Jim Gonzalez President

Prior to his political strategy work, Jim Gonzalez was a chief aide to San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein, and later was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. During his terms at City Hall, he served as Chairman of the Finance Committee and as a board member of the San Francisco Health Services System, the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and the Association of Bay Area Governments. In 1994, President Clinton offered him the position of Regional Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Jim holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Government and Latin American history from St. Mary's College of California. He holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration (MPA) from the University of San Francisco, and was a Kellogg Fellow at Harvard University's JFK School of Government.

Jim is a member of the Board of Regents of St. Mary's College of California.

He serves as Chair of the Latino Policy Coalition, a national research organization that studies public policy issues affecting the Latino community.

Maria C. Morales Managing Partner

Prior to her work at Jim Gonzalez & Associates, Maria served as a chief assistant to Assemblyman Peter R. Chacon (D-San Diego), at the State Capitol. Her responsibilities included advancing legislative proposals and building coalitions with interested parties to refine legislation and secure its passage. She then went on to become the Executive Director of the two thousand member California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE).

Maria also served as co-host of Sacramento's weekly "Progreso" television program on KOVR-TV, Channel 13. In that capacity, Maria interviewed guests including local and statewide elected officials on various public policy issues.

Maria is JGA’s Chief Financial Officer and Managing Partner.

Maria is a graduate of California State University, Sacramento, with a degree in Spanish and Communications. ‹‹back to top

John Thiella Consultant to the Firm

John Thiella brings over 30 years of professional experience in local, state, and national politics to the firm. Mr. Thiella has advised JGA on national policy strategy, and the economic and employment consequences of outsourcing. Mr. Thiella has served in senior staff positions for a variety of elected officials including Senator Dianne Feinstein, State Controller John Chiang, and Members of Congress. Mr. Thiella served as a Chief Deputy and Senior Legal Counsel at the State Board of Equalization, California’s elected tax commission; and has served as political director of the California Democratic Party. John Thiella received his undergraduate degree in history from the University of California, Berkeley; a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law; and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California’s School of Policy, Planning and Development, where he was awarded the distinction of “Outstanding Master’s Graduate Student.” Mr. Thiella is licensed to practice law in California and the District of Columbia.‹‹back to top

Sara Gonzalez Research and Policy Director

Prior to joining Jim Gonzalez and Associates, Sara Gonzalez worked as lead counselor for the Educational Partnership Center, of the University of California. Sara studied economics and Hispanic studies abroad at Carlos III University, in Madrid and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management/Economics from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 2003.

Sara will receive a California real estate broker license in 2007 and advises JGA clients on land acquisition and development issues. ‹‹back to top

Jaime Gonzalez Media Director

Jaime produces political advertisements and documentaries for JGA.

Prior to joining Jim Gonzalez and Associates, Jaime studied international film and political institutions at Carlos III University, in Madrid and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Digital Media at UC Santa Cruz. When he returned to Sacramento he participated in relief work in Louisiana to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

He has worked as a cinematographer and screenwriter for Alexandra Pelosi of HBO's “Journeys with George” fame.

The filmmaker's most recent work, The American Outsourcing Epidemic, premiered to an audience of 7,000 at the 27th Annual Teamsters convention. The film went on to be an official selection of three film festivals and received a Best Documentary nomination. ‹‹back to top

Pat Dennis Principal Policy Analyst

Pat Dennis specializes in comprehensive voter contact strategy and field operations. Pat is responsible for our in-house data management and voter contact technology. He has developed state of the art micro-targeting models for voter turnout and contact programs in over 50 competitive congressional districts throughout the country.

Pat has extensive volunteer recruitment and mobilization experience for progressive issues. He has worked with field organizations throughout the country including Kentucky, South Dakota, New Mexico, Louisiana and Ohio.

Pror to joining JGA, Pat worked as a field organizer in Santa Barbara for SEIU Local 620. Pat is a graduate of University of California- Santa Barbara with degrees in Political Science and Philosophy. ‹‹back to top

Christy Clark Senior Policy Analyst

Christy Clark specializes in competitive research, issue research and public policy research. She also has worked as a field organizer in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia and Connecticut.

Prior to joining Jim Gonzalez & Associates, Christy worked as a campaign manager for a state-wide campaign in Arizona. She is a graduate of the University of San Francisco with a degree in Sociology. ‹‹back to top

Hatzune Aguilar Senior Policy Analyst

Hatzune Aguilar coordinates Latino public policy research for the firm.

Hatzune received her B.A. in Political, Legal, and Economic Analysis with an emphasis in International Relations from Mills College in 2003. Prior to working for Jim Gonzalez and Associates she worked as an organizer for the Tenderloin House Clinic in San Francisco, California. During her tenure there she worked with hotel residents in the Tenderloin and Mission neighborhoods. Ms. Aguilar is also the Board President of the Asian American Dance Performance Company. ‹‹back to top