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BOSTON – Today, February 5, marks the launch of Bulfinch Strategies Group, a new public affairs and strategic consultancy venture founded by policy experts Tom Mangan, MPH, and Jay A. Youmans, JD, and merging with thinkjet strategies, founded by Jefferson R. Smith MPA. The trio of partners will be joined by Ayah H. Roda, also previously of thinkjet strategies, who will serve as Associate Director of Government Affairs.
Bulfinch Strategies Group steps beyond traditional lobbying and into the architecture of policy, partnering with clients to identify goals, build long-standing relationships, and move the needle. This public affairs and strategic consultancy firm merges deep public service experience with a new approach, rooted in integrity, knowledge, and results.
The team brings a combined 50 years of experience at every level of government—from Democratic and Republican governor’s administrations, the Massachusetts legislature, municipal city halls, trade associations, and advocacy nonprofits.
Bulfinch’s team represents expertise across a multitude of industries, including healthcare, new technology, housing, and transportation. Team members have served as senior advisors to statewide campaigns and top-level state administrators, serving Governors across both parties.
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“Our approach takes a holistic view to create a meaningful and sustainable value-add for our clients,” said Mangan, a Framingham resident. “As the political landscape continues to evolve and change both on Beacon Hill and across our Commonwealth’s 351 cities and towns, it’s no longer enough to just get the meeting and engage a select few in power. We can open the doors for progress and keep them open to get real results and solutions.”
“I’ve worked hand-in-hand with Tom and Jefferson on countless projects over the past decade-–both within and outside of state service—and it became clear that we shared the same drive and commitment to delivering real, actionable solutions for our clients and that, together, we had the track records and know-how to deliver,” said Youmans. “Experience matters and this moment calls for a fresh, new approach. Our team brings all of that and more to the table.”
Smith shared, “I couldn’t be more thrilled with this next evolution of our work as we create something new and exciting with Jay and Tom—growing the reach we’ve already achieved with thinkjet strategies. Our shared vision is a new standard for public affairs in Massachusetts, aligning integrity, real content expertise, and a passion for solving problems.”
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About the firm:
Jefferson R. Smith, MPA was previously the founder of thinkjet strategies, a multi-state public affairs firm dedicated to establishing public affairs solutions for industry leaders, disruptors, and innovators. Since 2015, thinkjet strategies successfully managed and launched client campaigns across 36 states. Jefferson has a proven track record of leadership from Somerville to Silicon Valley. These results have been informed by Jefferson’s experience at every level of Massachusetts government, from serving as the Director of Government Affairs at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Cambridge and Research Director of the Joint Committee on Public Safety & Homeland Security. His deep experience in political campaigns has led to a well-connected network of activists, elected officials, and private sector stakeholders. Jefferson has a standout background in academia, serving as a legislative researcher and adjunct professor at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Jefferson is a graduate of Suffolk University and University of Massachusetts, Amherst and with his family is a resident of Ipswich.
Tom Mangan, MPH has over a decade of experience at the intersection of public health and public policy, advising unprecedented emergency responses, drafting and ushering in landmark legislative reforms, including opioid treatment and prevention and tobacco and vaping reforms, and securing critical funding for state programs that serve the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable populations. Tom’s career is rooted in the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, rising through its ranks to become the Department’s Director of Government Affairs under the Baker-Polito Administration, and most recently serving as the Administration’s Senior Advisor to the Massachusetts COVID-19 Command Center. In that role, Tom served the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Lieutenant Governor as the principal point of contact for local, state, and federal elected officials during our Nation’s unprecedented public health crisis. Tom led policy development and advocacy for the state’s Department of Public Health, where he served as a member of the senior management team. Tom is a graduate of the Boston University School of Public Health and Boston College and with his family is a resident of Framingham.
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Jay A. Youmans, JD has had a hand in nearly all aspects of public health and healthcare policy development in Massachusetts over the past decade. Jay’s leadership ranges from the creation and deployment of a public-private partnership providing statewide mobile COVID-19 rapid response testing; the successful development of a pediatric behavioral health emergency diversion program now implemented across 24 hospitals; principal authorship of the landmark overhaul of the Department of Public Health’s regulatory oversight of healthcare mergers, expansions, and capital projects; to ensuring universal coverage of pediatric vaccines; co-authorship of prescription drug misuse educational core competencies for all 8,200 enrolled MD, DMD, APRN, and PA students in Massachusetts; and, the creation of the state’s cannabis industry—an industry where he stood out as a pioneer, co-authoring the Commonwealth’s medical-use regulations and adult-use statute. Under both the Baker-Polito and Patrick-Murray Administrations, Jay served as a member of the Department’s senior management team that oversaw more than 3,500 employees, 100 programs, and $1B in state and federal appropriations. Jay is a graduate of Suffolk University Law School and Boston University and lives in Brookline with his family..
Ayah H. Roda’s professional career in public policy and legislative affairs began in the nonprofit sector where she served as Advocacy Associate for the Alzheimer’s Association and Senior Manager of Advocacy for Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire for the National MS Society. In these roles, Ayah led advocates to challenge insurance regulations, prescription drug pricing, and systemic gaps in treatment protocols. Roda’s work in government relations, public affairs, and grassroots advocacy has given her extensive knowledge in mobilization and policy analysis—an asset to any client’s public affairs team. Ayah is a graduate of Simmons University, and resides in Wrentham with her family.
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Tom Mangan
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In full transparency, the press release & photo were submitted to SOURCE media for publication.
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