policy jargon into easy to digest, politically persuasive - and when called for, agitational – media sound bites. Barbara understands the pressures and interests that guide people in positions of power, and uses that knowledge to create and promote winnable campaigns. Barbara is a co-founder of the LA-based Horizon Institute (horizon-institute.com), a new progressive economic think tank, and a Board member of the Miguel Contreras Foundation.

Barbara also directed the 48-day Bakersfield-to-Sacramento “March for California’s Future” in the springtime, which was led by the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) and other unions and leaders in labor, faith, education and business circles. The march drew broad attention across the state to the need for our Legislature to support and restore public services vital to maintaining residents’ quality of life: our schools, parks, libraries, safety net services, infrastructure and more – and for a fair and democratic “majority” budget vote.

Dan Braun, Project Associate

Dan Braun joined MCS in 2004, after working as a community researcher. A Los Angeles transplant from the flatlands of Iowa, Dan plays versatile roles for MCS clients, including directing research and labor relations. He is also a quantitative consultant and policy analyst for the Coalition of Los Angeles City Unions, for whom he assisted in achieving its landmark contract victory for 22,000 City workers. Dan also is a communications and media outreach officer at MCS.

Erica Zeitlin, Project Associate

Erica was a correspondent based in Tel Aviv, Israel, from 1994-1999, before becoming a Staff Writer with the Los Angeles Times, covering community news. Trading her journalist’s hat for that of an impassioned advocate for economic justice, Erica directed Tom Hayden’s anti-sweatshop campaign, in which she was instrumental in the passage of several State and City “sweat-free” procurement laws in California. At MCS, Erica writes and edits strategic content, oversees the creation of collateral materials, assists in media outreach, and coordinates diverse projects as needed.

Elaine Medway, Accountant, Office Manager

Elaine is responsible for the management of all finances at MCS, and works closely with MCS vendors to coordinate invoicing, and payments. She also serves as a bookkeeper for a number of clients with which MCS is affiliated. Elaine also ensures that MCS operates smoothly and helps to coordinate office staffing. Elaine is a proud member of OPEIU Local 537.

Nate Cowen, Graphic Designer

Nate is a talented in-house graphic designer who creates a wide variety of reports, newsletters, flyers, pamphlets and brochures for MCS clients. He also serves as MCS’ webmaster. Nate brings with him seven years of marketing and design experience working for large academic institutions, including the University of Michigan, UC San Diego and Notre Dame. 

Melissa Arrigoni, Logistics Coordinator

Melissa organizes logistics and community outreach for large-scale public actions and events as well as collateral materials and advertisements. Among her recent credits are the L.A. County Federation of Labor’s ambitious “Hollywood to the Docks” march and rallies, and the biggest union related public action in recent years, the 2010 March for California’s Future. Melissa is a proud member of OPEIU Local 537.

Brad Rehak, Policy Coordinator and Digital Strategist

Brad has spent time in the private, public and non-profit sectors, working with a diverse array of local and national elected officials and private marketing firms. He has constructed and managed multi-tiered digital and traditional strategic marketing campaigns and provided in-depth research on statewide policy issues. He was chief of staff to a Los Angeles-based elected official. Brad has managed campaigns, overseen redesign and development of websites, and provided organizational direction to staff.

Marc Grossman, Writer

Marc is a veteran of social justice, labor, and farm workers’ campaigns, who served as Cesar Chavez’s personal aide and press secretary. He was a also a speechwriter for the late Miguel Contreras, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the LA County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, and continues to write for Contreras’ widow and successor, Maria Elena Durazo. He creates strategic communications and marketing content for MCS clients on a freelance basis.
 

New Media Team

MCS works closely with a number of experts in new social media to produce tailor-made videos, viral marketing, and web-based advocacy campaigns for clients.