
ORTEGA STRATEGIES GROUP
Photos by Tom Bonner
• Public Affairs • Government Relations • Trade Group Management
• Organizational Development • Leadership Training
Our Team
Our diverse team of professionals provide more than three decades of experience in problem-solving, strategic consulting, legislative counseling, press relations, and advocacy lobbying to meet the needs of our our clients. Utilizing our team’s talents, we execute customized, goal-oriented client campaigns through a proactive, creative, and comprehensive approach.

Adán has a history of handling complex strategic planning, and communications challenges excelling in the water and natural resources arena. He has 30 years of experience and understanding of resource and environmental issues through senior leadership roles in government, business, and environmental organizations throughout Southern California, California, and the United States.
Before creating OSG, Adán was Managing Director of Rose & Kindel; Vice President of External Affairs at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California; Chief California Deputy Secretary of State; and Assistant General Manager of West and Central Basin Municipal Water Districts.
Adán is Chairman of the Mujeres De La Tierra Board of Directors, a Board Director of Sustainable Conservation, and a trustee of the Southern California Water Committee. He is a former board member of the California Water Commission, the State Board of Food and Agriculture, Heal the Bay, the National Audubon Society, and Whittier College.
Adán is a graduate of Whittier College.

Susan brings expertise in the areas of crisis management, conflict resolution, community relations, program development, workshop facilitation and grant writing.
Susan most recently served as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at the University of California, Riverside.
Her experience in public affairs includes handling managing tensions and resolving disputes between opposing groups related to a range of issues including product boycotts, fee increases, policy changes, race, gender and sociopolitical conflicts.
She holds a doctorate in Education Administration from Syracuse University, a masters in Counseling from Southern Connecticut State University and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from University of Hartford.

Karina Cervantes’ career spans nearly two decades in public service with leadership positions in education, city council and the regional water board.
Karina was the Chief Education Officer at an education consulting firm in Southern California. In her role, she established partnerships with local schools to develop online academies that adhere to school accreditation standards and course articulation. Before moving to Southern California, Karina taught at Cabrillo College and California State University, Monterey Bay, in the departments of psychology, social and behavioral studies, and Latin American and Latino/a studies.
Prior to her education posts, Karina served as mayor and a councilmember for the City of Watsonville. As California grappled with another historic drought, Karina became increasingly involved in working with similarly impacted communities to address statewide and regional water issues. She testified before the state legislature on the funding gaps and lack of resources available to disadvantaged communities to maintain compliance with a new maximum contaminant level (MCL) for chromium-6 in drinking water.
In 2014, Governor Jerry Brown appointed Karina to the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. During her tenure, she was instrumental in drafting the Ag Order that outlined the monitoring and reporting requirements of irrigated agricultural operations, hearing municipal discharge permit violations, and prioritizing the human right to water.

Tim is a Senior Advisor at OSG, drawing upon decades of experience in the water utility and environmental sectors to help organizations meet complex and dynamic challenges.
Nearly thirty years in leadership roles in nonprofits and water utilities have earned Tim a history of success in administrative and operational management, communications, legislative and regulatory advocacy, policy analysis, and developing and executing strategies for revenue growth and obtaining grant funding.
He spent the last decade at senior levels of a leading water professional association, developing business plans to meet board strategic goals, driving best practices, establishing new services and offerings and managing financials and operations.
Beginning in 2020, he holds concurrent positions with the California-Nevada Section of the American Water Works Association and OSG. He sits on the Leadership Council of WaterNow Alliance, and is also pursuing independent projects in the area of leadership training and sustainable water utility management.
A native of Colorado, Tim received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Fort Lewis College. He holds a master’s in public policy and a doctorate in political science, both from Claremont Graduate University.

Currently serving as a Fullerton City Councilmember, Jesús brings decades of experience as a community leader and educator to his work at OSG.
Silva represents the city on the Orange County Sanitation District Board, the League of California Cities Orange County Division, and as a member of the energy and environment committee of Southern California Association of Governments. He served on the Fullerton City Parks and Recreation Commission from 2012–16.
Silva spent 22 years teaching at Nicolas Junior High School in Fullerton. He received his bachelor of science in business administration from California State University, Los Angeles, and master’s degree in secondary education from California State University, Fullerton.
He is married to Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva of the 65th District with whom he has four adult children.

Yasmeen Nubani is a Public Affairs Assistant who is driven to pursue public affairs from her experience in leadership, organizational management and customer service in both the corporate and community sectors.
As a barista trainer for Starbucks, she ensured safety protocols were followed in daily operations and certified new hires to provide premium quality products.
Prior to working at Starbucks, Yasmeen assisted probate lawyers in processing cases at Hillman Legal Partnerships in London, United Kingdom.
She also worked for the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce to help rebrand and expand the Chamber’s presence in the community.
During her college years, she participated in a competitive internship with Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Yasmeen graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Denver.
She speaks English, Spanish and French.

Ceili Harrell-Tuttle is a Public Policy Assistant. She brings experience in business operations, climate change resiliency and creative development to her post.
She worked as an operations assistant with Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment to help bridge the disciplines of natural resource management, human rights law and political economy.
She has also served internships with Orange County Transportation Authority and Sony Pictures Entertainment/Columbia Pictures.
Ceili graduated on the Dean’s List with a bachelor’s degree in sustainable development from Columbia University in New York. During her academic career, she engaged in global research in sanitation implementation and rainwater harvesting.
Contact Us
HEADQUARTERS:
1370 N Brea Blvd., Suite 235
Fullerton, CA 92835
PHONE: 714.784.0001