Zack Moore, a State College resident who spent 17 in government relations for Penn State, has joined a group of veteran advocacy and communications professionals to launch ASSEMBLE, a new, certified women-owned agency.
The new agency offers services including issue advocacy and civic engagement, fundraising and grant management, as well as Publicity House, an in-house public relations and communications service. The venture includes a merger with Pittsburgh civic advocacy firm Denny Civic Solutions, and the firm is a stand-alone affiliate of Allegheny Strategy Partners.
Moore, an ASSEMBLE co-founder and executive vice president, is among the professionals recruited from across Pennsylvania to lead the new firm.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be part of ASSEMBLE and to help launch this incredible new venture,” Moore said. “We’ve pulled together an amazing team of seasoned professionals, each with unique expertise, and it’s inspiring to see the talent we have under one roof. With our focus on helping clients across Pennsylvania make a real impact in their communities, I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work.”
ASSEMBLE has an office at the Duquesne Club in downtown Pittsburgh and creative studio space in East Liberty, in addition to administrative offices in Brockway with pending office space in State College.
Moore bring more than 30 years of policy, lobbying and organizational leadership experience to his new role. He stepped down from his position as Penn State’s vice president for government and community relations, where he was the university’s chief lobbyist in Harrisburg and Washington D.C., earlier this year after nearly two decades at his alma mater.
After joining the university as director of federal relations in 2007, he became assistant vice president for government relations in 2012 and was appointed vice president in 2016.
Prior to his time at Penn State, Moore worked for members of Congress and founded a government consulting firm.
Joining Moore in launching ASSEMBLE are Kelley Denny, president; Kaitlyn Brennan, vice president for strategic initiatives and grants; Megan Smulski, vice president for advancing philanthropy & development; John Denny, co-founder and senior advisor; and Allegheny Strategy Partners founders Nick Varischetti and Tommy Johnson, strategic directors.
“With client successes and expertise of our own, we have been collaborating as individuals and realized we can do so much more for our clients together than we can alone,” Denny said. “ASSEMBLE offers high-energy talent doing high-impact work. A woman-owned enterprise with a one-stop-shop focus, we are built to tackle complex challenges and deliver both cost efficiencies and meaningful results.”
