Dahvi leads Apex’s public affairs team, a unique department of the core operations team that is focused on preserving and enhancing the company’s license to operate in statehouses and communities across the nation. Under Dahvi’s leadership, Apex’s public affairs team is working to rapidly innovate an approach to engagement that is relationship-based and politically savvy, rooted in a campaign mentality. In her nearly seven years at Apex, Dahvi has built a team from the ground up, led the development and implementation of a new approach to engagement, and overseen a successful effort to increase Apex’s influence with key legislators and strategic partners. Prior to joining Apex, Dahvi served in leadership roles with numerous community, government, and nonprofit organizations, specializing in strategic development, community relations, and communications. Dahvi holds a Master of Environmental Management degree from Yale University and a BA from Brown University.

Josh Hohn, AICP, is the Visual Resources Practice Lead for Stantec’s Environmental Services group. He is based in San Francisco, where he has written or overseen visual impact analyses for wind projects in California, New York, and West Virginia, and for solar projects in California, Wyoming, Wisconsin, and Nevada. In his decade and a half as a visual resources specialist, Josh has produced technical reports and CEQA/NEPA documents, or their equivalent, for dozens of proposed power generation and transmission projects, including battery storage and natural gas powered facilities, along with new and reconductored power lines. In support of his work, he has testified before the California Energy Commission and West Virginia Public Service Commission. Trained as a city and regional planner, Josh began his career in community development and public outreach.

Natasha Kalergis founded Bantam Social Media in 2015. Since that time, Natasha and her team have focused their collective experience on a new kind of mission – educating the American public about the benefits of wind and solar projects, influencing community support to help move renewal energy projects successfully through state and local approval processes. 

Prior to founding Bantam, Natasha spent nine years at large advertising agencies in New York City and Minneapolis, working with national accounts including McDonald's and Target. She was on the front lines as these Fortune 500 companies began embracing social media as a viable marketing channel. 

Natasha received her education at Virginia Commonwealth University, the New School/Parson’s School of Design, and the University of Buenos Aires.

Founded in 2008, our focus for over a decade has been on developing and implementing communications strategies for public policy campaigns, high-profile individuals, and organizations seeking to improve their approach to digital advocacy. Clients have included trade associations, corporate public affairs teams, non-profit organizations, business executives and industry thought leaders.

Based in our nation’s capital, Villageous engages in projects across the United States at the federal, state and local levels.

Heather Lauer has over two decades of experience in grassroots campaign management, communications strategy, digital advocacy, stakeholder relations, coalition building, and brand and reputation management.

Heather oversaw the recruitment and activation of over 3 million supporters for the Pickens Plan campaign, which has been widely recognized for its impact on the national conversation about energy policy. She also recently spent two years serving as a Public Affairs Director at AT&T in Washington, D.C. where she managed campaign activities for local, state, and federal public policy initiatives. Previously, Heather was a Partner at DCI Group LLC, a global issues management firm based in Washington, D.C. During her 12 years with DCI, she managed domestic and international advocacy campaigns for trade associations and Fortune 500 companies.

Heather has worked on political campaigns at the national and state levels, directing the Whip Operation at the 2004 Republican National Convention, overseeing voter contact programs for New York Governor George Pataki’s successful re-election campaign in 2002, and working on Bob Dole’s 1996 presidential campaign. 

In her free time, Heather is a published author, community activist, and explorer. She is the author of “Bacon: A Love Story” (William Morrow/HarperCollins, May 2009), which was inspired by her blog, BaconUnwrapped.com. Heather has served as a volunteer and board member for several non-profit organizations. She has traveled to all 7 continents, 50 states, and over 40 countries. Heather is a graduate of the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.  She resides in Arlington, Virginia.

Kelly O’Neil is a leading public affairs strategist with extensive professional experience in the public and private sectors. She has been engaged in community, government and media relations; corporate communications; events and communications planning; issues and crisis management; philanthropy and cause-related marketing; niche and online promotion; social media marketing, and website content management.

Prior to launching her own public relations and strategic communications firm, Kelly held various communications and PR positions within the public affairs industry where she directed statewide and national issue advocacy efforts, fundraising and events, media relations, and political action efforts. She has worked with elected officials from former Mayors of both St. Louis and Kansas City, to various State Representatives and U.S. Senators. She has also been instrumental in passing some of the region’s top ballot initiatives and education reform measures. Additionally, Kelly served as the lead integrated-marketing specialist at two other firms aimed at creating digital strategies, as well as improve team communications and operating procedures. Kelly has also developed a number of advocacy programs which identify and mobilize advocates, and build strong foundations for renewable energy developers across the country.

An active philanthropist, Kelly has performed for a number of nonprofit organizations over the years providing communications, public relations counsel, and assistance to organizations such as the Ferguson Commission, Purdue University, and The Children’s Education Alliance of Missouri.

Passionate about music, Kelly launched one of St. Louis’ first and fastest growing donation-based, house concert series. The series and “carriage house” venue quickly gained regional and national media attention. In 2018, Architectural Digest ranked the venue in its article entitled “16 of the Coolest, Most Unexpected Concert Venues Around the World”.