PUBLIC AFFAIRS / COMMUNICATIONS
A California Firm
SERVICES
PUBLIC AFFAIRS/
CAMPAIGNS
Grassroots, grasstops, coalition building - we design unique solutions and transform political landscapes for businesses and associations embroiled in controversy.
PUBLIC RELATIONS/
COMMUNICATIONS
ADVOCACY/
LEGISLATION
Enhance your reputation, expand the reach of your message and establish your organization as a thought leader that makes your industry and community stronger.
Great ideas aren't enough. You need trusted allies who will carry your message to the right person at the right time. Experience and savvy are critical to winning allies for your powerful p[ublic policy-changing legislative goals.
OUR WORK
Rubicon Strategies is a full-service consulting firm that creates winning campaigns for businesses, trade associations and interest groups. Rubicon is an expert at designing incisive outreach programs that sway community members, stakeholders and media to help our clients overcome critical public-facing challenges. Our experience as cutting-edge practitioners of advocacy and communications, combined with our access to the most powerful digital and social media tools available on the market, make our team a formidable, essential ally.
ABOUT US
Matt McDonald
Principal
Matt McDonald specializes in creating solutions for clients with public affairs and public relations problems. Matt founded Rubicon Strategies with the goal of providing clients with unique solutions to tough political problems. Matt abhors taking cookie-cutter approaches to project management. Success goes hand-in-hand with creativity and adaptability.
Previously Matt worked for more than a decade at The Saint Consulting Group, a premier consultancy for the politics of land use and real estate. As a Senior Vice President, Matt’s role was to counsel clients and lead a team developing strategies for communications, coalition building, advocacy and grassroots organization. Matt helmed scores of federal, state and local victories for clients in the housing, retail, grocery, energy, mining, waste and entertainment industries. His greatest strength is his ability to create innovative, unique and potent strategies in widely varied political environments.
Early in his career, Matt served as Public Affairs Director of the Lincoln Club of Northern California, managed a variety of state, local and federal political campaigns throughout California and worked for one of Sacramento’s top public relations firms. He also served at the State Capitol as a legislative aide, where he worked on energy, health care and economic development issues.
Matt earned an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, a BA from UC San Diego and has completed the Harvard-MIT Public Disputes program and the UC Davis CEQA CLE program. He's an avid baseball fan (GO A's!) and lives in Northern California with his wife and three children.
Jarryd Gonzales
Principal
Jarryd Gonzales is a collaborative and entrepreneurial communicator with proven experience serving as a Fortune 100 corporate spokesperson, crisis manager, public relations leader and political advocacy expert.
With nearly twenty years of experience, Jarryd has developed a reputation for successfully using traditional and social media to tell his clients' stories to the media, online influencers, voters, donors and other public and private audiences.
Some of Jarryd’s leadership roles include: head of public relations and communications for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, director of communications for Verizon, head of media relations for USC Marshall School of Business, west region manager of external affairs and media relations for T-Mobile USA, strategy consultant to venture philanthropy foundation, Impetus (PEF), state director of the California Republican Party during the Schwarzenegger Administration, and an international political advisor to democratic parties in Serbia and Venezuela.
Having earned his B.A. from USC and an MBA from the University of Michigan, he is also a loyal college football fanatic, #FightOn and #GoBlue. He loves to golf and he especially enjoys coaching his sons in football. Jarryd lives in Long Beach with his wife and three boys.
Sam Cannon
Principal
Sam Cannon spent 20 years working for the California State Legislature where he was in the daily business of 'selling' legislative ideas, concepts and proposals. During that time, he worked for eight different legislators — each from a different geographical region of California. As a professional Chief of Staff/Government Relations expert, Cannon not only survived, he thrived in the era of term limits. His office management model was so successful he was asked to teach his methodologies and approaches to all 80 of the Assembly legislative offices.
Seasoned experience in successful government relations, managing capitol and district offices, launching informational issue campaigns, large event planning and management to influence legislative decisions, and shaping public policy/public opinion are all areas Sam has had direct influence on during his years at the Legislature.
In addition, Cannon has a demonstrated track record of handling numerous legislative bill packages, formed strong ties and relationships across both legislative houses and party lines, and garnered expertise in navigating effective means for accomplishing legislative goals. While most lobbyists cut their teeth by working as legislative staff, few have garnered the years of legislative experience that Sam has.
In his spare time Cannon is actively engaged in his community in Placer County, having served on numerous municipal commissions that include, most notably the Roseville’s Public Utilities Commission and Roseville Planning Commission. In January 2019 Sam was appointed to the Placer County Planning Commission representing Supervisorial District 1 where he tackles comprehensive land use and planning matters at the Placer County level.
Sam is an alumnus of the University of California, Santa Cruz where he received his bachelor’s degree in 20th Century United States and European History. He is married to Michelle Cannon, a practicing attorney, and is the proud father of two beautiful daughters—one studying at Oregon State University and the other working on college prep at Woodcreek High School. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, reading, and traveling with his family to various locations, most notably Santa Cruz and Lake Tahoe.
CONNECT
Rubicon Strategies LLC
Northern California
3941 Park Drive, Suite 20683
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
Southern California
17011 Beach Blvd, Suite 900
Huntington Beach, CA 92647