Scott is an internationally recognized consultant and has built The Advance Group into one of the country's leading strategic consulting firms. Scott created The Advance Group following a decade of community organizing and labor union organizing, which included serving as the lead advance person for Jesse Jackson's Presidential Campaign in 1988 and as Director of Advance for David Dinkins' mayoral campaign in 1989.

Scott ran Mark Green's successful 1993 race to become New York City's first elected Public Advocate, and from 1994 through 1999, he served as Chief of Operations for the Office of the Public Advocate of the City of New York. Scott also served as the Campaign Director for both Mr. Green's 1998 run for the U.S. Senate and Ruth Messinger's 1997 campaign for Mayor of New York City.

Scott is a national commentator on New York City and national Democratic politics. He can often be seen on television, radio and in print media. Scott is a trained organizer and campaign veteran with a national reputation. A Political Science major with a specialty in African Studies at Boston University, Scott has a son, Sebastian, and lives in Forest Hills, New York.

 

For over 20 years, Michael has been a sought after advisor and strategic consultant to elected officials, corporations, not-for-profits and other individuals of significance. He is an entrepreneur with strong business acumen and has been with the Advance Group from its inception.

Jonathan comes to the Advance Group having served as Executive Director of the Brooklyn Democratic Party for a number of years. Prior to that, Jonathan served as Deputy District Director and Campaign Manager for Congressman Michael E. McMahon. Jonathan has an extensive history managing political campaigns on all levels of government throughout New York State. He is an avid sports fan, rooting for the Mets, Nets, Islanders, and Bills. In fact, it is widely believed that, prior to the Nets moved to Brooklyn, he was the only actual Net fan in the borough. And while one might wonder why any down-state New Yorker in their right mind would root for the Buffalo Bills, it was Jonathan's education at SUNY Buffalo that also educated him in the ways of the Buffalo Bills. He has been missing field goals wide right ever since, but thankfully has had far greater success in the political arena.

Chelsea brings nearly a decade of combined experience in politics, journalism and communications to the team. After starting her career in theatrical production management Chelsea caught the political bug on a chance internship at NBC News. Piloting it into an Emmy Award-Winning career in the Tom Brokaw Reports Unit during the historic 2008 election cycle. She comes to us after reprising her roll at NBC in 2012. In between, Chelsea served in the campaign press offices of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. and Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice. Chelsea completed her undergraduate work at New York University where she holds a B.F.A. in Technical Production from the Tisch School of the Arts and a B.S. in Politics from the College of Arts and Sciences. She recently completed her M.A. in Elections and Campaign Management at Fordham University.

Ben brings nearly a decade of campaign and non-profit fundraising experience to The Advance Group. He has worked on the congressional campaigns of two current U.S. Senators, Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii. In 2009, he served as Finance Director for Bill De Blasio’s successful Public Advocate campaign. Before joining The Advance Group, he was the Major Gift Liaison for ACE Programs for the Homeless, a New York City based not-for-profit that empowers homeless men and women to find full-time employment. Ben graduated from Hofstra University with a Political Science degree.

Jamin brings over a decade of experience on legislative initiatives, lobbying and government relations to The Advance Group. Jamin joins the team from City Council Member G. Oliver Koppell’s Office where he served as Counsel. Before entering the public sector, Jamin worked for unions, first as an organizer, and later as an attorney. Some of his clients included 1199/SEIU, Local 100, HERE, the Doctors Council, and various RWDSU/UFCW locals. He negotiated and enforced contracts, litigated in federal and state courts, the National Labor Relations Board as well as before New York City, New York State and New Jersey agencies. Jamin received his Juris Doctorate Brooklyn Law School in 1998 and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from Eugene Lang College, New School for Social Research.

Katie, a Virginia native, joined The Advance Group in 2010, after spending the election cycle working on a New York State Senate race. Katie keeps the office running smoothly, handling scheduling and administration for the office and our clients. Prior to joining The Advance Group, Katie worked as a Congressional Intern for Rep. Shelley Berkley in Washington, DC and for a non-profit, Children, Inc. in Richmond Virginia. Katie received her BS from Virginia Commonwealth University and currently resides in Manhattan.

Erik comes to The Advance Group from Washington, D.C. where he served as Congresswoman Kathy Hochul’s Finance Director. Additionally, he has worked for both EMILY’s List and DCCC endorsed candidates in New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. A dedicated political fundraiser, he has been fortunate enough to plan and staff events with Vice President Biden, former President Clinton, and members of the Democratic House Leadership. Erik was born and raised in Western New York and attended Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire where he received his BA in History.

Raised into the business at an early age, Sebastian began officially working for The Advance Group after graduating from Utica College in 2012 with a BA in Political Science. Sebastian worked in several grassroots organizations, such as ACORN and New York Communities for Change. He has also done work for the New York Hotel Trades Council and assisted in the 2010 Mark Levine for Senate campaign. Since joining The Advance Group, Sebastian has been responsible for internship program, as well as assisting the needs for several different candidates for elected office. In his down time, Sebastian enjoys the being a nerd, often found either reading, writing or illustrating comics.

Lindsey joined The Advance Group in the Fall of 2011 as an intern and became a full time staff member in January, 2012. Lindsey received her BA from Bucknell University in 2011 where she majored in Economics and Political Science. Prior to joining The Advance Group, Lindsey worked as a legal assistant at a Tax Law Firm in New Jersey. Lindsey is originally from New Jersey, and currently lives in Manhattan.

Valentina believes in design as way of thinking and t-shirts as the ultimate form of expression. A native from Caracas, Venezuela who has a Bachelors Degree in Liberal Arts with a focus on International Relations, as well as a Postgraduate Degree in Art History and a specialization in Graphic Design. In her professional career, Valentina has mainly worked in the art world, ranging from non-profit art centers, to international art fairs, and renowned galleries. She has also focused on developing personal entrepreneurial projects, mostly related to the areas of design and branding. She recently moved to Manhattan and started working at The Advance Group where she hopes to instill a culture of creativity and passion for design, as well as help make a significant impact in the realm of political advertising. On weekends she keeps grounded by practicing yoga, eating good food, walking her dog Banksy around the city and making creative t-shirts.

Christine received her BA in International Relations from Oswego State University in 2011. Christine interned for Hearts & Minds, a non-profit, focusing on their social media and political outreach. She continued growing experience as a social media manager with an online news journal start-up company in Midtown. After interning at The Advance Group in the fall of 2012, she was recruited as office manager.