Weber Shandwick Opens Sacramento Office, Deepens Consumer Engagement and Public Affairs Expertise across State Capital, West Coast

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Dec 03, 2014, 12:45 ET

NEW YORK, Dec. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Weber Shandwick announced today the opening of its office in Sacramento, California, as part of the agency's expanding network and capabilities in the state and across the West Coast. The Sacramento office brings deep expertise in consumer engagement and public education campaigns as well as public affairs advocacy, combining strong local issues expertise with full-service implementation capabilities across Weber Shandwick's statewide network. In addition to Sacramento, Weber Shandwick has offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Silicon Valley. The Sacramento office also brings additional depth in corporate reputation, issues management, healthcare and multicultural outreach to engage around important issues in the heart of the state capital.

Kathleen Siedlecki, executive vice president and U.S. director of Health Impact at Weber Shandwick, has been appointed as leader of the Sacramento office, in addition to her broader responsibilities advising clients on public health communications. Siedlecki brings a depth of expertise in integrated engagement, advocacy and marketing campaigns, as well as public affairs and corporate reputation programs. A Sacramento native, Siedlecki began her career as a congressional aide to U.S. Representative Vic Fazio (D-CA) in Washington, D.C. and has been with Weber Shandwick for over four years.

"Opening an office in California's state capital gives us a greater opportunity to help clients engage in complex issues shaping the landscape of this important market," said Sara Gavin, president, North America, Weber Shandwick. "Kathleen's deep understanding of the landscape combined with a proven track record for success makes her a strong leader for our Sacramento office and a valued partner to our clients."

"Weber Shandwick's Sacramento office establishes a strong presence in the seat of power of the eighth largest economy in the world, in a state most often at the leading edge of business and social issues," said Siedlecki. "Our team has deep experience creating innovative, strategy-driven solutions that engage and mobilize diverse populations in California. We're looking forward to working in close partnership with our teams across the state to help clients continue to shape these important conversations."

Members of the Sacramento office will also closely partner with Sawmill, Weber Shandwick's full-service advertising offering, and The Axis Agency, the firm's multicultural marketing sister agency, in Los Angeles. Its offerings are further bolstered by ongoing work with Powell Tate, Weber Shandwick's public affairs arm in Washington, D.C. and market research specialists KRC Research. Weber Shandwick's teams in California, in partnership with Sawmill and The Axis Agency, were recently honored for their innovative work on the launch of Covered California, which was named Advocacy Integrated Campaign of the Year by Advertising Age and Modern Healthcare's Health Marketing IMPACT Awards.

The Sacramento office bolsters the agency's fast-growing presence on the West Coast, following key leadership appointments in Weber Shandwick's Los Angeles, San Francisco and Silicon Valley offices this year. Leslie Capstraw was appointed general manager of the Los Angeles office in March 2014, and Luca Penati joined in September 2014 as general manager, San Francisco and Silicon Valley, and Mediaco Lead for the Western region, overseeing the growth of the firm's award-winning content publishing and distribution offering.

About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is a leading global public relations firm with offices in 81 countries. The firm's diverse team of thinkers, strategists, analysts, producers, designers, developers and campaign activators has won the most prestigious awards in the world for innovative, creative approaches and impactful work, including being honored as a 2014 Ad Age A-List Agency, The Holmes Report's 2014 Global Agency of the Year, and winning 23 Cannes Lions together with its Prime unit since 2009. Weber Shandwick was also named PRWeek's International Consultancy of the Year and The Holmes Report's Best Healthcare Consultancy in the World in 2013, in addition to earning numerous best place to work accolades. The firm deploys deep expertise across sectors and specialty areas, including consumer marketing, corporate reputation, healthcare, technology, public affairs, financial services, corporate social responsibility, financial communications and crisis management, using proprietary social, digital and analytics methodologies. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit http://www.webershandwick.com.

Contact: Michelle Selesky
Company: Weber Shandwick
Phone: 212-445-8088
Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Weber Shandwick