JOEL EPSTEIN
COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY

Click here for pdf

Expertise

Communications

Campaign Strategy

Crisis Communications

Business Development Corporate Social

    Responsibility

Evangelist

Ghost Writing

Government Relations Issues Advocacy

Media Relations Philanthropic Advising Policy Analysis

Political Director

Public Affairs

Writing & Editing

​

Languages

Spanish and French

    speaker

​

Education

Benjamin N. Cardozo 

    School of Law, J.D.

University of Michigan, B.A.

​

Honors

Southern California  

    Journalism Awards,

    Los Angeles Press Club,

    Best Individual Blog

Streetsblog Los Angeles,

    Best Online Columnist

Housing Authority of the 

    City of Los Angeles,

    Award of Recognition 

City of Los Angeles,

    Certificate of

    Appreciation

State Bar of California,

    Commendation for

    providing pro bono

    legal services

​

Former Board Memberships

The Resnick Foundation

California Center for Public 

    Health Advocacy

Streetsblog Los Angeles

​

Publications

Author of articles, opinions pieces and a book.

​

Bar Admissions

California

Massachusetts

Washington, DC

​

Teaching

Education Law & Policy,

    Boston College Graduate

    School of Education

​

Community Involvement

Super Steward, New York

    City Parks Department

PROFILE

Award-winning communications and campaign strategist, foundation director, corporate philanthropy leader,

startup chief of staff. Transportation and urban policy focus.

​

EXPERIENCE

Communications Strategy | New York & Los Angeles | 2003 — 2005, 2009 — Present

Principal

• Corporate communications and campaign advising for Galooli, HNTB, Latham & Watkins, Los Angeles Metro,

Munger Tolles & Olson LLP, Outfront/JCDecaux, UCLA, the ULI Los Angeles and others; writing, social media

and PR.

• Chief of Staff for a startup which offered solar powered pods during the pandemic for restaurants.

• Chief Talent Officer for Bliss Lawyers (acquired by Axiom).

• Advisor to The Annenberg Foundation, Brooklyn Community Services (BCS), Lynda.com and others on

philanthropic giving, operations, entrepreneurship and employee engagement.​

• Partnership development, outreach, communications and campaign strategist for L.A. Metro’s Measures M and J,

and in support of improved transportation and economic development in New York, Los Angeles and elsewhere.

• Informed readers about employee engagement, transportation and business innovation in Asia, Europe, Latin 

America, the Middle East and North America through writing for HuffPost and other publications.​​​

• Experience managing employees and consultants and in project management.

​

The Wonderful Company (Roll Global LLC) & The Resnick Foundation | Los Angeles | 2005 — 2009

Director of Charitable Giving & Political Director

• Created and managed the operations of the employee and community engagement program at The Wonderful

Company and ran The Resnick Foundation. Helped raise corporate profile and achieve measurable results in

employee recruitment and retention for the $4B global holding company and its subsidiaries in agricultural and

consumer product goods.​​​

• Vetted thousands of proposals in the education, health, arts, environmental and biomedical fields. Helped create​ a

company-founded college preparatory charter school in Delano, CA.​

• Built and managed a unique, bilingual English/Spanish employee giving program serving 3,500 employees in

10 countries. Grew participation from zero to 98 percent and $2.4 M; directed distribution of $16M in grants;

administered the proceeds of a $25 M legal settlement to 15 international organizations and charities.​​​​

• Set performance metrics, directed development of communications plans and counseled C-level executives

on meeting community investment objectives.

• Crisis communications advising on criticism about the export of bottled water from Fiji to North America, Europe

and Asia and animal testing of a company product.​

• Vetted political candidates; speech writing for C suite executives.

​

Education Development Center, Inc. | Boston & Los Angeles | 1996 —2003

Director of Special Projects

• Advised university attorneys, risk managers, college administrators, parents, students and others on legal and

policy matters and operations.

• Crisis communications advising to colleges and universities.

• Proposal writing and project management, business and partnership development.

Abt Associates Inc. | Cambridge, MA | 1992 — 1996

Analyst

• Directed research studies on best practices in social policy and environmental enforcement. Studied police

department and prosecutors office operations.

• Coauthored monographs on health, housing and criminal justice policy for policy makers, prosecutors and law

enforcement.

• Project management, proposal development.

​1987 — 1992: Worked as an associate and practiced law in California and Massachusetts.