Frank Luntz - founder, president

Frank Luntz is one of the most honored communication professionals in America today. “The Nostradamus of pollsters,” said Sir David Frost, Time magazine named him one of “50 of America’s most promising leaders aged 40 and under” and he is the “hottest pollster” in America according to the Boston Globe. Frank was named one of the four “Top Research Minds” by Business Week and was a winner of the coveted Washington Post “Crystal Ball” award for being the most accurate pundit. His focus groups have become so influential that presidential candidate Barack Obama had this to say following the PBS presidential debate, “When Frank Luntz invites you to talk to his focus group, you talk to his focus group.”

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Alyssa Salvo - managing partner

As the Managing Partner at Luntz Global, Alyssa provides comprehensive communication strategies to a wide range of clients, including Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, trade associations, and sports organizations.  Specific clients she has advised include the NFL, Fox Sports, Google, the University of Phoenix, Westfield and countless others.

Alyssa’s guidance ranges from crisis communication to policy advocacy… reputation issues to consumer challenges.  In addition to the language-centric work LG is traditionally known for, she also specializes in programmatic strategies for various television networks, where she provides direction on tone, talent, layout and content for a variety of shows.

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Matt George - partner

Matt George is a partner as well as Media and Visual Communications Director at Luntz Global. He puts his creativity to good use by finding the right words and images that make a difference.  Matt attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he received dual Bachelor's degrees in Film/Video Studies and Political Science, and has since continued his education at The George Washington University's Elliot School of International Affairs, earning a Master’s Degree in Security Policy Studies. Matt's passion for the moving image has translated to advertising video and print work for Fortune 500 companies, non-profits and political campaigns that competes - and wins - against some of the nation's top advertising firms.

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Ben Clarke - partner

Ben Clarke is a Partner with the firm.  Hired out of college as a speechwriter, he has written for presidents, princes, and prime ministers.  In addition to his work as a longtime senior political writer and corporate messaging advisor for Luntz Global, he has held myriad posts in the political world.  He was the chief political speechwriter for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a communications consultant for Rudy Giuliani's 2008 presidential campaign, political writer and messaging advisor for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’ ’08 and ’10 nationwide political outreach campaigns, and  speechwriter for RNC Chairman Reince Priebus.  He has worked on countless House, Senate and Gubernatorial campaigns across America.   He has also worked on or covered campaigns in Ukraine, Georgia and Greece.  On the corporate side, he has helped craft language for countless Fortune 100 and nationally renowned CEOs – from Pfizer to FedEx; Google to Guggenheim Partners.  A resident of Boston, his religion is the Red Sox.

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David Merritt - managing director

David Merritt is a sought-after speaker, author, and adviser.  He is currently Managing Director at Luntz Global Partners, leading the firm’s political, policy, and healthcare work, helping campaigns, candidates, and healthcare companies improve their message and persuade skeptical audiences.

 

His political and policy experience includes working closely with former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, as his leading fundraiser and presidential campaign adviser to CEO of the Gingrich Group and the Center for Health Transformation.  He was also a health policy adviser to the 2008 presidential campaigns of Senator John McCain and Fred Thompson.  Most recently he was Partner at Leavitt Partners, a firm led by former HHS Secretary and Utah Governor Mike Leavitt, leading the Washington, DC office.

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Nick Wright - research & campaigns director

Nick runs the international side of the business.  He began life as a researcher and speech-writer at Westminster, and over the past few years, has polled, fought and won campaigns in over twenty countries, including the US, UK, Australia, Pakistan and Iraq.

He specialises in designing deep - and accurate - opinion research, as well as winning communication strategies for leaders in all spheres.  Nick pioneered Luntz’s latest message/language poll techniques in Australia and is a certified QPMR, MSc, Council Member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs in Sydney.  He writes regularly on politics,  and international relations for various websites and publications.

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Kelly Gerson - associate project director

Kelly Gerson is an Associate Project Director with the firm, working with the country’s top companies and organizations in industries spanning from education to entertainment, CPG to travel and tourism, life sciences to finance. In all of these fields, her focus specializes in bringing a touch of the creative to the corporate, breathing new life to business narratives, executive speeches, product campaigns - any and all external facing communications. She is a graduate of Boston College.

Joshua Gardner - communications advisor

Joshua Gardner is a Communications Advisor at Luntz Global.  From corporations to professional sports teams, political candidates to political causes, Josh helps his clients understand it’s not what you say but what your audiences hear that matters most.  That means crafting, testing, and editing their language to be more effective and more efficient.  Prior to joining Luntz Global, Josh spent eight years in corporate and public affairs communications, first with Edelman Public Relations and then with Ogilvy & Mather.  Josh is a graduate of American University, where he majored in Public History and minored in Sociology.  He lives in Washington, DC. 

David Knaus - communications advisor

David Knaus is a Communications Advisor with Luntz Global where he crafts winning messaging strategies for both political and corporate clients.  Prior to joining Luntz Global, he was a political operative in Colorado where he helped revamp the Republican Party’s organizational strategy in the state he calls home.  Previously, he worked in Washington, D.C. for two different government and public relations consulting firms representing diverse clientele that spanned Fortune 500 companies, international governments, non-profits, academic institutions, and state and local governments.  He graduated from Denison University in Granville, Ohio where he was a member of the Richard G. Lugar Program in Politics and Public Service. 

Chelsea Schafer - communications advisor

Chelsea Schafer is a communications adviser specializing in quantitative survey research and analysis. She has a B.A. from Illinois Wesleyan and an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied public opinion, political communication, and experimental survey research. She lives in Philadelphia with her two cats.

Melanie Wilcox - communications advisor

Melanie Wilcox is a Communications Advisor with the firm, where she specializes in politics and policy advocacy.  She prepares written materials for dial sessions and focus groups, writes nationally-fielded online surveys that gauge attitudes and opinions of clients' respective audiences, and crafts messaging strategies for clients based on findings from the qualitative and quantitative research.  Melanie is a graduate of Dartmouth College where she earned a Bachelor's of Arts in Government and Public Policy.  While at Dartmouth, Melanie was the Executive Editor of The Dartmouth Review and she held positions at The Heritage Foundation, The Laura Ingraham Show, and Fox Business Network. 

Jessica England - director of recruiting & outreach

Jessica England is our Director of Recruiting and Outreach, working to bring respondents into Luntz Global’s unique focus group community and coordinate the recruitment of panelists for each instant response dial session. 

 Before joining the Luntz Global team, Jessica spent over 5 years at Delve Marketing Research, where she managed a facility and clients, helping to recruit various research projects across the country.  Under Jessica’s direction, the Recruiting and Outreach Department oversees hundreds of focus groups each year. 

Nicole Mecker - recruitment and outreach strategist

Nicole Mecker is a Recruitment and Outreach Strategist for Luntz Global, ensuring quality participants in each Focus Group or Dial Session as well as growing the respondent database. She graduated with a B.S. in Marketing Research and has worked in the field ever since. Previously working at Focus Pointe Global (Formerly Delve), Nicole has vast experience in the recruitment of Market Research Studies and Call Center Management, as well as Project Management and Client Communication. 

Nathan Avant - media strategist

Nathan Avant is a Media Strategist for Luntz Global. He graduated with a BA in Electronic Media and Film from Towson University, where he developed a passion for technology and video and channels that passion into helping create successful and insightful Instant Response sessions for clients. Nathan happily lives in the DC metro area with his wife, two cats, and many Instant Response dials.

Suzanne Conte - media strategist

Suzanne has been a Media Strategist with the firm for over two years, managing instant response dial technology at focus groups across the U.S. and Europe. Previously, she worked as a Video Editor at the Association for Psychological Science and as the Outreach Assistant on a documentary film promotional campaign, at Academy Award-winning production company, State of the Art, Inc. Suzanne earned an M.F.A. in Film and Electronic Media from American University, where her studies also took her abroad to learn filmmaking in Prague, Czech Republic.  She earned a B.A. in Communication Studies, with an emphasis in film theory and a minor in Sociology, at Virginia Tech. 

Meg Floyd - research manager

Meg Floyd has been the research manager at Luntz Global since 2012, where she conducts primary research and directs the company's internship program. She graduated with a B.A. in history from the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg and has been published in peer-reviewed scientific publications for research conducted while interning at the U.S. Geological Survey's Coastal and Marine Science Center. She currently lives in Denver, CO with her husband and dogs, where she teaches historical fencing for a hobby. 

Alexis Soper - executive assistant

Alexis Soper is the Executive Assistant to Frank Luntz where she specializes in complex logistics, communication and event planning. Prior to joining Luntz Global Partners, Alexis worked as an Executive Assistant at Ian Schrager Company and Morgans Hotel Group. She previously held the position of Director of Scheduling for the New York State Senate Majority Leader.  Alexis attended the University of Tampa.  She currently resides in downtown Manhattan and never misses a Soul Cycle class! 

Lara Holmes - executive assistant

Lara Holmes joined Luntz Global Partners as Executive Assistant to Frank Luntz.

She specializes in organizational management in the fields of administration, special logistics, projects and events, estate management and communication for corporate C-level and celebrities. She also has an extensive background in hiring and training staff, as well as mediating conflict situations.

William (Bill) Duvall - chief financial officer

William (Bill) Duvall is Luntz Global’s CFO.  He is a financial professional with over 25 years’ experience in public, private and governmental accounting and tax areas.  A licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in multiple states as well as a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA), Bill has worked with Frank Luntz for over 20 years in various capacities.  He heads up the administrative arm of the organization, including finance and human resources.