We are a bipartisan team of policy experts and strategic thinkers defined by our creativity, innovative ideas, and the determination required to secure your success.

Our Team

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Katrina Velasquez, Esq., MA

FOUNDER & CEO

Katrina Velazquez, a distinguished attorney and advocate, is the dynamic force behind Center Road as its Founder and CEO. With an exceptional track record of transforming partisan social issues into unifying, bipartisan causes, she propels them towards remarkable success. As a testament to her prowess, Katrina has been named one of The Hill’s Top Lobbyists for four consecutive years, and has also received the Professional Women in Advocacy Award in 2017, and the Meehan-Hartley Award for Public Service and Advocacy in 2017.

With over a decade of expertise in federal advocacy, grants, and law, Katrina skillfully navigates clients through the complexities of the federal process. Her extensive experience includes recent victories in school safety, military health, mental health, and violence prevention including the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, Into the Light for Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Act, Anna Westin Legacy Act, STANDUP Act, TRIUMPH for New Moms Act, SERVE Act, Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Reauthorization Act, and the STOP School Violence Act, amongst other authorizing and appropriations successes.

Join Katrina Velazquez and Center Road in their mission to create a more inclusive, compassionate, and effective political landscape for women and families across the nation.

EDUCATION

Juris Doctorate from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law

Master of Arts in International Politics from American University

Dual Bachelor of Arts in Law & Society and Public Relations from Purdue University.

AWARDS

Most Influential Women’s Lobby Leader of 2023

The Meehan/Hartley Award for Public Service and/or Advocacy

Excellence in Advocacy — Federal Issue Campaign; Awardee of successful outcome in federal issue campaign.

PUBLICATIONS

Yetsenga, R., Banerjee, R., Streatfeild, J., McGregor, K., Austin, S. B., Lim, B. W. X., Diedrichs, P. C., Greaves, K., Mattei, J., Puhl, R. M., Slaughter-Acey, J. C., Solanke, I., Sonneville, K. R., Velasquez, K., & Cheung, S. (2024). The economic and social costs of body dissatisfaction and appearance-based discrimination in the United States. Eating disorders, 32(6), 572–602. https://doi.org/10.1080/10640266.2024.2328461

Velasquez K, Ivie A, Fegely SR, Raffoul A, Vitagliano J, Roberto CA, Austin SB. Dietary supplements for weight loss: Legal basis for excise tax and other government action to protect consumers from a public health menace. Am J Law Med 2022; 48: 38-53

Streatfeild, J., Hickson, J., Austin, S. B., Hutcheson, R., Kandel, J. S., Lampert, J. G., Myers, E. M., Richmond, T. K., Samnaliev, M., Velasquez, K., Weissman, R. S., & Pezzullo, L. (2021). Social and economic cost of eating disorders in the United States: Evidence to inform policy action. The International journal of eating disorders, 54(5), 851–868. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23486

Austin, S. B., Hutcheson, R., Wickramatilake-Templeman, S., & Velasquez, K. (2019). The Second Wave of Public Policy Advocacy for Eating Disorders: Charting the Course to Maximize Population Impact. The Psychiatric clinics of North America, 42(2), 319–336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2019.01.013

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Allison Ivie, MPP

PRINCIPAL

Allison Ivie, a seasoned government relations and private sector consultant, serves as Principal at Center Road. Garnering recognition as one of The Hill’s Top Lobbyists for four consecutive years, Allison steers the firm’s efforts with expertise in direct lobbying, regulatory writing, and partnership development. Her policy successes include removing burdensome provider provisions through the No Surprises Act (P.L. 116-260); strengthening mental health parity enforcement for medical nutrition therapy coverage; protecting servicemember health through dietary supplement education within the NDAA; and passing the first major technology reform legislation in over 25 years out of the U.S. Senate.

Before joining Center Road, Allison’s impressive work with cutting-edge pharmaceutical and medical device companies led to three FDA approvals in the reproductive health, sexual health, and oncology fields. Her career in Washington, D.C. commenced as a Women’s Congressional Policy Institute Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives for a Ways & Means Committee member. During this time, Allison drafted and introduced bipartisan legislation to expand telehealth access to Medicare beneficiaries and negotiated stricter penalties for illegal marijuana cultivation on federal lands, which were subsequently adopted by the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

In addition to her role at Center Road, Allison serves as Vice Chair of the Alumni Advisory Council for the Women’s Congressional Policy Institute, is a member of Women in Government Relations and a former board member of the Women’s Congressional Staff Foundation.

EDUCATION

Master of Public Policy and Women’s and Gender Studies from Brandeis University

Dual Bachelor of Arts in English and Multicultural Gender Studies from California State University, Chico

Literary Editing and Publishing Certificate from California State University, Chico

PUBLICATIONS

Velasquez K, Ivie A, Fegely SR, Raffoul A, Vitagliano J, Roberto CA, Austin SB. Dietary supplements for weight loss: Legal basis for excise tax and other government action to protect consumers from a public health menace. Am J Law Med 2022; 48: 38-53.

Ward, Tamara (2022 April 22). Olin brookings commission 2021-22 tackling the U.S. opioid crisis: a data-driven solution and policy recommendations.https://olin.washu.edu/docs/research/olin-brookings-commission-2022-policy-paper.pdf.

Ivie, A. Asset theory and prostitution: the implications of u.s. prostitution policy and ideology on asset building strategies. Women’s Policy Journal of Harvard; Cambridge Vol. 10 2013: 52-59.

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Emily Rosenberg, MPA

SENIOR DIRECTOR

Emily Rosenberg, MPA, is an advocacy leader who has built a powerful national network of 100+ nonprofit partners and hundreds of advocates, driving momentum and support for client priorities since joining Center Road in 2021. She leads the strategy and execution of high-impact events—from congressional briefings to Capitol Hill Advocacy Days—turning personal stories into measurable policy wins and growing congressional engagement around key legislative initiatives. During her tenure, Emily has launched and now leads the inaugural Young Leader Council for the Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy, & Action, elevating youth voices in federal advocacy.

Before joining Center Road, Emily built her career advancing outcomes for children and families across Pennsylvania through mission-driven nonprofit work. Over seven years, she drove a sustained, bipartisan effort to advance state legislation expanding parental education on eating disorders in public schools—building broad support, collaborating directly with the Pennsylvania Secretary of Health, and helping propel the bill (H.R. 148) to eventual passage in the House General Assembly in 2023. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she co-developed and delivered a virtual, evidence-informed wellness and education program in the Philadelphia public school district, bringing health, nutrition, and youth development support to 130 students. Earlier in her career, she provided strength-based care to children navigating trauma and behavioral health challenges, experience that continues to ground her policy work in real-world impact.

EDUCATION

Master of Public Administration from Villanova University

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from American University

PUBLICATIONS

Gina L Tripicchio, Gareth J Jones, Chantelle N Hart, Moonsup Hyun, Emily DeSabato, Amy Giddings, Amanda Ehrhardt, Emily Rosenberg, A digitally enhanced home-based physical activity intervention for high-risk middle school youth during COVID-19, Translational Behavioral Medicine, 2021; ibab151, https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibab151

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Julia Cortina

SENIOR DIRECTOR

Julia serves as the Senior Director of Government Relations at Center Road, bringing a record of bipartisan policy leadership shaped by deep experience advocating for local governments at the federal level. In her role, she develops and executes comprehensive legislative strategies that advance clients’ priorities across Congress and the Administration.

Before joining Center Road, Julia served as the Associate Legislative Director for Human Services, Education, and Immigration at the National Association of Counties, where she gained extensive expertise in how federal policies function in practice at the local level. Julia led NACo's advocacy on social safety-net programs and children's issues through engaging with stakeholders, organizing Capitol Hill Advocacy days, drafting congressional testimony and authoring regulatory comments on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Head Start, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and the Child Care Development Block Grant. As a skilled bipartisan strategist, she played a key role in passing the Supporting America’s Children and Families Act, which reauthorized child welfare programs under Title IV-B, expanded resources for recruiting the child welfare workforce, and provided additional flexibility to support families experiencing poverty.

Julia’s commitment to public service is rooted in her early experience working for her home-state U.S. Senator from Connecticut and supporting an immigration attorney specializing in cases involving sex trafficking and domestic violence. These formative roles strengthened her dedication to centering vulnerable communities in policy development, legislative strategy, and the practical implementation of federal policy.

EDUCATION

Dual Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Government from the University of Maryland, College Park

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Stacey Friedman

DIRECTOR

Stacey serves as a Director of Advocacy & Engagement at Center Road, where she leads strategic campaigns to engage citizen advocates and coalitions in turning policy priorities into legislative outcomes. She builds strong, lasting relationships across the child welfare and family preservation policy landscapes, uniting national organizations, local leaders, and grassroots advocates around shared legislative goals — and turning their passion into action. A core strength of her work is training advocates; equipping them with the skills, messaging, and confidence to show up powerfully for the causes they care about and make a real impact on Capitol Hill. Her work spans coalition management, high-impact public affairs events, and mobilization efforts that keep federal priorities moving forward.

Prior to joining Center Road, Stacey gained hands-on experience across education, public service, and wellness sectors, shaping her holistic approach to advocacy and policy work. Stacey worked for U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, gaining firsthand experience in Congressional operations, constituent services, and legislative research — a foundation that sharpens her instincts in every campaign she leads. Stacey is bilingual in English and Spanish and brings a cross-cultural perspective to every coalition she builds.

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies: Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government, American University

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Francesca Quaranta

SENIOR ASSOCIATE

Francesca serves as a Senior Associate at Center Road where she supports all things research and advocacy. Francesca plays a key role in managing appropriations portfolios across clients with a proven track record of increasing bipartisan support for critical mental and behavioral health programs. Her work spans beyond the federal appropriations process into congressional monitoring and legislative correspondence, with a focus on translating complex policy developments into clear, actionable takeaways.

During her fellowship with Center Road, Francesca earned her Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied how systems-level approaches and evidence-based policy can address complex public health challenges, expand access to care, and reduce health inequities.

EDUCATION

Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health

Bachelor of Arts in Public and Urban Affairs from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

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Adriianna Lagorio, MA

CONSULTANT

Adriianna works as a Consultant with Center Road. She previously served as the Legislative Director for Senior Appropriations Committee Member Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler. Adriianna led the Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations portfolio for the Congresswoman. She successfully helped secure funding of over $8.5 million for community project funding requests for mental health, substance abuse, and law enforcement. She’s overseen the creation of the first-ever Stillbirth Task Force at HHS, the creation and funding of the Maternal Mental Health Hotline, and first-time funding of the pediatric subspecialty loan repayment program. She has negotiated multiple bipartisan bills including the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.

Before Congress, she worked for the Orange County Board of Supervisors as a District Representative – leading the Spanish outreach in Santa Ana, California. She has been awarded grants to conduct field research in Medellin, Colombia. She’s served as a Heritage Foundation Health Fellow and was part the American University We Lead cohort of 2020.

EDUCATION

Master of Security Policy Studies from The George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs

Bachelor of Arts International Affairs and Spanish from University of San Diego

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Marisa Pettit

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Marisa Pettit works with Center Road as an executive assistant. Marisa remotely supports the team by leveraging her extensive background in management, education, and administration.

EDUCATION

Masters in Curriculum and Instruction in Elementary Education from Southeastern Louisiana University

Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Southeastern Louisiana University

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Olivia Leonard

ADVOCACY & ENGAGEMENT INTERN

Olivia Leonard is the Advocacy and Engagement Intern at Center Road and a graduate student in Security Policy Studies at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, with a concentration in Conflict Resolution. Her work focuses on conflict prevention, gender and security, and post-conflict stabilization.

 With over two years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Olivia has developed strong skills in policy research, data analysis, and project management through her work with SHE-CAN, an organization that advances international women’s leadership. She is particularly interested in how inclusive governance and advocacy-driven policy can promote lasting peace.

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Government, University of Puget Sound

Let's make change together

Nationally recognized for leadership and impact.

We’re proud to be recognized nationally for our leadership, advocacy and commitment to policies that make a lasting impact.

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