The people behind the wins.
Jack Yao
Jack Yao is a veteran Democratic strategist, fundraiser and trainer. Jack has managed the campaigns of Democrats in highly-targeted seats across the country, has trained hundreds of staff and candidates, and serves as a contributor to publications such as POLITICO, MSNBC, NOTUS, Advancing Philanthropy, and The Major Gifts Report. He was named a 40 under 40 AAPI Politico in the country by NAAPPPA (National Association of Asian Pacifics in Politics and Public Affairs), and received the President's Service Award under the Obama Administration.
Jack founded Sustainable Change Strategies LLC in 2018 after seeing first-hand the need for individualized support for political campaigns around the country. SC Strategies specializes in providing individualized consulting that will maximize the potential of your electoral or public affairs campaign.
In his career, Jack has led teams that have raised over $40 million in total. As the Principal Consultant and Founder of SC Strategies, he has helped elect Democrats up and down the ballot all across the country. His proudest accomplishments include flipping a seat Republicans held for the last 40 years, helping pass the largest bond ever for our community college students ($5.3 billion to repair aging infrastructure at all Los Angeles community colleges), and electing outspoken progressives to Congress and state legislatures across the country. Jack has also developed and led both staff and candidate trainings for organizations such as the National Democratic Training Committee, California Young Democrats, the Kentucky Democratic Party, and various county parties.
Prior to his career in politics, Jack started his career wearing a variety of hats, co-founding a local media company in his hometown of Claremont, later working as the Team Content Director of Celtics Nation as well as in Hollywood publicity at the longstanding firm Marleah Leslie & Associates. He started his fundraising career at American University and Gallaudet University, later serving as the Director of Development at It Takes Two, Inc., a non-profit focused on providing support for single-parent students and families in the DMV area.
Jack studied Political Studies at Pitzer College in Claremont, CA. In his spare time, Jack enjoys watching the Warriors and Dodgers, coaching youth sports, and sharpening up his skills in the kitchen.
Ana Kassar
Ana Kassar joined SC Strategies as a Partner in 2026. Ana builds winning coalitions for complex policy fights across labor, healthcare, environmental, social impact, AI, and tech policy. Known for uniting unlikely allies to move policy, her expertise includes high-impact coalition building, political strategy, legislative advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and strategic communications.
Before joining SC Strategies, Ana served as Director of Public Affairs at Rodriguez Strategies, where she designed and led advocacy campaigns and media strategies for clients ranging from emerging nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies. Prior to that, she worked alongside the California Clean Money Campaign to pass landmark campaign finance reform legislation in the California Legislature.
Based in Los Angeles, Ana earned her bachelor's degree in Political Science from Loyola Marymount University and her master's degree in Public Administration and Policy from American University.
Joz Sida
Joz is a progressive campaign veteran with more than a decade of experience organizing, managing, and leading campaigns across the country. She began her career in field organizing, working with AFSCME in Miami, Enroll America in Chicago, and MoveOn.org, building early experience at the intersection of grassroots engagement, voter outreach, and progressive advocacy.
She went on to serve as Director on the Draft Biden 2016 Super PAC and as Nevada State Director for Mi Familia Vota. During the 2018 cycle, Joz served as Field Director for Wendy Carrillo's campaign for Congress, Deputy Campaign Manager for Amy Vilela for Congress, and Deputy Campaign Manager for Kimberly Ellis for CADEM Chair.
More recently, Joz served as Nevada State Director for Tom Steyer's presidential campaign and for NextGen America. In 2023, she managed Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth's historic winning campaign for Chicago Alderwoman. Joz also serves as Chapter Director for the Sierra Club.
Born and raised in Fontana, California, Joz has been organizing Fontana residents for decades. Before attending Northland College in Wisconsin, she developed deep roots in the Inland Empire community that continues to shape her work today.
Joz is now running a historic campaign for Mayor of Fontana and is the only Inland Empire candidate to receive Senator Bernie Sanders' endorsement.
Sonali Mudunuri
Sonali Mudunuri brings strong data fluency and research experience to SC Strategies. Prior to joining the firm, she served as Data Coordinator at Greenlight America and worked in research at Feminist Majority.
Sonali is a graduate of Pitzer College and resides in the Bay Area, California.
Shay Patel
Shay Patel brings experience in research and advocacy to SC Strategies, along with a strong commitment to electing Democrats at every level of government.
Prior to joining the firm, Shay worked in research and advocacy in Sacramento. At SC Strategies, Shay provides critical support to candidates.
Shay resides in Riverside, California, and is a graduate of the University of California, Riverside.