We are relationship managers, messaging experts, strategists, leaders, and most importantly, we are a team. Members of our firm have more than 50 years of combined experience in policy, political consulting, and lobbying. We are successful because we work as a team, with our clients in the driver’s seat. We don’t work for our clients; we work with our clients.
Fofi Mendez
Principal
Fofi Mendez is an award winning political and campaign consultant, with over 25 years of experience. She is respected for her reliability, candor, and professional representation. Fofi specializes in boiling complex issues down to thirty-second sound bites for legislators, media, and voters. She is a nationally recognized political consultant who has appeared on CNN News, the McNeil-Leher News Hour, Fox News Hour, the Rachel Maddow Show, and various other national and local news programs.
Fofi is intimately familiar with Colorado’s budget process and excels in her work with the Joint Budget Committee. She has successfully lobbied to create new budget line items and secure increases for businesses, health care providers, nonprofit organizations, and local governments. Before her lobbying career, Fofi was the Director of Victim Services for RAAP, now known as The Blue Bench, where she created a broad-based mentoring program for social workers, psychologists, child care workers, and art and dance therapists to provide services for victims of sexual assault and abuse. Fofi continues to serve as a mentor to campaign and lobbying staff to this day.
Fofi Mendez
Principal
Fofi Mendez is an award winning political and campaign consultant, with over 25 years of experience. She is respected for her reliability, candor, and professional representation. Fofi specializes in boiling complex issues down to thirty-second sound bites for legislators, media, and voters. She is a nationally recognized political consultant who has appeared on CNN News, the McNeil-Leher News Hour, Fox News Hour, the Rachel Maddow Show, and various other national and local news programs.
Fofi is intimately familiar with Colorado’s budget process and excels in her work with the Joint Budget Committee. She has successfully lobbied to create new budget line items and secure increases for businesses, health care providers, nonprofit organizations, and local governments. Before her lobbying career, Fofi was the Director of Victim Services for RAAP, now known as The Blue Bench, where she created a broad-based mentoring program for social workers, psychologists, child care workers, and art and dance therapists to provide services for victims of sexual assault and abuse. Fofi continues to serve as a mentor to campaign and lobbying staff to this day.
Anne Barkis
Principal
Anne has worked in and around politics since the age of 5, when her father was elected to the State Legislature in Kansas. She received her BA in Communications with an emphasis in persuasive political communication from the University of Kansas, and remained at KU for both her Master of Social Work and Juris Doctor degrees. In 2000, Anne came to Colorado and began working on political campaigns. She managed a targeted state senate race, coordinated grassroots efforts for state and federal races, and managed a large independent expenditure campaign. Before coming to work for then Mendez Consulting, she spent two years as a contract lobbyist representing a variety of business and energy interests, and five years representing the Colorado Department of Education and the State Board of Education as their sole lobbyist. Anne also has experience in counseling both survivors and perpetrators of domestic violence, as well as prosecuting domestic violence perpetrators.
Anne has worked in and around politics since the age of 5, when her father was elected to the State Legislature in Kansas. She received her BA in Communications with an emphasis in persuasive political communication from the University of Kansas, and remained at KU for both her Master of Social Work and Juris Doctor degrees. In 2000, Anne came to Colorado and began working on political campaigns. She managed a targeted state senate race, coordinated grassroots efforts for state and federal races, and managed a large independent expenditure campaign. Before coming to work for then Mendez Consulting, she spent two years as a contract lobbyist representing a variety of business and energy interests, and five years representing the Colorado Department of Education and the State Board of Education as their sole lobbyist. Anne also has experience in counseling both survivors and perpetrators of domestic violence, as well as prosecuting domestic violence perpetrators.
Danny McCarthy
Senior Associate
Danny earned his B.A. in Political Science from Metropolitan State University at Denver, with a focus on international relations and development. After returning from Malakal, South Sudan, where he worked with a small nonprofit providing aid to returning refugees, Danny made the transition to state politics, joining the Colorado Senate Democrats’ staff in late 2012. In his two years on staff, Danny served caucus leadership, providing communications and logistical support, and community outreach strategies for the leadership team. Since joining Mendez, Barkis and Associates in late 2014, Danny has developed and led numerous successful lobbying campaigns addressing criminal justice reform, civil rights, services for unhoused Coloradans and people with disabilities, environmental and conservation policy, and protections for workers.
Danny earned his B.A. in Political Science from Metropolitan State University at Denver, with a focus on international relations and development. After returning from Malakal, South Sudan, where he worked with a small nonprofit providing aid to returning refugees, Danny made the transition to state politics, joining the Colorado Senate Democrats’ staff in late 2012. In his two years on staff, Danny served caucus leadership, providing communications and logistical support, and community outreach strategies for the leadership team. Since joining Mendez, Barkis and Associates in late 2014, Danny has developed and led numerous successful lobbying campaigns addressing criminal justice reform, civil rights, services for unhoused Coloradans and people with disabilities, environmental and conservation policy, and protections for workers.
Amy Pitlik
Senior Associate
Amy has 15 years of campaign and government relations experience in Colorado. After working her first ballot initiative campaign in 2006, Amy was hired by then Mendez, Steadman, and Associates to support the firm during the 2007 and 2008 legislative session. In 2008, she moved in-house at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains where she served in a multi-state policy, political, and government relations role spanning 5 legislative sessions and multiple ballot initiative campaigns. She increased her healthcare experience while working in-house for InnovAge before moving into K-12 policy advocacy at Stand for Children in 2015. She has served in leadership roles for statewide ballot initiatives to increase K-12 funding and led organizational political work. She is expert in the division of 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) functions and skilled at navigating complex coalitions to achieve policy outcomes. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Women’s Studies from Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa.
Amy has 15 years of campaign and government relations experience in Colorado. After working her first ballot initiative campaign in 2006, Amy was hired by then Mendez, Steadman, and Associates to support the firm during the 2007 and 2008 legislative session. In 2008, she moved in-house at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains where she served in a multi-state policy, political, and government relations role spanning 5 legislative sessions and multiple ballot initiative campaigns. She increased her healthcare experience while working in-house for InnovAge before moving into K-12 policy advocacy at Stand for Children in 2015. She has served in leadership roles for statewide ballot initiatives to increase K-12 funding and led organizational political work. She is expert in the division of 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) functions and skilled at navigating complex coalitions to achieve policy outcomes. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Women’s Studies from Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa.