Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications Announces Team

This week, the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications (OCPSC) announced appointments to its team and swore in its inaugural leadership team. OCSPC is tasked with managing the state’s highest priority public awareness and community outreach campaigns, initially focused on COVID-19 vaccines and climate justice initiatives.

“I’m thrilled to have such a talented, diverse and proven team of leaders join us at the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) to improve Californian’s access to information and state resources,” said Sam Assefa, Director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR). “The decades of experience this team brings will complement and enhance our efforts to engage our communities, particularly those experiencing the greatest social and health inequities. We look forward to working with the new OCPSC and the state’s robust network of community partners to advance the Governor’s vision of creating a more resilient California.”

September 1, 2022 - Swearing In Ceremony - Administered by Director Assefa

Yumi Sera will serve as the inaugural Executive Director of this new office and brings more than 30 years of public sector leadership to the role. Throughout her years of service, Sera has held senior leadership roles running some of California’s largest outreach and education initiatives. Most recently, Sera served as Strategic Advisor for Vaccinate ALL 58, one of the largest COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in the country. Sera was an advisor to the Governor and Deputy Director of Statewide Initiatives for the California Complete Count - Census 2020 Office, where she built and oversaw a collaborative network of statewide and regional community-based organizations, while actively strengthening tribal affairs, education and language and communication access. She has held roles at organizations such as Disability Rights Fund, World Bank, and the Peace Corps focused on developing innovative and inclusive programs. Sera has a strong track record of advancing equity and social justice for California’s diverse communities through creating strategic partnerships, civic engagement campaigns, and results-oriented programs.

Devon Keeler will serve as Chief Deputy Director and brings several years of strategy and project management experience to the leadership team. Before her role with OCPSC, Devon served as Senior Communications Officer with the COVID-19 Vaccinate All 58 Campaign, managing statewide communications for California’s COVID-19 vaccine initiatives, including increasing awareness of vaccine safety and availability. From 2011 to 2021, Devon served as Vice President at Mercury, LLC, where she drove multi-million dollar strategic marketing and communications campaigns for several nonprofit, philanthropic, government and corporate clients.

Serving as the Deputy Director of Community Engagement, Marcy Kaplan brings over 15 years of experience designing infrastructure and strategy to deliver community-empowering civic engagement programs. Kaplan served as the Director of Outreach for the California Citizens Redistricting Commission and as Outreach Manager at the California Complete Count – Census 2020 Office. Kaplan embodies a commitment to community engagement and civic participation with deep roots in the nonprofit sector focusing on a variety of areas, including: increasing voter participation, anti-hunger advocacy, and cross-sector coalition building.

Serving as the Deputy Director of Public Education, Michelle Prater brings over 25 years of professional experience in business development, specializing in marketing, public relations, corporate sponsorship, community partnerships, and brand development working with companies including Anheuser-Busch, Best Buy, and the Sacramento Kings. As a strategic thinker, her focus is always to grow campaign awareness while developing and empowering those she works with.

Serving as the Deputy Director of Partnerships, Aubrie Fong brings over 20 years of public service experience to the team. Prior to her role at OCPSC, Fong served as Senior External Affairs Officer for the COVID-19 Vaccinate ALL 58 Campaign, helping to connect resources to elected officials of all levels and other strategic key partners. She also served as District Director in the California State Assembly. Fong’s career began in local government, where her passion and commitment to public service developed and still drives the work she does today.

Serving as the Deputy Director of Campaign Services, Chris Chaffee brings more than 20 years of policy, data management, and campaign experience to the team. Chaffee served as Chief Operating Officer of Redistricting Partners, which helped over 100 local governments create new electoral districts around the most recent redistricting effort and has managed more than 80 electoral campaigns. As a strategist, Chaffee has extensive experience integrating a transparent, community-driven approach to developing systems that track and analyze data to make data-informed decisions.

Serving as Deputy Director of Administration, Amy Manasero brings more than 20 years of experience in state government, bringing with her a variety of governmental administration experience. She has held roles in business operations, budgets, accounting, contracts, asset management, telecommunications, and facilities across four different major California departments (Department of Social Services, California Correctional Health Care Services, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and California Department of Public Health). 

In addition to the inaugural leadership team, 28 staff positions were authorized in 2022-23 budget and several other key team members are also announced:

Community Engagement Team:

Jessica Martinez-Pulido, Community Engagement Strategist

Aminah Joudeh, Community Engagement Assistant

Mitchell Iwahiro, Program Coordinator

Public Education Team:

Ashley Clark, Press Secretary

Yurina Melara, Multiethnic Press Secretary

Sureena Johl, Assistant Strategist

Partnerships Team:

Sydnie Whitesel, Government Relations Analyst

Sasha Tokas, State Agency Workgroup Analyst

Cynella Aghasi, Program Coordinator

Campaign Services Team:

Michelle Yoon, Product Manager

To learn more about the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications, visit us online or follow along on Twitter. To get in touch, email ocpsc@opr.ca.gov.