WE BOLDLY CENTER DIVERSE VOICES THROUGH COMMUNICATIONS

We’re on your team.

Momentum Solutions is a bold and diverse group of thinkers, doers and communicators. We joined forces in 2016 to form a social impact marketing and communications agency that prioritizes working with values-aligned organizations and creating more work-life balance. Click on our faces to read our bios!

We are grounded in belonging and equity and driven by the desire to support organizations that are making the world a better place. We are a team of professionals with decades of experience serving thought leaders, nonprofits, foundations, and businesses. We:  

  • Are primarily BIPOC, women-led 
  • Boldly lead with equity and center diverse voices 
  • Practice a shared leadership model
  • Consciously build relationships with clients and partners 
  • Bring creativity, play, and humor to problem-solving

FEATURED WORK

We believe that equitable communication has the power to transform relationships. This fosters collaboration that drives meaningful change and collective progress. As BIPOC professionals, we use our built-in E&I lens and coaching approach to guide your team’s ability to recognize the diverse needs and abilities of the internal teams and communities you serve. 

Partner, Wordsmith & PR Specialist

Liza Sacilioc

Liza is a storyteller, a thought partner on marketing and communications strategies, and a LEGO Serious Play certified facilitator. She is a seasoned writer who sets an authentic storytelling vision for clients in an ever-changing cultural landscape. Using a collaborative approach, she hones in on the essence of a thought leader, organization, or business, doubles down on their strengths, and manages to energize their mission, vision, or brand.

In partnership with Momentum Solutions Team, she creates content for all formats, from power statements to messaging, client features, blog posts, and op-eds. Recent projects include campaigns for The Grove Foundation, Los Angeles Public Charter School Collaborative, Community Works Consulting, and PATH, to name a few.

Before Momentum, Liza held public relations, communications, and marketing strategy roles. She started her career at a boutique PR agency during the dot-com era. Since then, she’s worked for various agencies servicing social impact organizations and arts and education nonprofits. In 2003, she co-founded and ran Smitten, Los Angeles’ first women-focused snowboarding shop. A pioneer in women’s action sports, Smitten was an influential blueprint for major snowboarding brands like Burton to design and market sports products specifically for women, not just with a splash of pink but also with style, fit, and function in mind. 

Liza grew up in the San Fernando Valley and received an undergraduate degree in journalism at California State University, Long Beach. You can find her being shadowed by her Australian Shepherd, Daphne, or planning her next adventure to Japan with her family.

Partner, Branding Specialist & Coach

Gabriela Torres

With more than two decades of experience in communications and marketing, Gabriela Torres uses a coaching lens to help individuals and companies uncover unexplored facets of their brand identity and messaging. She is a trusted guide and thought partner to many businesses and social impact leaders on a journey to build a legacy of positivity.

After graduating from Woodbury University with a bachelor’s degree in international business, she started her career with the Century Council — a national not-for-profit founded to reduce drunk driving and underage drinking. She was instrumental in their Latino-focused campaign and in building partnerships with national organizations, legislative leaders, Catholic church, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Indian community. She’s worked in software companies, advertising and marketing agencies and healthcare organizations. Gabriela earned a master’s degree in Latin American studies from Cal State Los Angeles — giving her a deeper academic knowledge of the history and cultural dynamics of audiences from all over Latin America.

For her, authenticity, intent and the message in communications campaigns have become critical in this time of multiple and convenient sources of information. When working with clients, she hones in on the dynamic between their business, who they are as individuals and their goals to create a brand language that will translate in print and online.

Prior to joining Momentum, Gabriela led marketing strategy at L.A. Care Health Plan. She served on the Diversity Leadership Committee of the American Heart Association, the boards of the National Latina Business Women’s Association and Impact A/O, is a member of Iconexion’s LatinoHive and is one of the founders of the Yo También Healing Movement. She calls Los Angeles her home and Mexico her heart. She likes to be a tourist in L.A., speaks Spanish fluently, sees Cafe Tacuba live as often as she can, runs the annual Firecracker race in Chinatown and dreams up new ventures while walking.

Partner, Executive Coach & Facilitator

Evelin E. Montes

Evelin E. Montes is a certified professional coach who serves as a vessel for individuals as they explore, dig deep and identify personal strengths and fresh perspectives to tackle challenges. Leveraging her extensive resume of 20 years in the social impact sector, she is a thought partner to clients as they launch new initiatives and strengthen their programs.

Evelin has supported various institutions such as the Annenberg Foundation, The California Endowment, California Community Foundation, the California Conference for Equality and Justice, the California Latino Leadership Institute and the Liberty Hill Foundation. She started her career through Public Allies-Los Angeles, a 10-month AmeriCorps leadership development program, which gave her an understanding of the Los Angeles social impact and political landscape. After earning a bachelor’s degree in urban and environmental policy from Occidental College, she worked alongside community leaders around tenant rights and affordable housing issues in MacArthur Park and Westlake — the area where she was born and raised.

She grounds her coaching in the belief that we are all worthy individuals capable of great things. Evelin is passionate about racial, gender and LGBTQIA+ justice. She enjoys working with women of color, who hold leadership positions and are seeking to strengthen their supervising skills, build their confidence, and fortify their communication styles.

Evelin is also an alumni of The Funders’ Network PLACES Fellows (Professionals Learning About Community, Equity, and Smart Growth), an active volunteer with the California Conference for Equality and Justice (CCEJ), and sits on the Leadership Council of the Latino Giving Circle Network of the Latino Community Foundation. She is a proud daughter of immigrants from El Salvador and lives in the Mid-City community of Los Angeles with her regal beagle and her two precocious cats.

Partner, Marketing Strategist & Coach

Pia Schiavo-Campo

Pia is a digital marketer, writer and certified transformational coach. She taps into her leadership coaching skills to develop effective social media campaigns, create marketing strategy, provide communications training and serve as a thought partner.

You might be familiar with her by way of the Internet, public speaking or from features in ABC News, People magazine and Bustle. She made waves through the web with Chronicles of a Mixed Fat Chick, a blog that questions conventional notions of beauty and empowers women. While writing articles about body image, she has spent the last eight years working in social justice nonprofits at both the direct service level and policy level. She served as the digital communications manager for Advancement Project California. For nearly a decade, she’s worked as a consultant with Zimmer Children’s Museum’s youTHink program, where she uses the power of art to empower youth in grades 5-12 to sharpen their critical thinking and civic engagement skills.

Pia’s strong suit is connecting people to a common language and to skills they can use to better communicate with each other and the world. Her clients for training and social media campaigns include the California Conference for Equity and Justice, Los Angeles Unified School Districts, Urban Peace Institute and Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Pia is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She is also an accredited transformational coach through Leadership That Works. Since 2003, she has been studying and performing improvisation and acting at the Studio Theater, Bang Comedy Theater and Improv Olympics West. Pia uses life coaching and improv to help adults, children and organizations to develop better communication skills and increase their self-awareness, confidence and creative-thinking abilities. Her most recent work, through youTHink, involved putting together an improv curriculum to address issues of inequality using “Theater of the Oppressed” concepts for underserved students in LAUSD schools in East L.A. and South L.A.

When she’s not writing her blog or shopping for funky jewelry, Pia enjoys cooking for friends and family, eating dairy-free chunky monkey ice cream, and spending quality time with her husband, Will and son, Paolo.

Managing Partner, Problem Solver & Digital Coach

David Andrés Kietzman

David is an expert in solving problems through communications. He’s spent the past two decades guiding people to tap into their creativity through orthodox and unorthodox approaches, using practices like the pedagogy of play to turn their ideas into action rather than letting them languish in brain purgatory.

He consults clients across a wide range of industries – comfortably jumping from nonprofits, businesses to foundations – through the lens of a coach, nonprofit leader, and a classic marketing expert. Through Momentum, he’s led communications strategies for organizations, such as SoCal CAN, CDE Foundation and the SELA Collaborative. He launched the state-wide campaign “Let’s Go to College California” to ensure more students were engaged in higher education during the height of COVID-19. He also developed a new brand, marketing, and outreach strategy for an innovative approach to ending homelessness called “Lease Up LA,” a Zillow-like platform to connect property owners to individuals seeking homes.

Prior to forming Momentum, he worked as a graphic designer and an art teacher in Los Angeles and Honduras. He’s led four organizations and launched multiple social enterprises often drawing local and national recognition for his work from council members, mayors and congress members. He’s also received recognition from the Annenberg Foundation, Los Angeles Social Venture Partners, New Leaders Council, and the Wells Fargo Executive Leadership program. To this day, his hands-on experience with artists, students and workers of all stripes influences his approach in giving clients advice.

David received a graphics art undergraduate degree from Point Loma Nazarene University and earned a master’s degree in public management from Cal State Los Angeles. Most recently, he became a certified LEGO Strategic Play methods facilitator. Learn more here!

He continues to teach courses on administration, nonprofit governance and leadership; fundraising and development; and thought leadership through CSULA’s Master of Public Administration program. Each of his graduate student classes receives a syllabus personalized according to their needs and desires as well as optional one-on-one mentorship. He’s also a featured guest lecturer and trainer at numerous universities and conferences. In the past, he sat on the boards of Make Change Awards, Blue Sky Center, YNPN LA, Latin American Indigenous Ministries, and more. 

When he isn’t working, David enjoys exploring the many communities that make up the City of Angels with his family.

Design Specialist

George Delgadillo

Geroge is an experienced graphic designer and producer with a demonstrated history of working in the corporate and non-profit sectors. George has worked with the Momentum Solutions team since 2017 and is skilled in Adobe Creative Suite, film production, strategic marketing design, and digital photography. With a strong art and design background and his degree from The Art Institute of California-Santa Monica, George helps many of our clients refine their ideas and create designs that are aligned with their goals and audiences.

Web Specialist

Celina Taganas-Duffy

Celina Taganas-Duffy is a creative director and brand strategist with an extensive background in website development and graphic design. Celina loves to create and is inspired to help people and companies grow and develop through the use of effective branding and visual identity. After freelancing for top advertising agencies, earning her degree in Graphic Communications, working in the industry as an electronic prepress manager, and with an entrepreneurial mindset, Celina started Tagline Communications in 1995 and in 2017 joined the Momentum Solutions team. She brings over two decades of website design, print design, advertising, and marketing expertise to her projects and embraces creative challenges.

With compelling user interface design and extensive technical knowledge, Celina delivers exceptional digital content and custom management solutions. She understands the value of impactful, branded aesthetics that engage customers with streamlined functionality and visually intuitive, appealing graphics. She has developed numerous custom websites with structure, responsiveness, scalability, and optimization in mind. Celina has a high level of attention to detail and her goal with every project is to provide an overall extraordinary user experience. She enjoys the design process and feels rewarded when she helps businesses find solutions for their communications needs.

Over the last 20 years, Celina has had the opportunity to work with a wide range of organizations, from Startups to Fortune 500 companies. Her experience includes projects for the City of Los Angeles, Smithsonian Institution, The White House, USC Pacific Asia Museum, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, American Library Association, LA Playwrights’ Arena, Filipino American Service Group, Inc. (FASGI), National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD), FilAm Arts, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Millennium-Momentum Foundation, Lupus International, Starwood Resorts, Hilton, Mitsubishi, Deluxe Entertainment, and Epson. 

She has received recognition from multiple public agencies and officials for her artistic contributions to the City of Los Angeles. Previously, she also received funding from the Smithsonian Institution to produce a multimedia art exhibit entitled, “I Am Today’s Filipino,” which documented the stories of 100 Southern California Filipinos, and she was selected to create the Asian-Pacific Islander American Heritage cultural guide calendar for the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. She currently serves on two non-profit boards: South Pasadena Arts Council (SPARC) and Filipino American Service Group, Inc. (FASGI).

Aside from her multiple design and creative projects, Celina is passionate about the arts and loves spending time with her family.

Communications & Media Strategist

Norma Kelly

With over two decades of experience in agency and consulting roles, Norma Kelly has a proven track record of securing media wins for clients. In her role, Norma handles all things media—making connections with reporters, pitching stories, preparing folks for successful interviews, and securing placement of Op-Eds and other articles. She’s worked with clients all over the country in diverse fields, including nonprofit, real estate, education, legal, consumer products, housewares, arts, interactive entertainment, travel and hospitality.

What sets Norma apart is her passion for getting our partners’ stories in the media in a unique and impactful way. You can count on her to get you the media attention you need to pursue your mission and marketing goals. Norma’s agility when discussing story ideas with editors has been key to her success in scoring interviews or booking TV or radio appearances for clients as subject-matter experts. Clients appreciate Norma’s tenacity for media relations and meticulous and organized approach when researching and proposing clients for speaking opportunities, awards, or opportunities that advance them as a thought leader.

When she’s not busy securing media wins, you can find Norma exploring the great outdoors on a hike, cooking, reading, and spending time with family and friends. Norma holds a bachelor’s degree in communication arts from the University of West Florida.

Content Creator & Social Media Strategist

Mollie Leiva

Mollie’s passion is helping business owners and creators navigate the constantly shifting social media landscape, turning frustration into your opportunity to adapt and thrive with a clear strategy. She thrives on turning big ideas into actionable strategies—whether that’s creating scroll-stopping content, building a cohesive brand voice, or producing campaigns that hit the mark. Mollie has become our go-to for full-service social media management, from ideation and content planning to production, post-scheduling, and consistent brand engagement. She works closely with clients to understand their goals, collaborating with subject-matter experts to bring valuable, insightful content to life. Diving deep into social analytics is what she loves, ensuring every post drives results—optimizing strategies as we go, tracking KPIs, and adapting to trends to keep things fresh. Mollie studied at