Who We Are

  • Joe Kefauver

    Founding Partner

    Joe Kefauver is the Managing Partner of Align Public Strategies, a full service public affairs and creative firm that helps …

     

  • Carson Chandler

    Partner

    Carson Chandler has nearly two decades of experience working across different disciplines in the public affairs, communications, government relations and …

     

  • Franklin Coley

    Partner

    Having worked on scores of candidate and issue campaigns including three presidential races, Franklin Coley has a deep political background.  …

     

  • Roger Chapin

    Partner

    With more than 25 years experience, Roger is a Partner with Align Public Strategies focusing on public affairs, public relations, …

     

Joe Kefauver

Founding Partner

Joe Kefauver is the Managing Partner of Align Public Strategies, a full service public affairs and creative firm that helps corporate brands, governments and nonprofits navigate their external environments and inform their internal decision-making. Joe is a respected advisor to senior corporate executives throughout the Fortune 500 and is a valued opinion leader within many consumer-facing industries.

Prior to starting Align Public Strategies, Kefauver was Vice President of Public Affairs for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. where he oversaw all state and local government matters for the world’s largest corporation. In his capacity there, Kefauver was responsible for prioritizing and developing the company’s legislative and political agenda, their interaction with Governors, Attorneys General, Mayors and legislative leaders, as well as executing the company’s aggressive store expansion program. Additionally, he played a leadership role in many of the company’s major strategic initiatives such as environmental sustainability and expansion of healthcare programs and led a team of 50 professionals.

Kefauver also served as the Director of Government Affairs for Darden Restaurants, Inc. based in Orlando, Florida. At Darden, Joe oversaw the company’s federal and state government relations programs as well as their political involvement including managing their Political Action Committee.

Kefauver currently serves as a contributing editor for Convenience Store Age, Retailing Today, Nation’s Restaurant News, Supermarket News, Convenience Store News as well as produces the weekly Working Lunch podcast.

Kefauver is an alumnus of the University of Maryland and received his graduate degree from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

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Carson Chandler

Partner

Carson Chandler has nearly two decades of experience working across different disciplines in the public affairs, communications, government relations and political arena.

Prior to starting Align Public Strategies, he served as the Public Affairs Director for Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer for more than five years. In this role, he was responsible for the development, implementation and communication of a wide variety of signature projects for the City of Orlando. He also served as the staff director for the Mayor’s leadership role in the U.S. Conference of Mayors and other high-profile national organizations. In doing so, Chandler has built relationships with hundreds of America’s mayors, members of their senior staffs and national organizations dedicated to local and state government.

Previously, Chandler was the Vice President of a Washington, D.C.-based communications and government relations firm. He also served as a press official in both the United States Senate and House of Representatives. Notably, he served as Deputy Press Secretary for U.S. Senator Bob Graham where he also handled media relations for the Congressional 9/11 investigation.

A University of Florida graduate, Chandler began his career as a television news reporter and anchor, earning an Emmy award while working for the ABC-TV affiliate in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Chandler’s background in multiple communications and government disciplines, combined with his track record for cultivating public-private partnerships, allows him to offer clients a unique skill set that includes both the creation of winning messaging and the ability to determine the best strategies for delivering that message to decision makers and influencers and, ultimately, leveraging those stakeholders to generate results.

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Franklin Coley

Partner

Having worked on scores of candidate and issue campaigns including three presidential races, Franklin Coley has a deep political background. He also has experience in the public sector having served as a Presidential Appointee to U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao and as a staff member for U.S. Senator Mel Martinez. For the better part of the last decade, Coley has acted as a consultant to companies and associations crafting political engagement strategies, counseling on legislative and regulatory trend lines, repositioning clients relative to external considerations and developing creative public policy alternatives. His areas of expertise are issue management, campaign management and stakeholder engagement.

Coley is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and is proudly involved in a number of conservation organizations including Ducks Unlimited Florida which named him Area Chairman of the Year in 2012.

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Roger Chapin

Partner

With more than 25 years experience, Roger is a Partner with Align Public Strategies focusing on public affairs, public relations, business development, government relations and strategic visioning for clients and companies throughout Florida. High focus in the areas of transportation, tourism, new business development, construction and complex development projects. Emphasis representing clients to the public and before the City of Orlando, Orlando Aviation Authority, Orange County government as well as involvement with large infrastructure projects – both public and private – in Central Florida.

An Orlando native, Roger has been a part of almost every major governmental board, initiative and campaign. He has served as Chairman of the City of Orlando’s Municipal Planning Board, Chairman of the Downtown Development Board & Community Redevelopment Agency, Vice Chairman of Orange County’s Charter Review Commission and was campaign co-Chairman of the only successful citizen led ballot initiative in Orange County to create the position of Orange County School Board Chairman. In addition, he recently served on the Orlando Community Construction Committee (OCCC), the board responsible for oversight and construction of Orlando’s new $500 million Dr. Phillip’s Performing Arts Center.

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