Fofi Mendez - President

Fofi Mendez has been a political and campaign consultant for over 12 years. She is an expert strategist who deals with complex issues, boiling them down to a “thirty-second sound bite.” She is a skilled public speaker who has lectured on the local, national, and international circuit. As a spokesperson, Ms. Mendez has appeared on CNN, the McNeil-Leher News Hour, as well as news programs on all major national networks.

Ms. Mendez has a reputation for being a tough lobbyist and is recognized for her reliability, the accuracy of the information she provides, and her candor in presenting issues. Ms. Mendez is intimately familiar with Colorado’s budget process and excels in her work with the Joint Budget Committee. She has successfully lobbied to create new budget line items and is known for her ability to represent her clients in a manner that also considers the competing interests within the budget and the state’s need to control costs.

Ms. Mendez holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Metropolitan State College. Prior to her lobbying career, she was the Director of Victim Services for a rape crisis center in Denver. During her tenure as Director she had the opportunity to train and manage large groups of staff and volunteers. In 2000, she was presented with the Service to the Community Award at the annual recognition luncheon for the Rape Assistance and Awareness Program.

Pat Steadman - Vice-President

Patrick Steadman is a licensed attorney who graduated from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1991. After law school, Mr. Steadman practiced law for two years with a public sector union representing state and local government employees. This work gave him his first experience lobbying legislators and other government officials and taught him organizing skills that he continues to use in lobbying and campaign endeavors.

In 1994, his work with Fofi Mendez on a ballot initiative campaign cemented their relationship as a political consulting team. After a decisive victory in the ’94 general election, Mr. Steadman joined Fofi Mendez as a lobbyist with the firm Mendez and Associates. In 2001, Mr. Steadman and Ms. Mendez became partners in the firm Mendez, Steadman & Associates.

Mr. Steadman’s background in law, government and public employment has enabled him to tackle a number of complex legislative issues. Mr. Steadman has lobbied for public education, health care, criminal justice, taxation, local government, and banking interests. As an active participant in the ballot initiative process in Colorado, Mr. Steadman has made numerous appearances before the Ballot Title Setting Board, and has filed challenges to ballot initiative titles in the Colorado Supreme Court.

A frequent public speaker, Mr. Steadman has been a guest lecturer at law schools, and has been requested to address groups as diverse as the City Club of Denver, local Rotary clubs, and the American Bar Association. He has served on the board of directors of several non-profit organizations and was recently appointed by Mayor Webb to serve on the Denver Women’s Commission.

Annmarie Jensen - Associate

Annmarie Jensen has over 20 years of public policy experience primarily representing associations funded with public dollars or vendors whose primary business is with government entities. She has expertise in the areas of general government, government procurement, technology, transportation, land use, air quality and criminal justice. She works extensively on budget and capital development issues. Ms. Jensen is a successful negotiator and mediator and uses these skills regularly in her work with elected and appointed officials.

Ms. Jensen joined Mendez, Steadman & Associates in 2002. Prior to joining the firm she was a consultant with her own lobbying business from 1995 to 2002 after spending three years as a policy advisor to the Governor of Colorado. She was worked as a teacher in the criminal justice department at Metro State College of Denver. She also has eight years’ experience as a lobbyist in the state of Texas.

Ms. Jensen has provided services to clients doing business at both the state and local level in Colorado. She served on Metro Vision 2020 and has worked actively in her community on local and regional planning issues. Her ongoing local government work has allowed her to develop relationships with local officials throughout Metro Denver and beyond.

Ms. Jensen served for five years as Chairman of the Boulder Creek Festival and was President of the Boulder Parks & Recreation Foundation. She has a Bachelors Degree in Political Science and Business from Southwest Texas State University and a Master of Public Affairs degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, Austin.