Celebrating Women’s History Month: The Women Professionals at Kaufman Zita Group
In honor of Women’s History Month as we celebrate the contributions of women throughout our state and nation, we want to highlight the talented women professionals at the Kaufman Zita Group (KZG)! KZG is proud to be home to a majority of women on staff that not only delivers results for a wide range of clients, but also elevates and empowers other women through their work and in their communities.
Trish Zita co-founded the Kaufman Zita Group with Adam Kaufman in 2007 and serves as the firm’s managing partner. Trish is consistently recognized as a prominent and influential business and political leader in New Jersey, being named to Top 100 lists by various publications including, NJBIZ, ROI-NJ, Insider NJ and NJ Globe. She has been celebrated for her contributions to women in politics throughout her career. In 2019, Trish was among eight honorees to be recognized by YWCA Princeton at their 2019 Tribute to Women Awards. The annual Awards recognizes women who embody the YWCA mission of eliminating racism and empowering women through their accomplishments. Trish also received Emerge New Jersey’s Bench Builder Award in 2017 and was recognized by the Executive Women of New Jersey in 2016 for her trailblazing work as one of New Jersey’s most influential and accomplished women leaders. Continuing her commitment to elevating women in government, Trish began serving on the Rutgers Center for American Women in Politics’ New Jersey Bipartisan Coalition for Women’s Appointments Advisory Committee during the 2017 gubernatorial election.
Beth Dohm is an Executive Vice President at Kaufman Zita Group and has been with the firm since its beginning in 2007. Beth advises a diverse group of corporate clients and organizations on legislative and public affairs issues. Throughout her career, Beth has lead efforts on several legislative initiatives and successfully secured the enactment of a number of pieces of legislation on behalf of her clients. In addition to lobbying, Beth manages KZG’s internal client services program, fundraising efforts, and the firm’s website and social media platforms. She has been consistently recognized as an influential political woman leader in New Jersey on Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg’s annual Women’s Power List. In her community, Beth serves as an appointed member of the East Windsor Township Planning Board and the East Windsor Township Economic Development Committee.
Jeannine LaRue is a Senior Vice President on the KZG team. She joined KZG in 2011 after an extensive career in government and served in prominent positions at some of NJ’s most prestigious health and higher education organizations. Jeannine has long been a champion of issues affecting women across our state. She convened the first ever Statewide Women’s Summit in 1992. The success of that event was noted by then Governor Whitman who, in 1994, made the annual event a function of state government, renaming it The Governor’s Conference for Women. That event has continued under every governor since and today attracts more than 2,000 participants annually. More recently, Jeannine served on Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg’s Workgroup on Harassment, Sexual Assault and Misogyny in New Jersey Politics. This workgroup hosted listening tours, conducted surveys, and made several recommendations on how to address harassment and discrimination against women in politics. Jeannine has been honored by dozens of organizations for her trailblazing work and is consistently named to top 100 lists by various publications including NJBIZ, ROI-NJ and Insider NJ.
Alexis Bailey joined the KZG team as a Legislative Research Associate in 2020. She provides legislative support, extensive research, contributes to social media accounts, and provides tracking information and news clips to all our clients. Prior to joining KZG, Alexis worked as a Government Affairs and Communications Consultant for the New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association and held numerous internship positions with the Republican National Committee, the New Jersey Business and Industry Association (NJBIA) and New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, among others. In 2019, Alexis was named one of NJBIA’s Rising Star Award recipients and was named to Insider NJ’s Millennials to Watch List in 2020. In her community, Alexis is a member of the Ocean Federation of Republican Women.
Liz Ortiz is KZG’s Finance and Administrative Manager. She runs the day-to-day operations of the Kaufman Zita Group and is responsible for bookkeeping, payroll, employee benefits, accounting, and billing procedures. Liz also provides high level support and assistance to the government affairs team in the areas of fundraising and event planning. Liz previously served as manager of administration at another NJ-based government affairs firm and prior to that, served as Executive Assistant to the Executive Director of the Assembly Majority Office and to the Speaker of the General Assembly in Trenton. Liz also held positions as secretary to the director of intergovernmental affairs in the Assembly Majority Office and as a confidential secretary in the New Jersey Public Guardian’s office.
Kisha Howard is KZG’s Executive Assistant and has been with the firm since its inception. Kisha provides high level administrative and scheduling support to the government affairs team and assists in KZG event planning and coordination. Kisha serves as a point of reference for inquiries and requests from our clients and is an integral part of the firm’s lobbying team.
Kaufman Zita Group is proud to be home to a diverse team of dynamic female professionals.
