Team

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Alison Byrne Fields

Senior Vice President/Managing Director

Alison’s entire career has focused on a single question: How can media create social and political change? About a decade ago, she was answering that question as Creative Director and Chief Strategist for Rock the Vote, convincing young people that political participation wasn’t a waste of time and convincing candidates that young voters weren’t a waste of money. Her work with Rock the Vote led her to Cambodia and Mexico to train youth civic and political leaders who were trying to achieve similar goals and to Austria, where (as a Salzburg Seminar faculty member) she helped civic engagement groups from Eastern Europe and sub-Saharan Africa to answer this same question. While at Harvard (the Kennedy School) studying international HIV/AIDS policy, the question took on a new angle when, for her thesis, she worked with the Kaiser Family Foundation and UNAIDS to create a strategic plan for the development of the Global Media AIDS Initiative, mobilizing media companies around the world to dedicate resources to fighting the pandemic. After school, former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner on Human Rights Mary Robinson hired Alison to help her develop the strategic plan for the launch of the Business Women’s Initiative against HIV/AIDS. Soon after, Alison landed at Ogilvy Public Relations — in their Social Marketing practice — where she worked with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help strengthen their grantees’ capacity to be effective global health advocates. At Ogilvy, Alison also became a founding member of the agency’s social media practice, using online strategies to generate and amplify word of mouth. (She takes pride in the fact that she is responsible for the first-ever blog from a Cabinet member, former HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt.) Now that she’s at DDB, Alison combines her background in issues advocacy with her passion for social media, as head of DDB’s Issues & Advocacy group and Senior Strategy Director for Social Media. Her clients have included The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, PATH, the Reproductive Health Technologies Project, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Equality California and Stand Up 2 Cancer/Entertainment Industry Foundation.

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Ray Page

Creative Director

As the Creative Director for DDB Issues & Advocacy, Ray Page has developed a reputation with our clients as a committed and effective collaborator who challenges them to take risks that will help them to achieve their desired outcomes. Having started his career in digital design in 1996 in Tokyo, Ray understands the changing dynamics in how consumers engage with information and how this impacts how best to communicate with them and lead them to new thinking and behavior. Ray is also passionate about using his talents to contribute to social change. He has worked on the issue of gay marriage for the Equality California Institute, civil rights for RememberSegregation.org, environmental issues for the National Recycling Coalition, reproductive rights for The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, global health for the Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative, and domestic health and health care for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Ray’s leadership and talent has led him to be recognized for his work on behalf of DDB’s clients through numerous industry awards, including Cannes, The One Show, Communication Arts, ADDYs, The Webbys, Macromedia Site of the Day and The Effies — just to name a few. Ray has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Wayne State University and has a certificate in UX Intensive from Adaptive Path. He has been a guest lecturer and panelist on the topic of UX design at multiple conferences and at the University of Washington and has served as a judge for additional industry awards, including the Art Directors Club and AdCritic.

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Jeff DeRoshia

Associate Creative Director

Jeff comes to DDB from HL2, where he led creative teams in both the digital and traditional space. At DDB, Jeff brings a user-centered approach to crafting interactive campaigns for our Issues & Advocacy and consumer tech clients. Some of his notable projects include developing a new digital presence for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and driving Converse to push their experience online. Jeff’s work has been featured in HOW magazine and has won a number of accolades, including a handful of Webby awards. Jeff began his career studying art and design at both the University of Washington and the Art Institute of Seattle.

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April Matson

Account Supervisor

April comes to DDB Issues & Advocacy from Weber Shandwick, where she managed grantee relations and helped drive planning for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Agricultural Development initiative. In this capacity she served as liaison with international offices in Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia and managed implementation of PR initiatives, including participation at the World Economic Forum in Cape Town, South Africa. April also helped plan and implement promotional strategies for British author Rose George and her book, The Big Necessity, to coincide with the United Nation’s International Year of Sanitation. Outreach was targeted at government officials and advocates with the power to influence policies around water, sanitation and hygiene in developing countries. Prior to her work with foundations, April worked on PR campaigns for General Motors, Bear Naked granola and the Simon Property Group. At DDB, April serves as the team’s lead on media relations strategy.

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Laurel Yamaguchi

Account Supervisor

Laurel is a passionate believer in the power of human potential and that everyone deserves opportunity to live healthy lives. For the past 10 years, her career has centered on creating strategic communications campaigns for Fortune 500 corporations, leading foundations and non-profit organizations to advance some of our most pressing social issues, including childhood obesity, access to education and HIV/AIDS. Laurel’s clients have included the Kaiser Family Foundation, William J. Clinton Foundation, Washington Health Foundation and media partners including BET, Viacom, and Univision.

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Nick Przybyciel

Senior Account Executive

Nick brings a sense of adventure and passion for nonprofit communications to DDB Issues & Advocacy, where he plans and executes traditional and social media outreach efforts for the practices’ nonprofit and foundation clients. Prior to joining DDB, Nick worked at Weber Shandwick, assisting in media relations for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Global Development Program. A passion for telling the stories of those who inspire was instilled in Nick early on in his career. Before joining the private sector, Nick served as a public affairs specialist in the Air Force Reserve, where he had the distinct honor of representing some of the most selfless men and women in our nation. During this time, Nick followed the mission wherever it went, from the skid of a helicopter hovering above the 11,249 foot summit of Oregon's Mount Hood while photographing a search and rescue operation in progress, to New Orleans in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, where he supported media relations operations on several aeromedical evacuation flights. It was during this formative period that he gained experience crafting and delivering messages during crisis situations, having appeared as a military spokesperson on major international programs like CNN's Larry King Live. Nick holds a bachelor degree in communications from the University of Washington.

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Melissa Duque

Assistant Account Executive

Melissa, aka “Meli,” joined the DDB Issues & Advocacy team in March 2010. Prior to joining DDB, Melissa served as an intern with Conexión Marketing, a Latino marketing agency, where she assisted with media relations and various bilingual social media campaigns. A graduate of California State University - Long Beach, Melissa received her degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Public Relations and History. While attending, she was active with her student government and the California State Student Association where she and other student leaders met with legislators in Sacramento concerning fee increases and the government’s role in higher education. After graduation, Melissa worked as the Communications Coordinator for Associated Students at CSULB, supporting them with branding, event planning, media relations and student outreach. Melissa is an active member of the Puget Sound Public Relations Society of America chapter and received the 2010 President's Award for Volunteerism in recognition to her contributions to the chapter.

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Diane Mower

Art Director

Diane has been an interactive designer for over 12 years and has substantial expertise in a large spectrum of design disciplines from information design to creative conception. Diane has worked on a wide variety of digital projects, from campaign microsites to big brand e-commerce sites, from banner ads to email marketing. Diane’s body of work includes educational campaigns relating to the intersection of social issues and health for the Mayo Clinic; creative concepting and execution for the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance project; and the creation of a women-focused campaign, “look good on your own terms,” for Kellogg's Special K. At a member of the DDB Issues & Advocacy team, Diane develops user-centered interactive and print designs for our nonprofit and foundation clients.

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Troy Vinson

Technical Architect

A member of the DDB team for eight years now, Troy has developed numerous web, email, and security applications, in addition to leading the planning for the overall technical framework on several accounts. Troy has been managing Internet systems and developing web applications since 1995, when he joined with Internet service provider FlashNet Communications, and subsequently Prodigy Internet, Inc. There he combined the assets of graphic designers, multimedia and web application developers to support the company’s growing national presence, as well as its direct marketing division with consumer portal and e-commerce development. Additionally, he provided infrastructure management for more than a million hosting customers. Prior to that, Troy was employed by PSINet to consult with Fortune 100 companies in the areas of Internet strategies, web application development and web security. Troy attended San Diego State University through maritime studies in the US Navy and has a degree in Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has held certifications in Java and Electronic Commerce development, as well as Sun Solaris system administration and has taught in classes and seminars in web application development, web security, and email communication services.

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Ryan Huber

UX Specialist

Ryan’s specialty areas include user-centered design methodologies, emerging standards, information architecture, interaction, information and visual design. As a UX designer with seven years of experience in the field, Ryan has built a solid reputation for improving the value of a diverse range of websites, applications, and interfaces by taking a user centered approach towards designing enjoyable experiences, increasing conversion rates, and ensuring a memorable impact. Ryan’s health-related experience includes the development of a web-based portal for a physical activity program for the Virginia Cooperative Extension, which enabled community leaders across Virginia to create and manage teams, track physical activity, and measure the success of their communities. Additionally, Ryan helped design and implement a website for the Alliance for Healthier Virginians, a grass-roots advocacy coalition comprised of 24 public and private sector partner members. Ryan is a graduate of Virginia Tech, where he majored in visual communication and design, concentrating in web design and user experience.

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Joshua Lee

SEO Strategist

Joshua applies a deep knowledge of what drives key stakeholder behaviors to every project he works on, from consultations to complete website redesigns. In addition to leading optimization projects, his depth of experience includes driving consumer-centric strategies, developing innovative design and identifying peoples’ behavior and insights. Joshua has managed on-going campaigns for Medical City Children’s Hospital and a variety of industry-leading consumer brands. He graduated from Sam Houston State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Radio & Television.

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