Press Release: Reservoir Communications Group Adds Elan Schnitzer To Senior Team, Expands Health Care, Public Affairs Expertise With New Hires

Washington, D.C. – Reservoir Communications Group recently added six new members to its growing team, including Elan Schnitzer, who joins the firm’s senior team to help lead health care advocacy and education campaigns across Reservoir’s non-profit and corporate clients.

Reservoir Communications Group is a leading communications and public affairs firm bringing together the best people and ideas to help clients with their most significant challenges and opportunities in the areas of advocacy, reputation and brand strategy. The Reservoir team brings extensive experience managing many of the top health policy and reputation issues over the past two decades, and the latest additions to the team serve to diversify and strengthen the offering.

Over the course of his career in federal government, higher education, and consulting, Elan has developed deep experience in digital health access and adoption, federal health policy implementation, community engagement around sensitive health conditions, and event planning and execution. Elan came to Reservoir from Reingold, Inc., a strategic and digital communications consulting firm, where he led a portfolio of engagements with one of the nation’s premier pediatric cancer research and treatment institutions; the American College of Healthcare; and a number of federal health agencies. Prior to Reingold, Elan was a federal employee with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.

Reservoir also announced Mara Novak, Kaitlyn Felsheim, Megan Hickey, Grace Strong and John Cerulli had joined the team, further expanding the firm’s deep knowledge of health policy, research, advocacy and clinical innovation.

Mara joins Reservoir with a strong background in health research and communications, which she leverages to help clients create thoughtful, compelling materials and campaigns that advance corporate brand, reputation and advocacy goals. Prior to joining Reservoir, Mara worked at the Advisory Board Company, where she focused on coordinating and communicating strategic initiatives for C-suite executives. She previously worked at CATO Research, a regulatory and clinical contract research organization, to support device and pharmaceutical manufacturers throughout the FDA approval process.

Kaitlyn brings extensive knowledge of pharmaceuticals and biological sciences to her role at Reservoir. While completing her undergraduate studies, Kaitlyn developed a strong background in cutting-edge cell and gene therapies through her work with the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. Kaitlyn also held a position at AbbVie, where she gained firsthand experience with the pharmaceutical industry.

Megan comes to Reservoir with a strong background in health policy research and communications, as well as management of complex workstreams in dynamic communications, trade association, and legal environments. Prior to Reservoir, Megan worked on the health team at APCO Worldwide, where she helped develop strategic communications for clients across the healthcare spectrum. She previously supported the General Counsel at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), where she lent project management assistance on multiple workstreams. Before PhRMA, Megan spent four years at a mid-sized health litigation firm providing paralegal support.

John joined Reservoir full-time after beginning his career at the firm as an intern. Through his undergraduate coursework, John married his passion for politics and policy with his love of writing and communication. He put that knowledge and skill set to work through internships with the Bipartisan Policy Center and American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., where he advocated for policy reforms to support working families and developed a knack for distilling nuanced, technical policy issues into digestible messaging in order to drive the public conversation.

Grace joins Reservoir with a strong background in strategic communications and public affairs. Grace brings a depth of knowledge to her work through the combination of her studies and her previous experiences, including as an intern at Reservoir. Prior to Reservoir, Grace interned in the Office of the Executive Chairman at APCO Worldwide, focusing on global communication tactics and research, and also worked at the Clyde Group.