Team — Blackbird Strategies

Lisa Kirbie

Founder & CEO

Lisa Kirbie, Founder & CEO — Lisa Kirbie advocates for change, bringing her passion and experience to drive results for our clients. She founded Blackbird Strategies in 2019, determined to do government relations differently. Originally from Canada’s west coast, Lisa relocated to Ontario in 2002 and spent close to a decade working on Parliament Hill, including time working for a federal party leader. She gained experience working for a public sector not-for profit agency before she moved to a communications and government relations firm, where she was the managing partner and led both its federal government relations department and Indigenous practice.
Lisa is an award-winning public relations professional who has had many government relations successes during her career. She is a member of the Canadian Public Relations Society, the Government Relations Institute of Canada, and the International Association of Business Communicators.
In addition to being a being a political commentator on various radio programs, Lisa was named one of Ottawa’s “most active lobbyists” in 2022 by the Lobby Monitor.
Most importantly, Lisa is the mother of two grown children and the grandmother of two young grandsons, all of whom she adores.
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Dan Pujdak

Chief Strategy Officer

Dan Pujdak, Chief Strategy Officer — Dan Pujdak is a nationally recognized thought leader on reconciliation and Arctic affairs and a leading policy and public relations practitioner. He has worked alongside major Canadian firms in the finance, resource, and retail sectors to build reconciliation initiatives and enhance the reputation of their brands. He has also worked with Indigenous groups across Canada to build partnerships, design policy frameworks, and grow their internal governance and communications capacity. Previously Dan has served as a senior advisor to Indigenous leaders as well as on Parliament Hill. He is a Fellow at the Public Policy Forum and Arctic 360, and a Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.
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Tom Potter

DirectoR of Government Relations

Tom Potter — Tom Potter provides clients with strategic advice on government relations activities, helping them build lasting, productive relationships with decision-makers at various levels of government. He brings several years of parliamentary affairs and communications experience to his role at Blackbird, having worked for multiple Members of Parliament both in Ottawa and in their constituencies, providing our clients with an inside perspective on federal politics and policymaking.
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Riley Wong

Senior Consultant

Riley Wong, Senior Consultant at Blackbird Strategies — Riley is a strategic practitioner with over five years of experience across the broader communications industry. Throughout his career, he has worked at PR and advertising agencies, as a start-up communications manager, and as a consultant for small businesses, cultivating a blended approach and toolbox to strategic communication. Riley believes the best communication work is directly aligned to larger organizational objectives, and gears his strategic communication planning efforts towards lasting impact and growth.
Riley graduated from the University of Western Ontario in their Media, Information and Technoculture program. He also holds a postgraduate certificate in Public Relations from Humber College.
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Cameron Penner

Senior Consultant

Cameron Penner, Senior Consultant — Cameron is a public relations and government relations professional, with six years of agency experience. He has provided strategic counsel in both the PR and GR space for clients across numerous industries, including technology, finance, transportation and food & beverage. His client experience includes Nestlé, Google/YouTube, Moneris, Netflix, DoorDash, Labatt Breweries, Canadian Airports Council, and the Association of Canadian Port Authorities.
Outside of work, Cameron has volunteered his time with both the Conservative Party of Canada and the Ontario PC Party, working on the federal election campaign of 2021 and the provincial by-election for the Ottawa riding of Kanata-Carleton in 2023.
Cameron holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Carleton University and a diploma in Public Relations from Algonquin College. After graduating from Algonquin, Cameron completed an internship at a Toronto PR firm where he got his first taste of fast-paced and exciting agency work and has stayed in the industry ever since. A former competitive swimmer and lifeguard, Cameron enjoys spending time in nature during all seasons, camping, hiking, and canoeing in the summer and alpine skiing or snowshoeing in the winter.
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Maddy Eisenberg

Consultant

Maddy Eisenberg, Consultant with Blackbird Strategies — Maddy Eisenberg is a natural communicator. A graduate of the Radio Broadcasting program at Algonquin College, Maddy is well known in Ottawa as the voice of traffic and weather on 580CFRA and Move100. Her experience in a newsroom means she knows what stories sell and builds strong narratives for our clients. Maddy is an advocate for mental health, leveraging social media to recount her own mental health journey and work for more accessible resources within our community.
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Sarah Biggs

Associate

Sarah Biggs is an Associate at Blackbird Strategies based out of Calgary, Alberta. Having worked with non-for-profit, private companies, campaigns and unions, Sarah’s focus on this line of work has created positive impact in the Alberta landscape. In May 2022, Sarah was the lobbyist representing the PILSC for the Labour Statutes Amendment Act (formerly known as Bill 17), granting three days off and employment security for any individuals facing a pregnancy loss. She specializes in niche issues, from environment to labour and campaigns, Sarah brings a fresh take on strategy, policy, PR and GR. A collaborator with Radio-Canada and CBC News, Sarah comments on current political affairs that are affecting our daily lives. Fully fluent in French and English, she takes on every challenge with empathy, compassion, humility and clarity.
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Tejah-Mae Davis

Consultant

Tejah-Mae Davis, Consultant — Tejah-Mae Davis is a graduate of the Algonquin College Public Relations program. Previously, she had a career in education before shifting her focus to pursue communications. Although no longer in the education field, she continues volunteering in her community. She is a highly enthusiastic and experienced public relations practitioner with outstanding writing, public speaking, and leadership skills. Tejah-Mae is passionate about advocating for and empowering disenfranchised communities and will bring her dedication to this work to Blackbird Strategies.
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Aaron O’Quinn

Consultant

Aaron O'Quinn, Consultant — Aaron brings experience in communication, writing, and research in government, non-profit, and academic settings. Across these roles he has acted as a researcher, writer, and editor, identifying the key elements from a broader set of issues so that our clients can advocate for policy solutions that are in their best interest. His education is situated in the Humanities and has been interdisciplinary in practice, which has allowed him to conduct research across disciplines and make deliberate connections between disparate fields of knowledge.
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Naomi Steele

Account Executive

Naomi Steele, Account Executive — Naomi is a proud member of the Kanyen'kehà:ka community from Kanesatake, Quebec. She brings 20 years of expertise in public relations, media monitoring, corporate training, and project management to Blackbird, helping ensure that client priorities are kept in focus at all times. Her wealth of experience across these fields, as well as her collaborative nature and organizational skills, ensure that Blackbird’s clients get the absolute greatest value out of every hour of service.
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Elaine Tamblyn-Watts

Associate

Elaine Tamblyn-Watts, Associate — Elaine Tamblyn-Watts is an independent editor with nearly a decade of professional experience in ensuring clean, clear and effective copy. She studied journalism at Carleton University, and has been catching errors and sharpening text in newsrooms, startup spaces, creative ventures, established industries, nonprofit organizations and grassroots movements ever since. She takes accuracy seriously, and prides herself in giving critical work the critical attention it deserves. Elaine is a band member of Beausoleil First Nation on the Georgian Bay, ngig doodem (Otter Clan).
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