Who We Are

Rebecca Evans

Partner & Co-Founder

Rebecca has lived and worked in media markets throughout Illinois as a reporter and as a communications consultant for high-level advocacy campaigns, political candidates and elected officials. 

She’s led communications teams for gubernatorial, countywide, mayoral and aldermanic campaigns, specializing in message development, candidate prep and press outreach. She's also served as a communications advisor and project management lead for multiple projects for federal and state government agencies. 

Rebecca has a bachelor’s degree from Hofstra University and a master’s degree from the University of Illinois-Springfield’s Public Affairs Reporting program, where she started her career as a print reporter in the Statehouse Press Room. She lives in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood and is mom to Vida, Desi and Alma.

Isabelle Dienstag

Partner & Co-Founder

Isabelle is a communications, public policy and research professional with experience working on statewide media and public education campaigns, statewide, countywide and citywide political campaigns, advocacy campaigns, nonprofit organizations, and in state government. She specializes in communicating about complex policy topics for a broad audience, and has provided strategy and messaging to Chicago Aldermen, state-wide elected officials, and candidates up and down the ticket, including mayoral and gubernatorial candidates. Isabelle is also experienced in working with coalitions to build consensus around messaging and provide strategic guidance to groups of divergent thinkers.

Isabelle has a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Chicago Harris School, an M.A. in English literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College, where she graduated summa cum laude in English Literature with a minor in Mandarin. She is a member of the National Small Business Association (NSBA) Leadership Council.

Isabelle lives in Logan Square with her partner and their dogs, frenemies Orlando (pug) & George (doodle).

Ariana Diaz

Senior Communications Manager

With over seven years of expertise in Digital Marketing consulting, Ariana specializes in campaign management, social media, content creation and influencer marketing. Her versatile experience spans collaborations with Fortune 500 giants, supporting small Latinx/Black-owned enterprises and making impactful contributions to the nonprofit sector.

A dedicated advocate for diversity and inclusion, Ariana actively pursues initiatives in D&I recruitment and has a strong commitment to mentoring first-generation high school girls. She is a first-generation Latina herself and earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. Ariana's professional journey is marked by a passion for fostering community impact and empowering the next generation.

Olivia Goethals

Senior Communications & Digital Manager

Olivia is a digital marketing, social media and media relations professional focused on creating meaningful and engaging multi-media campaigns to connect consumers to messages and/or resources statewide, while generating brand awareness and real-time results. Her digital marketing and public relations experience expands over six years for a variety of clients including government agencies, elected officials, coalitions, non-profits, and others.

Olivia has developed and executed digital marketing and public relations strategies for clients which converted into increased revenue, voter engagement, brand awareness, social media growth, and media coverage across the Chicago and Illinois market. At Stomping Ground, Olivia leads digital and social media campaigns for clients and has been the project manager on three multi-million dollar paid media and outreach campaigns for the State of Illinois. 
Olivia holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management with a concentration in Marketing from North Central College where she played softball. She recently completed Northwestern University’s Kellogg Digital Marketing Certification Program.

Andrea Magaña

Senior Account Executive & Communications Manager

As a communications professional, Andrea’s work has focused on reaching community members through targeted multi-media campaigns that educate and connect audiences with opportunities to improve their quality of life and promote equitable access to resources. She has helped nonprofits, startups, foundations, coalitions, and elected officials achieve their objectives of educating, mobilizing their networks, leveraging data, and improving outreach efforts. 

Her experience working with a diverse range of clients has made Andrea a skilled problem solver who easily connects with clients and multiple stakeholders to identify goals, interpret community needs, facilitate dialogue, create project plans, and identify earned media opportunities.

Andrea has worked on projects focused on improving financial literacy in Black and Latinx communities, educating communities about housing opportunities, connecting families to COVID-19 resources, improving health outcomes in Latinx communities, improving access to violence prevention funding for Latinx-serving organizations, and connecting entrepreneurs of color with funding opportunities. She has helped write and design statewide reports, published op-eds on behalf of clients in local news outlets throughout Illinois and publications with national influence, and facilitated listening sessions to revise and adapt messaging campaigns for statewide coalitions. 

Andrea has a masters in Public Policy from the University of Chicago Harris School and a B.A. in Diplomacy and World Affairs from Occidental College.

Samantha Suarez

Graphic Designer

Sam Suarez is a graphic designer with more than 13 years of experience in a variety of industries, including: publications, government, nonprofits, environmental organizations, small business groups and political campaigns at every level.

Sam graduated with a B.A. in Interactive Media Studies and Sociology from North Central College, where she was a campus leader in various multicultural and entrepreneurial organizations. Sam saw how graphic design—with cultural nuance—can help persuade and educate for change.