We Are Strategia.

We are crisis managers, communication strategists, trusted advisors, award-winning journalists, media experts, business and government leaders, coalition builders, and thought partners who thrive under pressure. Together, Team Strategia brings decades of experience across industries, sectors, and the highest levels of decision-making.

Team Strategia stands alongside clients in the moments that matter most. Behind the scenes, preparation and guidance are constant. In offices and boardrooms, counsel and strategy are delivered. On the frontlines, engagement and response occur with clarity and confidence. Wherever support is needed, assistance is only a text or call away. Nights or weekends, it doesn’t matter. We don’t sleep.

At Strategia, partnerships are built on alignment with each client’s mission and objectives. From crisis and risk management to executive positioning, stakeholder engagement, and coalition building, Team Strategia works seamlessly to strengthen voices, protect reputations, and achieve meaningful results.

We are Strategia.

Experienced. Connected. Driven.

Meet Team Strategia

A Sampling of our Accomplishments

  • Authored the crisis communication and media relations strategy for the attorney representing the brothers in the Jussie Smollett case in Chicago

  • Developed the crisis communication strategy for a municipality after the US EPA reported a local company had been releasing cancer-causing emissions for 30+ years

  • Introduced the world's largest co-living space provider to Chicago's media market and key political leaders as the German company's registered lobbyist

  • Introduced Spain’s largest generic pharmaceutical company to potential U.S. partners and leaders of the U.S. Congress

  • Successfully lobbied for passage of state legislation requiring high school students to take and pass a civics class before graduation, bringing Illinois into alignment with 41 other states

  • Developed and executed of communication strategy for municipality facing a police in-custody death and community protests

  • Conducted media and community assessment for U.S. Department of Justice Collaborative Reform initiative for a major East Coast city

  • Developed international business relations with representatives from the United Nations

  • Authored broadcast quality content for the nation’s largest transportation provider, leading production in more than 14 U.S. cities

  • Managed media for clients such as a nationally prominent figure during a bribery scandal, a national nonprofit during an embezzlement scandal, and two investment banks confronting negative media coverage

  • Delivered crisis communication and media training for Fortune 250 executives, federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, U.S. attorneys, and political leaders at all levels of government

  • Led and facilitated the largest U.S. fundraising drive for the victims of Italy’s Amatrice earthquake

Our Story

Strategia Consulting was born from a long-standing friendship and a dream.

After spending what felt like a lifetime as a television news and sports producer, I never understood “the other side.” Sure, as a producer, I had been pitched by PR pros, created sources within law enforcement, and cultivated political relationships. But it wasn’t until I joined Serafin & Assoc. that I understood what all this meant.

As the person with the microphone, I knew how to ask the tough questions or work to get the exclusive interviews. Breaking news was an adrenaline rush for me. Sleep barely existed in television news; working long hours, nights, and weekends was simply part of the job. Being on the road for news stories or covering the Chicago Bears was an honor… until you logged 20 hours on game day and your “dinner” was eating the players’ leftover meals after they got on the bus to fly home.

After 21 years, the industry had changed. Television news and sports had become a business, and journalism no longer felt like the calling it once was. That’s when I started wondering what life might look like on “the other side.”

Back in 1989, I was on the WBBM-TV (CBS2) women’s softball team in the media league. Our coach was a guy named Thom Serafin.  I knew Thom as a political consultant, but seeing him on the field was an entirely different Thom! (He was only coaching because he was dating my colleague, Ann Nikanon… but that’s another story!) Our team was full of talent and laughter, except when he would make Ann play in right field.

Over the years, Thom would pop in and out of my professional life, appearing with a political candidate here and there, but always hosting the Serafin Holiday Party, which I attended faithfully for as long as I can remember.

In 2010, I left television for good. By 2011, I was managing a few clients on my own and had my WBE certification as a sole practitioner. One day, I called Thom and said, “You know, I have a few clients and my own WBE. Why don’t we team up on some RFPs?” Not long after, I moved into the Serafin office, started sharing work, and before I knew it, I’d folded my business and become Thom’s “employee.” (And yes, the “party planning side” was a lot more fun!)

Working for a man who was really like my big brother was life-changing, and the team felt like family. We leaned on each other and, most importantly, respected each other. I learned what “human relations” was. That culture was a reflection of how Thom led; how he treated both clients and colleagues. There’s truly no better place to sharpen your skills in the art of public affairs and crisis management than by riding shotgun with someone who has achieved emeritus status in both.

After eight years, Thom and I were eager to expand our lobbying work, but Serafin & Associates was so busy with communications clients that we couldn’t take on more. We started talking about how I could branch out, reestablish my WBE, launch a new firm, and take on lobbying clients while still collaborating with Thom.

For all my years in television, I always ran the internship programs and loved mentoring young professionals. The idea of building a firm where I could lead, teach, and offer opportunities felt like the natural next step, and the fulfillment of a dream.

From Springfield to Chicago, to D.C., Thom and I shared a great reputation together. As we planned for me to branch off, the most important thing was that no one thought I quit or that he fired me. Thom and Ann (now Serafin)’s son Matthew had started at Serafin & Assoc., so I said, “What if I take Matthew!” It says a lot about a man who lets one of his top people leave, with his own son, and sends them off with three clients in hand.

And so, in January 2019, Strategia Consulting was born. For 21 years, I told stories for a living. Now, I tell stories for our clients… or kill them. I still work nights, weekends, and long hours; crisis clients are my adrenaline rush, but there are no more leftovers for dinner.

Thom and I still can’t quite shake each other. We co-host The Crisis Cast podcast, now entering its sixth year.

This is truly a lifelong friendship, and I am blessed to be living a dream.

As Thom always says, Peace!

Founder Recognitions & Distinctions

  • 9x Emmy Award Winner

  •  2016 Filippo Mazzei Award

  • 2018 Italian Knighthood

  • 2019 National Professional Women in Advocacy Award

  • 2022 Enterprising Women Woman of the Year

  • 2025 Cicero Speechwriting Award Winner

We are Strategia.

LET'S GET STARTED!