Hidden Gems: Meet Amy Rosenfeld of Pivotal Strategies

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Rosenfeld.

Amy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Schenectady, New York, and my family relocated to Southern California when I was six years old. I grew up in Thousand Oaks until high school when my father’s job relocated us to Minnesota.

I always looked up to my older sister. She opened my eyes to concepts and ideas that my peers weren’t talking about. From animal rights to abortion rights, I was developing a strong identity and foundation of beliefs about what was right and what was wrong — and became quite outspoken about them! Little did I know at the time how these values would influence my career.

I attended the University of Minnesota, where I majored in international relations and minored in Spanish. I studied abroad in Israel and returned to the U.S. just as the second Intifada was beginning in the Fall of 2000. The terror and trauma inflicted on Israelis during this time is hard to overestimate. I had a fervent desire to defend Israel against the anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism discourse that was spreading like wildfire.

After college, I moved to Los Angeles and began working for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). I developed a foundation in political advocacy and communications in order to raise awareness and mobilize constituents. After AIPAC, I joined Chrysalis, an LA-based nonprofit that helps homeless and low-income people find and retain employment. I ran their communications and public relations program and honed my storytelling skills.

During this time, I met and married my husband, and we made a home together in Atwater Village, where we live today. Things were comfortable at work, but I’ve learned that when we’re too comfortable, we don’t stretch ourselves and we don’t grow.

This is precisely when I reached higher than I had before – and it would end up being a major turning point in the trajectory of my career. In 2015, I was hired as Director of Communications and Marketing for Planned Parenthood Los Angeles (PPLA). It was a dream come true to work for arguably the most important reproductive healthcare provider in the country.

By working for an organization that was under constant political attack, crisis communications quickly became a specialty of mine. Almost immediately after his inauguration, President Trump was determined to strip Planned Parenthood of federal funding. As a communications professional, the stakes had never been higher. I would quickly learn the role that language and discourse play in politics, healthcare access, and abortion stigma. I saw and applied this knowledge to pen op-eds, speeches, marketing campaigns, and brief reporters to counter the false narratives in the media.

By 2019, I had been doing in-house communications at nonprofits for nearly two decades. I had always wondered what it would be like to work on the agency side. Through a mutual connection, I learned of Cerrell Associates – a leading public relations and public affairs firm in Los Angeles. The timing was fortuitous, as they were seeking a Vice President to manage the firm’s public relations and crisis communications practice. I would have a portfolio of healthcare and nonprofit clients – sectors I knew well!

Within a few months of my being hired, COVID-19 upended everything. Like many other PR firms, we lost clients as companies cut back on expenses. But for several of our nonprofit and healthcare clients, the demand for their services was about to increase tenfold, and they understood that strategic communications was a necessity, not a luxury.

During the pandemic, I led several successful communications, marketing, and outreach programs for equitable grant programs and healthcare initiatives, reaching underserved communities throughout Southern California. I helped launch two mass COVID-19 vaccine clinics in Orange County and an innovative healthcare partnership designed to reduce health disparities in communities of color.

It was at Cerrell that I was fortunate to work alongside Brandon Stephenson, Cerrell’s Chief Strategic Officer at the time and my current business partner at Pivotal. Brandon became my mentor, my confidant, and my friend. So at the end of 2021, when Cerrell’s owners shared plans to transition the firm to primarily focus on government relations, Brandon and I saw an opportunity to pair up and continue working together. He introduced me to his friends and fellow consultants, Kristen and Jon Lonner, and the four of us founded the communications firm, Pivotal Strategies, in March of 2022.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There were many years I was stagnant in positions without a destination or clear path forward. I watched my peers advancing in their careers while I was stuck. I had managers who weren’t invested in my growth or success, and it made me question my value. Too often, I let fear take the reins and missed out on opportunities as a result. There were wins and there were losses, but the losses don’t define me.

The most challenging aspect of my career has been juggling the demands of work and motherhood. In 2016, while still fairly new in my role at Planned Parenthood, I gave birth to my son. I was overjoyed and I was terrified by the expectations society puts on working mothers. I have such empathy for myself and all mothers who intuitively know what’s expected of them — to work like they don’t have children and to mother like they don’t work.

My son is about to turn seven, and while I am dedicated to my career, there is nothing more important than being available to him. I think a silver lining of the pandemic is that most people understand that there’s a blurry line between work and home life. We don’t need to hide the fact that we have families, pets, and responsibilities outside of the workplace. My clients are forgiving of my son’s interruptions during our Zoom meetings, and more importantly, I am forgiving. Time is finite, and I don’t want my son’s memories to consist of his mother putting work before his needs.

We’ve been impressed with Pivotal Strategies, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Pivotal Strategies is an LA-based, public affairs and public relations firm that moves ideas and clients forward to positively impact the quality of life for our communities. We specialize in strategic communications, campaigns and issues management, and stakeholder engagement programs. We tell our clients’ stories and engage diverse stakeholders to strengthen communities and move the needle of change.

Pivotal Strategies was created on a simple premise – bring together a group of talented, smart, and compassionate people who embrace the people we work with and the clients we work for. Throw in decades of winning experience and expertise in the sectors that continue to transform communities and you have a special group that stands out from the rest of the firms in California.

We’ve helped our clients improve equitable access to healthcare, social services, housing, financing, and mobility options, expand sensible development, and enhance essential neighborhood services.

Our firm hasn’t even been in existence for a year, but it has been a very successful ten months! We were fortunate that several clients and staff members we worked with previously decided to take a chance on us and follow us on our journey to Pivotal. We’ve also picked up exciting new clients and projects, like The Center by Lendistry – a nonprofit organization committed to supporting diverse small businesses – and the LA County Public Works in support of their Equity in Infrastructure Initiative.

One of the most fulfilling aspects of running Pivotal is the ability to decide who we work with and what projects we work on to ensure there is alignment with our staff. I am so fortunate to work with friends and colleagues whom I respect and to use our collective expertise to help our clients and champion projects that will make lasting improvements in our communities.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I find it energizing when someone reaches out to me for career advice or to set-up an informational interview. For those starting off in their career or looking to make a change, don’t be shy about reaching out to people through your network or messaging on LinkedIn. Search for the companies you want to work for, look up the staff, and email them! Ask to take them to coffee. Use your resume as a tool for advice and solicit their feedback. Even if they’re not hiring, they likely know people who are and can pass on your name.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pivotalstrategies.com/