Larry Kopp, Chairman and Founder

Larry Kopp has nearly 35 years of experience in the advocacy and nonprofit sectors, the political and public policy worlds and the entertainment industry as a trained storyteller and communications expert.

Larry founded The TASC Group nearly two decades ago in order 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. He has helped manage multi-million dollar political campaigns at the state and local level and worked on several presidential campaigns. He has built political grassroots organizations in more than a dozen states. 

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 performed in over 40 plays in New York and Chicago, premiering the works of Pulitzer Prize winning playwright David Mamet and Shel Silverstein. Larry appeared in Mamet’s film Homicide that 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.

He 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.

In early 2020, Kopp was the keynote speaker at the International Crisis & Risk Communications Conference.

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.

Email: larry@thetascgroup.com

Rida Bint Fozi, Partner and President

An award-winning PR pro, Rida Bint Fozi has a BA in English Literature from Brooklyn College and more than 15 years experience in the nonprofit world. She has served in leadership and development positions at a national youth organization and managed communications and social media for one of the leading national American Muslim organizations. Rida has spearheaded international and national media campaigns, and her work has been recognized for excellence in public relations and communications by the Public Relations Society of America and the Public Relations Society of America New York Chapter.

Rida is known for her endless curiosity, passion for hyphen placement and deep love of maps, clean design, science and emoticons. In her down time she can be found planning Pinterest-worthy events or devouring non-fiction reads.

Email: rida@thetascgroup.com

Amy Ward Kaup, Chief Operating Officer

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.

Email: amy@thetascgroup.com

Chavonne Jones, Senior Counselor

Chavonne serves as a senior advisor and counselor with The TASC Group. In the past she 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 Jones is currently a Senior Vice President at FleishmanHillard. She has many years of experience in the development and execution of thought leadership and media relations programs for both B2B and consumer clients across industries, including finance, legal, human resources, technology, healthcare, consumer products, automotive and energy, among others. In her role as SVP and a senior media strategist, Chavonne supports clients across FleishmanHillard’s network, which includes AB InBev, Abbott, and Western Union, 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.

Before joining FleishmanHillard, Chavonne served as Senior Vice President, Media Relations 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 whole 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, N.J.

Email: chavonne@thetascgroup.com

Jennifer Lawrence, Account Supervisor

Jennifer is a cause marketing communications professional who has worked in advertising, for city government, at a national sport league’s technology company and for various nonprofits including the Livestrong Foundation and the Ad Council. Prior to joining TASC, Jennifer worked at an advertising agency where she handled public relations and social media for local and international nonprofits as well as clients in the food & beverage, hospitality and retail industries. She has also served as a translator for Spanish-language advertisements.

A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, she holds a B.S. in Public Relations and a certificate in Business Foundations. In her free time, she enjoys trying new fitness classes across the city, discovering NYC’s best Mexican eateries and showing off her Brooklyn Public Library card to all who are interested — primarily librarians.

Email: jennifer@thetascgroup.com

Lisa Burkert, Account Supervisor

Lisa is a public relations and communications professional with a background in the fashion and lifestyle space. Prior to joining TASC, she spent most of her career executing communications strategies for emerging brands, gaining meaningful coverage across top tier publications. She has a master’s degree in Fashion Marketing from LIM College.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lisa helped build a homework help program to provide assistance to families struggling with remote learning in Queens and the Bronx. 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 cats, going for long walks along the East River, trying new restaurants or rewatching Gilmore Girls for the 500th time.

Email: lisa@thetascgroup.com

Vanessa Hsia, Senior Account Executive

Email: vanessa@thetascgroup.com

Adriana Torres-Plaza, Account Executive

Adriana is a social impact public relations professional with over three years of experience supporting non-profit, corporate and consumer clients with their communications and purpose strategies, media relations and programming.

Prior to joining TASC, Adriana worked as an Associate on Weber Shandwick’s NYC Social Impact team. There, she helped develop a global STEM education program and curriculum as part of major tech company’s CSR initiative, landed key media placements in business and trade publications for a non-profit DEI think tank, lead an influencer campaign for a national food brand, and provided thought leadership and crisis support for a major philanthropist.

Adriana began her career interning at non-profits in Washington D.C. that work in sustainable fashion and migration, running their social media accounts and providing public affairs support. She received her B.A. in Human Geography and International Relations from Durham University in the United Kingdom.

A Capricorn sun and Leo rising, Adriana can be seen biking around lower Manhattan, looking for cheap vintage finds and trying to find her true creative medium – currently, designing lamps. And, her favorite color is lilac.

Email: adriana@thetascgroup.com

Angelika Seaman, Account Executive

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 B.S. 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, MA, where she sat on the Marketing and Social Media Committees. 

Now a 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. 

Email: angelika@thetascgroup.com

Jocelin Leon, Account Executive

Jocelin is a growing communications professional with a background in the restaurant and hospitality field. After graduating from West Virginia University with a B.S. in Journalism, Jocelin went on to work as an account coordinator at a Public Relations office in East Hampton that focused on PR for the restaurant and hospitality field. Her previous role gave her experience working with social media, editing for their food news site and contributing to the execution of Long Island Restaurant Week.

Having always had an interest in philanthropy, Jocelin is excited to be part of the wonderful work the TASC team is doing. In her spare time you can find her trying new restaurants and breweries, hiking or exploring the city!

Email: jocelin@thetascgroup.com

Kyle McIntyre, Junior Account Executive

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

Before joining The TASC Group, Kyle worked at the Office of Westchester County Executive George Latimer in White Plains, New York. As an Intergovernmental Relations Aide, 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 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.

Email: kyle@thetascgroup.com

Emiliano Garcia, Junior Account Executive

Emiliano Garcia is a graduate from the Ad/PR program at The City College of New York. He has received the PR Council Agency-Ready Certificate and a certification in Foundations in Digital Media Marketing from the Ad Learning Exchange.

Inspired by the work of nonprofit immigrant rights organizations and their impact on DREAMers such as himself, Emiliano has worked with cause-related clients at The TASC Group. Just as advocacy has helped him, he hopes to continue to help communities share their story and make a positive difference in their lives.

Emiliano was born in Mexico and is a first-generation student and DACA recipient. His rigorous coursework in the Ad/PR program has provided him with a strong educational foundation in public relations that guides his strategic thinking and storytelling.

While sketching, painting, and graphic design are among other interests he pursues in his spare time, film photography is his favorite.

Email: emiliano@thetascgroup.com

Grace Seidel, Account Associate

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 her free time, Grace loves to try new restaurants, go thrifting, see new musicals and travel! Her dream destination is Thailand.

Email: grace@thetascgroup.com

Cecilia Favela Apodaca, Chief of Staff

Cecilia is a communications professional based in New York City, working to increase visibility for advocacy-based organizations and uplift the voices of under-resourced communities. She has worked with clients in the private and public sectors, supporting in strategy, messaging, media relations and campaign development.

With a BA in international studies and specializations in Latin America and geography from Colorado State University, Cecilia began her career working with local nonprofits in New York with event management, marketing and research. Her past experiences shaped her passion for utilizing media for social advocacy and community empowerment. 

Outside of work, Cecilia can be found salsa dancing, attending a boxing class, or trying to find the best chai in the city.

Email: cecilia@thetascgroup.com

Alana Stallings, Intern