Janelle Blanco, Principal 

Janelle Blanco is a senior public affairs executive and strategic communications consultant with extensive experience in advising healthcare companies, hospital systems, medical groups and industry trade organizations. She specializes in strategic communications, crisis management, healthcare transactions, community affairs, grassroots advocacy, political strategy and marketing communications.

Janelle, who co-founded Blanco + Hopkins & Associates, LLC in 2007, currently serves as Executive Director of the United Hospital Association, a trade organization that represents investor-owned hospitals in California.

Before co-founding Blanco + Hopkins, Janelle served as Vice President of Government Relations for Tenet Healthcare Corporation, where she directed complex legislative, political and community relations programs in several states. Her responsibilities included managing numerous crisis situations and corporate initiatives involving legislative, political and regulatory issues; developing strategic communications and political strategy related to acquisition and divestiture activities; providing counsel on operational initiatives and programs within state and key local markets; directing political contribution programs and compliance; guiding relationships with elected officials, industry trade associations and special interest groups; directing lobbyists and consultants; advocating at state and local levels; and ensuring uniformity of message and policy as it pertains to health facilities.

Janelle formerly served as Director of Membership for the Los Angeles County Medical Association; Manager/Acting Director of Communications for the California Republican Party; public affairs staff/intern for the Republican National Committee; and as analyst/writer for the Rose Institute of State and Local Government.

She received her undergraduate education at Claremont McKenna College, with a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, in philosophy. She also took course work at the University of Southern California’s Graduate School of Journalism and the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Gary Hopkins, Principal

Gary Hopkins is a highly experienced healthcare communications expert who specializes in providing critical communications support services for healthcare companies, hospitals, health systems, medical groups and physicians across the United States. These services include strategic messaging, media relations, public relations and marketing communications, with a particular focus on crisis management and healthcare transactions.

With his background in journalism and strategic communications, Gary also specializes in writing, editing and coordinating the design of marketing publications and videos, as well as developing and implementing highly effective strategic marketing campaigns.

A former journalist, Gary has broad experience in the not-for-profit and investor-owned healthcare sectors. Prior to co-founding Blanco + Hopkins & Associates, LLC in 2007, he served as Senior Director, Corporate Communications, at Tenet Healthcare Corp., where he provided strategic communications support for Tenet’s acquisition, development and divestiture efforts; served as a key member of the company’s crisis communications team; managed internal and external marketing communications projects; and wrote and edited numerous communications materials, such as press releases, executive speeches, business proposals, employee communications, annual reports and marketing brochures.

Before joining Tenet, he was employed by the University of Southern California, where he worked as Publications Manager and Associate Director of Public Relations and Marketing Communications for the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital.

Gary began his career as a newspaper reporter in the Los Angeles area. He worked for the Pasadena Star-News in Pasadena, Calif., where he covered general assignment stories and a wide range of issues. He previously was a reporter at The San Gabriel Valley Tribune and completed a paid internship at The Los Angeles Herald-Examiner.

He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of St. Andrews in St. Andrews, Scotland. He also completed course work in journalism at the University of California at Los Angeles.

Steve Hawkins

Steve Hawkins provides strategic counsel to a broad range of clients based on a 30-year career focused on media relations, corporate communications, crisis communications and litigation support. He has consulted with clients in industries including health care, entertainment, auto, consumer marketing, technology, financial services, automotive and non-profit and government. Recent clients include Procter & Gamble, Ancestry.com, Experian, Amgen, and many leading Fortune 500 corporations.

Steve regularly provides executive clients with media training, presentation coaching and message development. He also provides counsel on crisis and issues management and financial communications.

Prior to joining PainePR, Steve was a Managing Director/Senior Vice President at Burson-Marsteller/Hill & Knowlton, Los Angeles. He was also Director of Public Relations at Amgen.

A former journalist and a former director of corporate public relations, Steve was West Coast News Manager/Los Angeles Bureau Chief of U.S. News and World Report Magazine where he reported extensively on Mexico and international border issues. He was also a correspondent for McGraw-Hill World News writing and reporting primarily for Business Week, Engineering News-Record, Oilgram and a variety of trade and technical publications. He began his journalism career at the Contra Costa Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., where he was assistant city editor and business editor.

Prior to joining public relations firms, he was Vice President of Public Relations at Great Western Financial Corporation where he led corporate public relations, investor relations, employee communications and a variety of corporate communications activities.

Steve received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Master of International Management degree from Thunderbird School of Global Management with emphasis on international business, economics, and Spanish.

Theo Pahos

Theo Pahos is the managing partner of Kester/Pahos, a professional legislative and regulatory advocacy firm based in Sacramento, Calif. He has worked in California’s political environment since 1990 when he began his career with the Senate Democratic Leadership handling press issues.

The partnership of Kester and Pahos was formed in 2003 out of a mutual interest in building a dynamic and effective team that is driven by one simple core value and goal—client satisfaction. Both Theo and his late partner Ron Kester spent years with large firms lobbying on healthcare issues. The lessons learned in those environments motivated them to establish a firm that takes on fewer obligations, so that time and attention can be directed to serving their existing clients and nurturing long-term business relationships.

Prior to co-founding Kester/Pahos, Theo joined the firm of George R. Steffes, which at the time was one of Sacramento’s leading and most highly regarded business governmental relations firms. This strong grounding and background in business advocacy has served all of Theo’s clients well—from blue chip companies such as Allstate, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Ford and 3M to non-profits such as the Association of California Insurance Companies, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Meals On Wheels and the American Diabetes Association.

Through the tremendous depth and breadth of his legislative and regulatory experience, he has developed a vast network of contacts in the legislature and the administration. In the legislature, Theo has cultivated excellent relationships with members on both sides of the aisle.

Howard Bender

Howard Bender is a communications professional with an extensive background in health care who specializes in corporate communications, media relations, investor relations and crisis communications.

He spent nearly two decades with The SCPIE Companies, a health care professional liability insurance company, where he oversaw the day-to-day internal and external communications. While at SCPIE, a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange, he secured positive media coverage in Time, USA Today, the New York Times and on CNN, among many national outlets.

Howard’s extensive health care expertise has been utilized by the Los Angeles County Medical Association, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the Institute for Healthcare Advancement, Amgen and Stanford Medical Center.

Additionally, he provides clients with media training and message development, as well as counsel on issues management, financial communications and change management.

In his career, Howard has worked at several public relations agencies that specialize a variety of areas, including health care, entertainment, hospitality and political lobbying. A former journalist, he has also served as the managing editor for several trade and technical publications.

Howard received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from California State University, Northridge.