Meet Our Team

Meet the talented COMPETE team that powers our clients’ success.

Courtney Abeyta​

PARTNER, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Hilary Borris

Senior Political Strategist & Partnerships Lead

Andrew Curtis

DIGITAL DESIGNER

Dakota Crawford

Messaging Strategist

Caroline Fenyo

Social Media Strategist

Keith Frederick

PARTNER

Jadah Greenidge

Digital Strategist and Operations Coordinator

Wardah Imran

Senior Digital Strategist

Kimberly Ricci

DIRECTOR OF MESSAGING

MacAdam Lea

SENIOR SEARCH STRATEGIST AND TECHNICIAN

Zach Mandelblatt

PRESIDENT

Ryan Pané

SOCIAL AND EMAIL COORDINATOR

Brendan Olsen

Strategic Advisor and Business Development

Pooja Patel

Director of Paid Media

Adam Perry

Creative director

Chris Ricci

Partner, Director of Sales

Jessi Rodriguez

fundraising consultant

Justin Schall

SENIOR ADVISER

Jaden Slagle

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

Ameera Sylvian

Senior Digital Strategist

Isobel Sylvian

Partner, DIRECTOR OF CAMPAIGNS

Pretzel

DIRECTOR OF PUP-LICK RELATIONS

Tank

ASSISTANT TO THE REGIONAL MANAGER

Cairo and Seven

Oregon Branch Managers

Courtney Abeyta​

PARTNER, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Courtney is the brains behind the scenes at COMPETE. She has conquered the administrative world working in industries ranging from print advertising to healthcare. She keeps COMPETE’s trains running on time so everyone else can focus on doing an excellent job for our clients. Courtney witnessed our politics becoming more and more toxic, and co-founded COMPETE to do her part to bring us back to a more equitable and harmonious place.

Hilary Borris

Senior Political Strategist & Partnerships Lead
Hilary Borris is the Senior Political Strategist & Partnerships Lead at COMPETE, with over a decade of experience leading high-impact political campaigns, stakeholder initiatives, and fundraising efforts. She has worked on campaigns at every level, from local races to statewide and federal battlegrounds. During the 2018 cycle at the DCCC, Hilary served as Expansion Candidate Finance Director, overseeing fundraising strategy for more than 60 competitive races nationwide and helping build the battlefield that flipped the House. She later managed two competitive congressional campaigns before joining House Majority PAC, where she led regional political strategy during the 2022 and 2024 cycles. Hilary also served as Federal Affairs Manager at Ørsted, one of the world’s largest offshore wind developers, where she advanced national clean energy policy through bipartisan stakeholder engagement. At COMPETE, she helps clients craft campaigns that don’t just look good on paper – they win. When she’s not working, she’s probably traveling the world, hosting a themed dinner party, or trying to improve her tennis skills.

Andrew Curtis

DIGITAL DESIGNER

Andrew Curtis is a Virginia-based graphic designer who focuses on helping clients in finding the right visual solution for their creative problems. A graduate of George Mason University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, he was also involved in AIGA (American Institute for Graphic Arts) while in college. Andrew has been involved in several local Startup Weekends & Hack-A-thons.

Dakota Crawford

Messaging Strategist
Dakota’s experience building brands for elite NHL and NCAA athletes helps him guide politicians toward messaging that wins. He’s an award-winning reporter turned sports marketer turned policy wonk and grassroots advocate for housing, safe streets and politics that put people first. A lifelong Hoosier, Dakota also enjoys volunteering for Indiana Democrats.

Caroline Fenyo

Social Media Strategist
Caroline is a social media aficionado with a background in youth organizing and generally existing online. Caroline loves exploring new digital trends and discovering creative ways to make politics accessible to an online audience. Caroline’s earliest political memories include “helping” her parents vote on CA ballot measures and passionately defending her stances at the dinner table. She has not stopped talking about her opinions on politics since. When not attached to her phone, Caroline can be found running… either after her dogs or on the trails.

Keith Frederick

PARTNER

Keith Frederick is the owner of FrederickPolls based in Arlington, Virginia. FrederickPolls is one of the country’s leading issue and political polling firms. Keith has 35+ years’ experience providing strategic message and targeting advice. Recognizing that digital is the future of communication, Keith co-founded COMPETE to provide message testing expertise and invaluable experience navigating the political market.

Jadah Greenidge

Digital Strategist and Operations Coordinator
Jadah is a coordinator with many hats. She has a background in marketing, social media project management, sales, as well as office management. She enjoys being behind the scenes and supporting the team with personal and professional development to ensure that each team member is thriving in our team oriented environment at COMPETE. She helps coordinate social media content for several platforms and supports the operations for COMPETE. When she takes her hat off, she’s at the park hanging out with her dog Bentley.

Wardah Imran

Senior Digital Strategist
Wardah is a strategist with experience leading digital campaigns across a number of issue areas, including climate, education, racial justice, housing, and philanthropy. With a background in civil rights advocacy, she comes to the agency space with the belief that media, storytelling, and community-building can, together, create powerful social change. She is additionally passionate about UX/UI design and visual mediums, cinema, and being outside. Wardah is from and lives in Los Angeles, California.

Kimberly Ricci

DIRECTOR OF MESSAGING

With all due respect to the glory days of the perfect :30 second broadcast persuasion piece….those days are over. Voters have changed, media mixes have changed, and Kimberly’s approach to messaging reflects that. A multi Reed and Pollie award winner without being a multi-decade political elite, Kimberly brings her pragmatic fearlessness to every campaign she touches. In her non-COMPETE time, she has two amazing children, is a CADEM, and ran her husband’s two-term, successful, campaign for City Council (and nervously awaits the next step!).

MacAdam Lea

SENIOR SEARCH STRATEGIST AND TECHNICIAN

MacAdam and President Zach Mandelblatt cut their teeth together at Digital Reach. After working for 8 years at DRA, MacAdam was at lunch with his family when his siblings asked “what would it take to start our own company?”. Many meetings later and MacAdam launched LEA Analytics! COMPETE partners with LEA when our clients would benefit from Search and Mid-Funnel specific marketing expertise / solutions, or other general technical expertise. Driven by a need to make customers money and a fear of letting his co-founder’s down, MacAdam loves Dark Souls and cats and his wife/business partner Dori.

Zach Mandelblatt

PRESIDENT

Ever since it became clear to Zach that he wasn’t going to make it to the MLB, he has been building Digital marketing and media firms. In 2012, he co-founded Digital Reach, a Silicon Valley based firm that works with Tech companies. After Trump won in 2016, a shocked and determined Zach began knocking on doors and registering folks to vote for Democratic campaigns. This led him to the belief that he could best help left-of-center campaigns and causes by bringing the successful Digital strategies and agency structure he built at his other firm over to the Political vertical. With 800 campaigns under COMPETE’s belt since its launch in 2019, Zach is glad he made the jump.

Ryan Pané

SOCIAL AND EMAIL COORDINATOR

Ryan is a social media and digital media professional with a background working in entertainment and New York State politics. As an avid social media user Ryan enjoys finding the intersection where politics and pop culture meet. His passion for democratic politics started at a young age when he would (unsolicitedly) argue against President Bush’s policies over dinner with his family. Ryan believes that every person has a unique story just waiting to be told and strives to find new and creative ways to bring them to life. When not online Ryan can be found running to catch a train.

Brendan Olsen

Strategic Advisor and Business Development

Brendan’s relationship with COMPETE began as a client and a trusted partner. The president of Polaris Public Affairs, he has firsthand experience adapting to and capitalizing on largescale shifts in the landscape of traditional media. Year after year, Brendan has found himself directing greater portions of his own clients’ budgets toward Digital and New Media advertising based on its objectively effective results. First a convert, he is now an outspoken apostle of New Media’s potential and a proselytizer of COMPETE’s impactful messaging, technological expertise and white-glove approach to client relations. Based on Miami Beach, his background includes government positions on Capitol Hill and at the White House along with campaign leadership roles coast to coast.

Pooja Patel

Director of Paid Media

Pooja is a digital strategist with deep experience in rapid response, high-impact visibility, and large-scale acquisition programs. She is a solutions-oriented problem solver passionate about efficient process. Before getting into paid media, she was an organizer and a pollster for progressive advocacy organizations and electoral candidates. She’s worked on issues including include gun violence prevention, reproductive justice, environmental protection, voting rights, and immigration. Pooja currently resides in Brooklyn.

Adam Perry

Creative director

Adam is an experienced Creative Director with a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry. He is skilled in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Logo Design, Advertising, Video, and WordPress, and possesses a strong arts and design background. He graduated from the Bradley Academy for the Visual Arts.

Chris Ricci

Partner, Director of Sales

Chris founded and ran Chris Ricci Presents, Inc. an event promotion firm in Central California. When Trump won the election he was compelled to get involved politically. Prior to joining COMPETE in 2019, he worked with the social media teams in CA-21 and Josh Harder in CA-10, and on texting campaigns for Democratic candidates using Relay and Hustle. Chris was recently elected Councilmember for the City of Modesto, giving him even deeper insight into what campaigns and elected officials need from their media firm.

Jessi Rodriguez

fundraising consultant

Jessi Rodriguez is a political strategist with over a decade of experience running email programs that deliver results. She’s raised more than $15 million on behalf of Democratic candidates, PACs, and orgs. After building a career in D.C., Jessi moved back to her home state of Texas with her husband and two children and settled in the Austin hill country. When she’s not working, you can find her maintaining her treasured Chronically Online status or searching for a pair of matching socks for one of the kids.

Justin Schall

Senior Adviser
Justin has over 25 years of experience in political campaign management, government relations, and media relations. He has worked across the country at the local, state, and federal levels since 1993. Justin started in the Clinton White House and his work has since taken him to Democratic presidential campaigns, US Senate and House races, a Governor’s race, and several big-city mayors in Iowa, Pennsylvania, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, California, Colorado, and Maine. In addition to his campaign work, Justin served on Capitol Hill as a chief of staff. Justin joined the COMPETE team in 2023 and provides broad political expertise that elevates our effectiveness for high-end campaigns.

Jaden Slagle

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

Jaden is a lawyer turned organizer turned digital enthusiast. In 2014, he moved home to Texas to work for Wendy Davis. After he caught the campaign bug, he organized in Kansas, Missouri, Virginia, and Maryland before moving to Iowa to work for Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal. He has since managed campaigns in Virginia, Michigan, and Florida. Somewhere in there, he found the time to learn to code. Through his campaign travels Jaden realized the value of investment in digital, which led him to co-found COMPETE.

Ameera Sylvian

Senior Digital Strategist

Ameera is a social media coordinator passionate about using her skills to bring about positive change. She has worked with a wide variety of social media and content moderation clients, including starting her own small business and building a loyal clientele via social media. She has been involved in progressive politics since a young age, and now takes pride in furthering those causes using social media to drive engagement. When not tied to a screen, she can be found in the woods of Oregon chasing after her 3 dogs.

Isobel Sylvian

Partner, DIRECTOR OF CAMPAIGNS

Isobel is a seasoned leader and a Partner at COMPETE, where she drives impactful campaigns and strategies for high-profile clients.

With a foundation in politics that began at a young age, attending local and national Democratic campaign rallies, Isobel’s career has been defined by her ability to merge creativity with strategy. Before COMPETE, she ran her own social media shop where she mastered the art of crafting compelling narratives to connect with diverse audiences.

At COMPETE, Isobel has advised and led initiatives for prominent clients, delivering excellent client services and measurable growth. Known for her organizational precision and innovative approaches, she empowers her clients to amplify their voices and achieve lasting influence.

Pretzel

DIRECTOR OF PUP-LICK RELATIONS

A key member of the team, Pretzel is constantly working to keep morale high. When asked for remarks for his “Meet the Team” blurb Pretzel reBARKED that he is “PAWsitively thrilled by COMPETE’s ability to unLEASH the power of the internet for our clients.” We don’t know HOWL we could do it without this guy HOUNDING us with his good (boy) ideas.

Tank

ASSISTANT TO THE REGIONAL MANAGER

Sergeant Tank Obama joined COMPETE after a brief stint at Delaware Alliance for Animal Welfare Groups, Inc. (DAAWGS). He is a social butterfly who has helped take COMPETE’s organic social media game to the next level. He has an eye for trending and viral content and brings style and class to every team meeting. In his spare time, he enjoys chasing trash cans and loudly snoring.

Cairo and Seven

Oregon Branch Managers​
Cairo and Seven are the dynamic canine duo managing our Oregon branch. Cairo excels in strategic planning and client relations, leveraging his keen instincts to drive successful campaigns. Seven handles team coordination and creative brainstorming, ensuring every project runs smoothly. Together, they bring a unique blend of leadership and enthusiasm to the office, making them beloved figures among our team. Their innovative approach and unwavering dedication keep Compete at the forefront of the industry.
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