We tell the stories that change the world

As a trained storyteller and communications expert, Larry Kopp has nearly 35 years of experience across several sectors: advocacy, nonprofit, political and public policy and the entertainment industry.

Larry founded The TASC Group two decades ago with a mission to work with the most dynamic and inspiring leaders and organizations in the nonprofit, political advocacy and business worlds. He has worked on some of the most significant and high-profile public relations campaigns in the country and has built political grassroots organizations in more than a dozen states. He also has helped manage multi-million-dollar political campaigns at the state and local level and worked on several presidential campaigns.

Larry has appeared as a crisis communications expert on major news shows and has been quoted extensively in dozens of major national media outlets, including CNN, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, People Magazine, Reuters and The Associated Press. His writings have appeared in PR Week Magazine.

Larry also had a lengthy career as a professional actor before joining the political and nonprofit worlds, appearing in Hollywood blockbuster films and TV shows, including the Farrelly Brothers hit “Dumb and Dumber,” major appearances on “Law and Order”, ABC’s TV series “Supercarrier,” the film “Alien Nation” starring Mandy Patinkin and James Caan, among others.

Larry has performed in more than 40 plays in New York and Chicago premiering the works of Pulitzer Prize winning playwright David Mamet and Shel Silverstein. He also appeared in Mamet’s film “Homicide”which premiered at and opened the New York Film Festival. He is a founding member of the Atlantic Theater Company along with Mamet, W.H. Macy and Felicity Huffman.

Larry graduated from Phillips Academy Andover and attended the prestigious acting program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He also graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Columbia University. He is married with three children and lives in Montclair, New Jersey.

An award-winning public relations professional, Rida Bint Fozi has more than 15 years of experience as a communications specialist, strategist and publicist for businesses, nonprofit organizations and socially responsible companies and thought leaders. 

Rida’s work has been recognized for excellence by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and PRSA NY. She was named one of PRSA NY’s inaugural “15 Under 35” Award winners, which honors the NY public relations community’s foremost emerging talent. She has led multiple campaigns that won PRSA NY Big Apple Awards and PRSA Silver Anvil Awards of Excellence and has been named a Ragan’s Top Woman in Communications and PRNews Top Woman in PR. She previously served on the PRSA NY Young Professionals Advisory Board and has regularly served as a judge for its annual Big Apple Awards competition. 

Rida has spearheaded grassroots, national and international campaigns and managed crisis communications for clients such as the Trayvon Martin family and Foundation, United Way of New York City, the Heather Heyer Foundation, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, the David Lynch Foundation, Dictionary.com and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.

Prior to joining TASC, Rida served in leadership and development positions at national youth organization Young Muslims and managed communications and social media for the Islamic Circle of North America, one of the nation’s leading American Muslim organizations.

Rida is known for her endless curiosity, passion for hyphen placement and deep love of maps, science and memes. Her interest in design and photography, and keen eye for detail, inform her ability to think creatively and offer a fresh and unique approach to the ever-evolving public relations industry. In her down time, she can be found hand lettering, baking or buried in non-fiction reads.

Rida has a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Brooklyn College.

Amy Ward Kaup is a marketing professional with more than 20 years of experience in various vertical markets, including the financial services and banking industries. She worked as a marketing executive at both Goldman Sachs and Bank of America as well as The Maloney Group and Pricewaterhouse Coopers, where she served for more than a decade. Her expertise includes taking numerous products from concept to market, which gives her a unique perspective when it comes to strategy, positioning and integrated marketing. Amy has been with the TASC Group since 2006.

Lisa is an award-winning communications professional with nine years of experience leading public relations campaigns for a variety of clients, including mission-driven progressive organizations in the nonprofit and social justice spaces.

At The TASC Group, Lisa has spearheaded national media campaigns, local grassroots movements and crisis management campaigns centered around LGBTQ+ rights, diversity, equity and inclusion education, racial justice and gender equity, among others. She is currently leading the charge alongside a team of asbestos litigators to expose Johnson & Johnson’s efforts to skirt compensating individuals fatally harmed by the company’s asbestos-laced talcum powder, which has resulted in favorable media coverage from top tier outlets including Reuters, Bloomberg Law, NPR, The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times. Beyond her client work, Lisa is responsible for training and mentoring junior team members.

Lisa has won various industry recognitions including being named Ragan’s Top Woman in Communications. Her efforts spearheading a media relations campaign broadcasting the mission and services of national Black Trans-led LGBTQ+ organization Destination Tomorrow, which generated over 1,150 media hits, won PRSA-NY’s Big Apple Awards in various categories.

Prior to joining TASC, Lisa spent most of her career in the fashion and lifestyle spaces, developing and executing communications strategies for emerging brands, gaining meaningful media coverage across top tier publications. She has a Master of Arts in fashion marketing from LIM College.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lisa helped build a homework help program for a progressive elected official’s campaign to aid families struggling with remote learning in the Queens and Bronx boroughs of New York City. She is passionate about volunteering and raising awareness for various social justice issues.

In her spare time, Lisa can be found hanging out with her two cats, going for long walks along the East River, trying new restaurants or rewatching Gilmore Girls for the 500th time.

Emiliano Garcia is a junior account executive at The TASC Group. Although he might appear elusive at first glance, he shines through his industrious commitment to his clients, perceptive nature and potent writing skills, albeit prolix at times. Emiliano has had the invaluable opportunity to start his PR career at The TASC Group joining the team as an intern in 2022 and working with diverse and inspiring nonprofit organizations making an impact in his communities.

Emiliano graduated from The City of College of New York with a bachelor’s in communications, specializing in PR and advertising. He was the 2022 recipient of The TASC Group’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Scholarship for the summer semester winning a $2,500 scholarship and an internship at TASC.

Outside of the office, he leads a double life as a thrill seeker, going to concerts at least once a month to mosh. He is also an avid Nikon-only photographer because he cannot yet afford a Sony a7 III mirrorless camera.

Vanessa is a storyteller and comms strategist based in New York City. At The TASC Group, Vanessa advises c-suite executives and high-profile campaigns on narrative development and media relations, developing PR strategies that both maximize media coverage and build long-term trust and impact. 

Before joining TASC, Vanessa worked at the intersection of political, nonprofit and corporate spaces for five years spanning several organizations. At Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, she led PR strategy for US social impact initiatives, ensuring resources on racial justice and autism acceptance effectively reach families across the country. During the 2020 election cycle, Vanessa led digital advertising and messaging trainings for more than 800 politicians and comms professionals on behalf of Priorities USA, the nation’s largest Democratic Super PAC. She began her career in economic justice at The Hub Project in Washington, DC, and continues to carry principles of a fair and worker-centric economy into her client work. 

Vanessa received her Bachelor of Arts in French and international studies from the University of California, Irvine, and considers New York, California and Taipei her home. Outside of her day job, Vanessa is a communications trainer for the National Democratic Training Committee, as well as a writer and amateur photographer; she is particularly interested in capturing memories from the Chinese diaspora and storytelling as a means for collective liberation.

Chavonne Jones serves as a senior advisor and counselor with The TASC Group and has assisted TASC’s clients in a variety of fields, including crisis communications, diversity, equity & inclusion work, national thought leadership development and media relations.

Chavonne is a public relations consultant and senior vice president at FleishmanHillard. She has many years of experience in the development and execution of media campaigns for both B2B and consumer clients across industries, including finance, legal, human resources, technology, healthcare, consumer products, automotive and energy, among others.

As a result of her media skills and strong relationships with key journalists, Chavonne has a solid track record of landing coverage for clients in top-tier outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Financial Times, Fortune, Forbes, TIME, Bloomberg, CNBC, Reuters, Harvard Business Review, USA Today, FOX Business and more.

In 2019, Chavonne served as treasurer and a board member for the Public Relations Society of America’s New York Chapter. She is a 2018 recipient of PRWeek’s “40 Under 40” award and The Network Journal’s “40 Under Forty” Dynamic Achievers Award. Chavonne is also a member of Chief, a private network for powerful women executives across industries.

Previously, Chavonne previously served as senior vice president at Weber Shandwick where she executed media campaigns for a range of clients from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups and nonprofits. Her client roster included IBM, Experian, Bayer, Enel, TIAA, Sealed Air, Essity, Boston Consulting Group and a host of others.

Chavonne holds a Master of Science degree in public relations from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in journalism and mass media and communications from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Kezia Kent is a graduate of The City College of New York, with a bachelor’s in economics and communications, specializing in advertising and public relations with a minor in public policy. During her time at City College, she was a fellow in The Climate Policy Fellows Program and the Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice’s Social Change Fellowship. Her academic and professional journey reflects her commitment to environmental advocacy and climate justice and a keen understanding of the interconnectedness of environmental policy, media, and the economy. Kezia was the 2023 recipient of The TASC Group’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Scholarship for the summer semester winning a $2,500 scholarship and an internship at TASC that launched her career in advocacy communications. 

Jennifer is an award-winning publicist specializing in public relations and communications for advocacy and mission-driven organizations. She primarily works with clients in the education, public awareness, nonprofit and political landscapes. A deep thinker and top-tier strategist, she is skilled at shaping organizational branding and messaging, crafting thought leadership campaigns, managing high-profile and fast-paced projects and securing local, national and international media opportunities for clients across sectors. She also is responsible for the mentorship and training of junior staff.

Jennifer has a background in cause marketing, advertising, city government and the nonprofit sector having worked at organizations such as the City of Austin, the Livestrong Foundation, the Ad Council and Major League Baseball’s technology arm. She has also served as a Spanish-language translator and advertising copywriter for national brands, drawing on her background being raised in Mexico.

Named a Top Woman in PR by PRNews, Jennifer has led national media campaigns, promoted grassroots movements and managed crisis communications. She has won numerous industry recognitions for her work at The TASC Group including PRSA-NY’s Big Apple awards, PRNews Nonprofit awards and a Gold Stevie Award from the American Business Awards.

Her award-winning work has included promoting Oyate Group’s Bronx Rising Initiative, which resulted in 40,000 New Yorkers being vaccinated against COVID-19 by the organization and over 700 media hits in one year in local, national, multicultural and international media outlets covering the nonprofit’s efforts. She also led on the years-long thought leadership campaign for David C. Banks on his successful bid to become New York City Schools Chancellor.

A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, she holds a Bachelor of Science in public relations and a certificate in business foundations.

Jocelin is a public relations professional working closely with clients in the education, public awareness, nonprofit and entertainment industries. She has a background in PR for the restaurant and hospitality industries.

Jocelin has led and assisted in major national and local campaigns helping garner local and national media attention and promoting grassroots movements. She is adept at understanding and meeting client goals and excels at identifying the right media targets for her clients and securing positive coverage of their missions.

Some of her most notable work includes her involvement with the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary in anticipation of its groundbreaking ceremony commemorating the 10-year anniversary of Sandy Hook, which resulted in more than 750 media hits in outlets including CNN, NBC News, AP News and more. Additionally, she has been instrumental in raising awareness of and garnering support for the New York Free Admission Campaign, a vital initiative striving to enact legislation that mandates a comprehensive examination of the laws pertaining to New Yorkers’ entitlement to free admission to city museums and institutions.

Jocelin is bilingual with Spanish being her second language. She graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Science in strategic communications and minored in fashion merchandising and sociology.

Natalie is an online media research, strategic communications and public relations professional. She has experience working with clients across academic, nonprofit, legal and policy spaces.

She is also a passionate, lifelong student of history – fascinated by how journalism, media and technology and their influences on culture, civic life, and our relationship to the natural environment have changed over time. She has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from The George Washington University and a master’s degree in philosophy from the City University of New York Graduate Center.

Kyle is a public policy professional with a passion for strategic communication and a background in political campaigns and government. Since 2016, Kyle has worked on nearly a dozen campaigns across New York, Louisiana and Kentucky.

Before joining The TASC Group in 2022, Kyle worked at the Office of Westchester County Executive George Latimer in White Plains, New York. As an intergovernmental relations aide there, Kyle worked with municipal leaders, County agencies and school superintendents to organize pediatric vaccination clinics, equitably distribute at-home rapid test kits and monitor shifting COVID-19 trends from community to community.

A graduate of Tulane University, Kyle received a bachelor’s degree in political science and homeland security. When he’s not working, Kyle enjoys planning road trips, seeing live music, navigating The Strand bookstore and uncovering new coffee shops in the city. A native of Westchester County, Kyle currently lives in Brooklyn.

Darwin is a recent graduate of Sacred Heart University, where they earned a Master’s in Strategic Communications and Public Relations. Currently serving as an intern at The TASC Group, Darwin possesses a background that includes experiences in industries such as non-profits and cultural initiatives. 

Before joining The TASC Group, Darwin led the creation of a communications plan for the Black Wall Street Festival, focusing on strategic messaging, media relations and boosting the festival’s visibility.

In their free time, they enjoy reading, spending time outdoors and exploring Connecticut.

DeAsia Samuels is a graduate of The City College of New York with a double bachelor’s degree in English literature and Media & Communications Arts, a double minor in Theatre History and Dramatic Literature and a certificate in Book Publishing (adult and children’s books). She is the 2024 recipient of The TASC Group’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Scholarship, through which she won $2,500 and an internship at TASC. She is an up-and-coming communications professional passionate about leveraging the power of storytelling to drive positive change.

Angelika is a public relations specialist who has worked across multiple industries including hospitality, social media management, marketing and event planning and management. Her experience spans from consumer goods and tech to non-profit organizations and reputation management clients.

After graduating from Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Science in integrated marketing communications, Angelika pursued a master’s degree at Northeastern University in corporate and organizational communication with a concentration in public relations. During her time in Boston, she worked at a digital marketing firm and was a barista at a local café. Additionally, she was an active member of The Philanthropy Connection, a non-profit organization local to Cambridge, Massachusetts where she sat on the marketing and social media Committees.

Now an NYC resident, Angelika enjoys visiting the many museums, restaurants and landmarks the city has to offer. She’s an avid runner and in her free time, she can be found taking in the sunset on a jog along the West Side Highway.

Grace is a public relations professional in New York City who is passionate about driving conversations that pave the way for social action. She is a graduate of the Hussman School of Media and Journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She concurrently pursued a BA in Political Science, focusing on international politics, with a minor in Spanish for the Legal Professions.

During her time at Carolina, Grace’s interest in advocacy and social justice translated into her work on the Graig Meyer for North Carolina Senate campaign. Here, she helped to explore the critical role of media accessibility in North Carolina. In addition, she worked in the Middle East to help bridge the connection between countries that have historically been in conflict. Grace ultimately aims to create a more compassionate world with her communications and media background.

Hannah Weill is a public relations professional based in New York City. She earned a bachelor’s degree in
Communications with a concentration in Integrated Communications and minors in Entrepreneurship and Marketing
from Wake Forest University. Hannah’s previous experiences include internships in project management, B2C
consumer goods, technology and healthcare.
At Wake Forest, Hannah’s passion for entrepreneurship and community engagement led her to work on numerous
group projects with classmates, many of which consisted of starting a business using the ideation to evaluation
method while creating business models and projection plans. These experiences, combined with a creative mind and
quick thinking, led her to pursue a career dedicated to supporting mission-driven businesses, nonprofits and social
advocacy causes.