Lisa Fels Davitt | Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Lisa Fels Davitt has more than 20 years’ experience in corporate communications and public relations. Before founding Succession Communications in 2015, Lisa held senior-level positions at communications consulting firms as well as in-house positions at Verizon and New York Life Insurance Company.
Lisa brings vast experience in developing and executing strategic communications campaigns while managing them against client expectations and budgets. Throughout her career, she has worked with businesses of all sizes, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, primarily in technology/telecommunications, biotechnology, professional and financial services and energy. For these clients, she has provided a range of public relations and marketing communications services including: communications strategy; business, trade and consumer media relations; social media campaigns; crisis communications; product and service promotion; executive visibility programs; and public affairs.
Prior to founding Succession Communications, Lisa was a senior vice president at Brightline Strategies. She led communications programs for a variety of the company’s accounts while also serving as the company’s chief-of-staff. Before joining Brightline, Lisa worked at Proof Strategies, where she advised clients on strategic public relations initiatives to generate awareness and improve visibility, increase sales and/or membership and reinforce brand leadership. Prior to Proof, Lisa was a manager of media relations at Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications, which serves mid- to large-business customers. Before joining Verizon, she was a director at FGS Global (Glover Park Group at the time), where she specialized in corporate public relations with an emphasis on media relations.
Earlier, she worked at New York Life, where she handled domestic public relations. Lisa also worked in the corporate practice of Porter Novelli’s New York office, and began her career at Edelman Public Relations in both New York and Washington.
Lisa is a graduate of American University with a bachelor of arts in public communication.
Liam Davitt | Senior Advisor
Liam Davitt is a versatile and creative public relations and public affairs advisor with more than 20 years in technology in heavily regulated environments. He counsels senior executives on communication strategy, thought leadership and campaigns leveraging his backgrounds in corporate communications, public affairs, digital strategy, data privacy, law, financial communications, reputation management, and crisis communications.
At Succession Communications he helped guide the firm’s launch in 2015 and advises the firm on strategic direction. He has supported corporate clients in multiple sectors including healthcare, technology, legal services, transportation, business services, and education.
Liam previously led Booz Allen’s corporate media relations portfolio team, covering finance, talent and ESG and issues management. There he told the company’s brand transformation story from professional services firm to technology innovator, supporting C-suite executives with communication strategy, and thought leadership development, earning regular top-tier business outlet coverage. Prior to Booz Allen, he was a public affairs officer at the National Security Agency (NSA), leading teams in media relations, issues management and digital strategy for the NSA’s first public product launch of a cybersecurity tool, and for the launch of NSA’s cybersecurity directorate. He also has substantial experience in data privacy, issues and crisis, policy, law and regulatory compliance from helping stand up the agency’s Civil Liberties and Privacy Office, serving as a legislative affairs staffer, and as an assistant to leaders of the Office of General Counsel.
He has a juris doctorate degree from The George Washington University Law School, a Bachelor of Science in information technology from the University of Maryland Global Campus, and a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Maryland College Park. He has also completed coursework from the National Investor Relations Institute and holds the DOD Public Affairs Officer qualification from the Defense Information School.
Liam lives in northern New Jersey.
Steve Hirsh | Senior Advisor
Steve Hirsh brings decades of experience from both sides of the communications coin to a broad range of corporate and nonprofit clients.
After more than two decades at ABC News and Fox as executive producer, White House producer and director of special events, he now builds strategies and messages with an insider’s view of what news outlets and news people want or need to hear.
Steve considers himself simply a story teller, using words and video crafted with the eyes and ears of his audience always top of mind. He considers himself lucky to work with excellent clients who often mirror his own interests from the environment to transportation to veteran and voter protection to helping communities and vulnerable populations grow. Some of Steve’s internal and external communications clients include American and Alaska Airlines, Marriott, Environmental Defense Fund, the Center for Naval Analyses, Nori, Commonwealth and the Council for Adult Basic Education. He’s a regular advisor for teams and clients at Succession Communications, Ward Circle Strategies, the Glover Park Group, Old Town Writers Group and more.
He’s been director of communications for a Pacific Northwest industrial group, an on-camera corporate spokesperson and crisis communications manager and director of employee and executive communications for a multinational electronics manufacturer.
Steve holds degrees in journalism and urban affairs from Northwestern University and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. After 30+ years in Washington DC and around the world, he now calls Seattle home.
Nick Mitsis | Senior Advisor
Nick Mitsis is a senior-level strategic communications professional and former journalist with nearly 25 years of experience. He specializes in positioning organizations and brands as industry leaders. His range of expertise includes multichannel marketing and PR strategies, national and international media relations, corporate brand management, social media development and engagement, crisis communications, product and service promotions, executive visibility programs and event planning.
Nick has secured media placements in outlets such as the Associated Press, Bloomberg News, Chicago Tribune, CNBC Asia, CNBC Africa, CNNMoney, The Economic Times, The Globe and Mail, The New York Times, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal and numerous leading trade publications.
Nick began his career as a journalist for various magazines and trade publications, covering diplomatic and cultural affairs in Europe, before relocating back to the United States, and focusing on business reporting. Since shifting his career to marketing and public relations, Nick has executed media relations, corporate communications, and marketing strategies for multinational companies, nonprofit organizations and associations that have included DuPont Industrial Biosciences, Inmarsat Government, Intelsat, JDSU (now called Viavi Solutions), Lockheed Martin, Luxaviation Group and Skypro, among others.
Nick is a graduate of Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, and a member of the International Association of Business Communicators.