People on the Move

Ujwal Pyati

W2O has appointed Ujwal Pyati to the newly created position of practice lead, scientific strategy. Pyati comes to W2O from McCann Health North America, where he was SVP, director of scientific strategy. Before joining McCann, Pyati completed a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. “He will not only make an immediate and measurable impact on our ability to define scientific strategies and stories for our cornerstone AOR assignments, but he will also provide scientific leadership throughout the firm on everything we do for clients across the board,” said Jennifer Gottlieb, president of W2O Group. Pyati will be based in W2O’s Florham Park, NJ, office.

Andrew Gabron

Chartwell Strategy Group has brought on Andrew Gabron as lead digital strategist, in charge of its digital and grassroots advocacy efforts in Washington, across the U.S., and globally. Gabron joins Chartwell from boutique digital strategy firm Strength in Members, LLC, where he was vice president. He has also held senior business development and client management roles for Washington, D.C.-area public affairs and interactive agencies including DDC Advocacy. Chartwell, which launched in January, is led by David Tamasi, Ozzie Palomo, and Matt Epperly. The firm is focused on helping corporate and government leaders navigate high stakes policy and reputational issues.

Meghan Bianco

Taft Communications has hired Meghan Bianco and Tara Cadet as communications managers. Bianco comes to Taft from marketing and communications firm Zer0 to 5ive, where she was a senior strategist. Before that, she was account manager, digital strategies at Maven Communications. She will work with such clients as The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Wine Institute’s “Free the Grapes” campaign. Cadet was previously a communications specialist at Janssen Pharmaceuticals and has served as government affairs coordinator at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. In her new role, she will work in Taft’s pharmaceutical and public issues practices. Taft has also brought on Audrey Wallendal as senior account coordinator and Julia Masse as account coordinator.

Felipe M. Calderon III

BoardroomPR has promoted Felipe M. Calderon III to multi-media manager. Calderon has been a multi-media specialist at Boardroom since 2016. In his new role, he will oversee the firm’s multi-media team, and direct all stages of video production, graphic design and website management. Agency president Julie Talenfeld said that Calderon has “helped take BoardroomPR’s in-house creative department to a higher level.”

Maril MacDonald

Maril MacDonald, CEO and founder of Gagen MacDonald and past president and chairman’s council member of the Arthur W. Page Society, has been named to American University’s board of trustees. Chicago-based Gagen MacDonald has a client portfolio that includes Johnson & Johnson, The Coca-Cola Company, DuPont and Bristol-Myers Squibb. MacDonald, the parent of a 2017 American University graduate, is also the founder of Let Go & Lead, an online community dedicated to new philosophies and strategies for leadership. Joining MacDonald on the board will be Mehdi Heravi, an AU graduate and retired political science professor, who was provost of the National University of Tehran in Iran, before returning to the U.S. after the collapse of the Iranian monarchy in 1979.