About Us

Steve Avakian, President

Steve Avakian grew up in New York City and earned degrees at The College of Wooster and Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism before launching a reporting career with the Cleveland Press. Merging his passion for public policy work and reporting, Avakian served as Press Secretary to Senator John Glenn from 1974-79 and then managed Glenn’s first re-election campaign, the 1980 contest that still holds the record for largest plurality in Ohio history.

Steve launched Avakian Consulting in 1981, focusing on grassroots campaigns of every description. Then based in Columbus, the firm evolved to its present public policy specialty working with diverse clients ranging from municipalities to park boards, from school districts to professional associations.

He is a frequent speaker at seminars and other university venues, assisting in better understanding of how the public must be engaged in the communication effort.

Cathy Young, Senior Consultant

Cathy is the owner and manager of Cathy Young Consulting, LLC a Dayton-based consulting firm specializing in Fundraising Development, Effective Communication Training, Media Relations, and turnkey productions. She graduated from Miami-Jacobs Business College. Cathy Young brings over 12 years of fundraising experience to the Avakian Consulting team. Avakian clients have also benefited from her education and expertise in areas of Effective Communication Training/coaching, Media Relations, personal development, image building, TV and video (creative) production.

Joel Gagne, Senior Consultant

Joel grew up in Hull, MA and graduated from Northeastern University. He also attended Harvard University working on a master’s degree in government. He has also completed additional programs at Harvard in Conflicts Resolution, and at the University of Chicago for Creative Writing. Joel has been involved in political campaigns for over 20 years. From working on multiple Presidential Campaigns to being a School Board member, from Mayoral Campaigns to US Senate and Governors campaigns, Joel has worked at every level.

Weblog: Notes from the Avakian Team