As a Senior Associate, Haley supports the Breakwater team in identifying and executing client goals. She supports senior staff on research needs, media analysis, content drafting, and administrative tasks.  

Haley began her time at Breakwater as a communications and research intern before joining the team permanently as an associate. Prior to that, she interned for Kantar, a leading data, insights, and consulting company. She additionally took part in tech giant Watch Mojo’s media and finance internship.  

Haley graduated from Yale University with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. She was granted distinction in the major by the department due to her grade point average and senior thesis. Her passion for politics and women’s rights can be seen through her thesis entitled Sexual Harassment on The Hill: How Partisanship and Polarization Condition Reactions to Sexual Impropriety in Congress. At Yale, she worked for the Office of Development and Alumni Fund. Her work as an Alumni Fund student liaison led her to be selected as the Chair for the Class of 2022. Additionally, Haley co-founded a Students Demand Action chapter at her university to support gun control advocacy work. She also served on the board of the Yale Women’s Leadership Initiative. Throughout her college experience she was heavily involved in other service initiatives and her sorority.  

Born and raised in Washington D.C., Haley found interest in politics before many other age-appropriate things. When she is not working, she is probably making a new friend out of a local cafe barista or Uber driver.  

Reagan Putnam is a Senior Associate at Breakwater Strategy within the Capital Markets practice, based in Washington D.C. She provides ongoing support for the team’s core research functions and helps develop actionable recommendations for stakeholders.

With a background in consulting and financial markets, Reagan has experience helping clients navigate the challenging intersection between strategy, finance, and market dynamics to achieve their goals and drive sustainable growth.

She joined Breakwater from the Palladium Group, which focused on impact investing projects for developing regions in southern Asia and coastal Africa, with a concentration on healthcare infrastructure and improving access to education for women and girls. Previously, Reagan also acted as an investment fellow with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the USDA, where she worked to advise clients on sustainable investment opportunities in emerging markets.

Reagan majored in International Affairs and Business (Finance) at the George Washington University in Washington, DC. She is a member of Kappa Delta and works with their national philanthropies. She also volunteers her time with the Junior League. In her free time, Reagan enjoys staying active through fitness and tennis, indulging her passion for writing, learning languages, and running her book club.

Expertise:

• Market Research
• Strategic Communications

Nick leads the Research & Insights team, developing, executing, and analyzing public opinion research to inform Breakwater’s strategic guidance. He crafts integrated research programs that leverage quantitative, qualitative, and digital methodologies to help navigate complex challenges and provide actionable findings. Nick advises wide-ranging strategy initiatives and public affairs campaigns for companies and trade associations across industries. 

Prior to joining Breakwater Strategy, Nick worked for several years at PSB Insights, a global research and analytics consultancy and member of the BCW Group. During his time at PSB, Nick managed expansive research engagements including dynamic crisis responses, global mixed-methodology studies, and stakeholder communications efforts for blue-chip corporations, leading non-profits, and prominent government agencies. Nick’s introduction to strategic communications research came as an intern at the Glover Park Group, where he learned to appreciate the value of learning what people think and why. 

Nick graduated from Colby College, with distinction in Government and Economics. Nick is a Beltway native. He was born in Glover Park, DC, grew up in Bethesda, MD, and is a long-suffering D.C. sports fan. When he’s not working, he’s probably checking the latest election polling on RealClearPolitics, or listening to his favorite podcasts from the Ringer. 

Peyton Shelburne is a Senior Associate on the Capital Markets team at Breakwater Strategy. She supports the team’s research initiatives by developing actionable insights and tailored recommendations to stakeholders.

Peyton’s background includes marketing and content strategy roles at data-driven companies. Before joining Breakwater, she held a marketing position at Akkio, an AI-powered data platform for advertising agencies, where she contributed to ABM strategies and campaign development. Prior to that, she spent over three years at Morning Consult, a global data intelligence company, as part of the content strategy and operations team. In her role, she authored original content, streamlined internal processes, and analyzed survey data to update trend tracker webpages across various sectors, strengthening the company’s insights-driven offerings.

Peyton graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University with a B.A. in linguistics and a minor in Chinese.

Outside of work, Peyton enjoys following and playing tennis. She also loves volleyball, curating music playlists, and exploring hiking trails.

Expertise:

• Market Research
• Marketing

Stephanie Swartz is a Vice President at Breakwater Strategy. Stephanie has spent her career helping companies tackle their most intricate and sensitive policy issues. She leverages that expertise to help clients facing complex challenges at the intersection of corporate reputation, business strategy, corporate social responsibility, and technology policy.

Stephanie most recently built the policy and public affairs team from the ground up at The Pill Club, a direct-to-consumer telehealth and pharmacy delivery company dedicated to expanding access to contraceptive care. During her tenure, she worked as part of The Pill Club’s leadership team to advance corporate interests and build the company’s reputation with advocates, researchers, government and elected officials, and insurance providers and payers.

Prior to that, Stephanie served as Uber’s lead on Safety and Consumer Protection as part of Uber’s global public policy strategy team. She drove the creation and launch of Uber’s groundbreaking Safety Transparency Report, which provided a detailed account of safety incidents, including sensitive issues like sexual assaults on the platform. Stephanie began her career on Google’s global policy strategy team, where she gained valuable experience in addressing global privacy issues that affect billions of users, shaping her path towards becoming a recognized authority in the field.

Stephanie graduated from California State University Long Beach with degrees in German Studies and International Studies and holds an MPhil in International Relations from Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar. Stephanie lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and dog and enjoys exploring the vibrant DMV area. As a native of San Diego—and a huge Padres fan—her heart still holds a special place for surfing, a passion that continues to draw her back to the West Coast.

Karianna works with senior staff to create strategic communications campaigns and develop impactful messaging materials. Her main responsibilities include planning and producing social content, tracking and analyzing media, sharing insights from qualitative research, and creating written client deliverables. She has experience and knowledge of a wide array of industries including entertainment, tech, financial services, and non-profit. 

Prior to joining Breakwater, Karianna was an Education Relations Intern for C-SPAN where she created content for their education website and helped generate press coverage for C-SPAN’s 2019 StudentCam Competition. She also drafted blog post articles as a Community Contributor for SHE Media and managed the daily operations as an intern for DREAM Charter High School in East Harlem. 

Karianna graduated from Hamilton College with a bachelor’s degree in Literature and a minor in Mathematics as a HEOP Scholar. While at Hamilton, Karianna worked as a student assistant for Nesbitt-Johnston Writing Center, participated in Hamilton’s Washington D.C. program, and was an active leader of La Vanguardia, Hamilton’s Latinx cultural club.   

Karianna was born and raised in the Bronx, so of course she is a die-hard Yankees fan. Growing up she tried to memorize every train and bus route that ran through the Bronx so that she could traverse the whole borough with ease. She loves how the Bronx is full of diverse hard-working people. 

Maggie Tween is an Associate at Breakwater Strategy on the Capital Markets team, based in New York. In her role, she supports senior staff on market research and client interaction. With prior internship experience in financial research, Maggie’s professional foundation lies at the intersection of global markets and client advisory.

Maggie graduated from Boston College as an Economics major, where she was involved in volunteer groups, business organizations, and club sports. With minors in Finance and English, she developed her passions for both business and writing during her time at BC.

Outside of work, Maggie can be found at the gym or on a run, and cheering on the Mets in the summer and the Rangers in the winter.

Annelise Vella is an Associate at Breakwater Strategy, where she leverages her background in global government affairs to help clients drive impactful strategies.

Based in Washington DC, Annelise graduated from Georgetown in 2024 with a bachelor’s in Business and Global Affairs with a Chinese minor. Through her degree program, she gained experience in geopolitical business strategy as a student consultant for corporations and government entities. Her work included exploring AI in capital markets for the government of Ghana and working with PayPal to evaluate a public-private partnership for small businesses.

Having grown up in Shanghai, China, Annelise is passionate about the global impacts of the US-China relationship on business strategy, particularly in the technology and consumer products spaces. Prior to joining Breakwater, this interest led her to the US-China Business Council, where she interned with the Government Affairs team to monitor policy developments and provide strategic analysis to US firms with Chinese operations.

Outside the office, she is an amateur baker and Chinese cuisine enthusiast, and an active member of her local church in D.C.

As an Associate at Breakwater, Kay supports clients and senior staff with the development of strategic research and messaging materials. Kay also assists in managing internal operations.

Hailing from the University of Michigan, Kay comes to Breakwater with a degree in Public Policy and minor in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences. As part of their degree program, Kay completed an independent study on political communications trends in social media. Outside of their studies, Kay also founded and ran operations for Michigan’s first Undergraduate Law Review.

Prior to joining Breakwater as an Associate, Kay interned with the group virtually and in their New York office. In their final year of university, they also worked in Michigan’s Executive Office of Communications for Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Along with social media and press relations work, they wrote biweekly talking points for the State of Michigan’s 50,000+ employees on President Trump’s first 100 days in office.

When not at the office, Kay can be found trying to unlock all the features on Beli, at way too many book clubs, and proudly wearing Maize and Blue.

As Senior Associate and Associate Director of Operations at Breakwater, Adi assists with both client advisory and internal operations. She engages her policy-focused background to assist clients and senior staff with the development of strategic communications and messaging materials, including thought leadership pieces, op-eds, policy memos, media analyses, and more. She also manages hiring, internal programming, and day-to-day operations of the firm.

Prior to joining Breakwater, Adi held several internships within the US federal government, including the House of Representatives, focusing specifically on criminal justice equity and policy. She graduated with a degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice and History from the University of Maryland, College Park, and is pursuing her Masters in Public Policy at Georgetown University. While at the University of Maryland, she was also part of Global Communities, an Honors living and learning program focused on global policy. As part of this program, she studied abroad in London and Vienna, focusing on the history and policy development of nuclear non-proliferation issues. She is fluent in Russian.

Born in Jerusalem, Israel, Adi was raised in Newton, MA, and currently resides in Washington D.C., where she continues to defend her Massachusetts roots—and more importantly, her sports teams—with pride.