Johnell Bell
Founder President @Espousal Strategies, Llc
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WORK HISTORY
Founder President @Espousal Strategies, Llc
Portland, OR, US
led by chief executive officer Johnell Bell, a national government affairs, public engagement, and transit equity leader. Espousal Strategies, LLC is a boutique government, community, and public affairs firm that delivers issue lobbying, coalition building, strategic communications, and collaborative problem-solving services.• Government Affairs & Legislative Advocacy• Community Engagement & Public Affairs• Business Development & ProcurementJohnell Bell brings more than 20 years’ experience as a government affairs strategist, policy analyst, and developer and manager of multi-million dollar projects to his role as chief executive officer of Espousal Strategies, LLC.In addition, he is the Chief of Staff for the Portland Diamond Project, the organization bringing Major League Baseball to Portland. In that role he oversees PDP’s communications, community, and government engagement teams. He also manages operations and operating agreements.More recently, Johnell served as the State Field Director for U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, managing a statewide team with offices in Medford, Bend, Salem, Pendleton, Portland, and Eugene. His role with Sen. Merkley was only the latest in a long history of policy development and implementation for elected national and local officials, including former Portland Mayor Tom Potter and Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler.Johnell’s extensive career includes serving as the Director of Diversity and Transit Equity for TriMet, the Portland area’s transit agency. His results-driven approach brought award-winning and national attention to TriMet’s DBE and Civil rights programs. Under his leadership, TriMet awarded minority and women-owned firms over $170 million, the largest in the state’s history. Clients rely on Espousal Strategies for effective, authentic engagement of the public, elected officials, advocates, institutions, and other stakeholders – from local communities to the nation’s capital.
EDUCATION
Portland State University
Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA), Public Administration
Concordia Portland Alumni & Friends
Business Management, Leadership
ABOUT JOHNELL BELL
Johnell Bell is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Espousal Strategies LLC, a boutique consultancy that provides government relations, public and stakeholder engagement services to businesses, private-public partnerships, nonprofits, and government agencies. He’s also the Chief of Staff for the Portland Diamond Project, where he designs and implements a range of campaigns to bring Major League Baseball to Portland, including building local community and government support and participation.He works with an array of stakeholders – citizens, international construction firms, D/M/W/ESB enterprises, and government officials – to design, implement, monitor, and document successful initiatives for D/M/W/ESB utilization, equity and inclusion, community engagement, and business, workforce, and community development. He’s also nationally recognized for best practices advancing equitable access to public contracting opportunities for TriMet, Portland’s regional public transit agency. Under his leadership, TriMet achieved record-breaking utilization of minority and women-owned firms during the construction of the MAX Orange Line, awarding over $175 million to DBE firms, the largest awarded to DBE firms on a public project in the state’s history.A sought-after speaker on public engagement, business development and transit and environmental equity, Johnell’s presented and served on panels for national transportation conferences and organizations, and bodies, and agencies.Before he launched Espousal Strategies, Johnell served as State Field Director for U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Johnell also served as an advisor to Portland Mayor Tom Potter and Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler. In those roles, Johnell created an economic development office, and co-created an office of diversity and inclusion.
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