Leadership

A successful businesswoman and well-known political leader, Congresswoman Mary Bono was hailed as the ’embodiment of powerful American womanhood’ by the Washington Times during her tenure in the United States House of Representatives. Mary was elected to Congress in 1998 to serve California’s 44th (later changed to 45th) Congressional District. She established herself as a respected and closely-watched leader on a wide range of critically important issues while serving 7 terms in Congress (1998-2013). She served on the Energy and Commerce, Armed Services, Judiciary, and Small Business Committees. A proven bipartisan consensus builder, Mary authored legislation that was signed into law by three Presidents: Clinton, GW Bush, and Obama. Today, Mary is widely recognized as a national leader on multiple issues, including drug abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and recovery. While serving in Congress, she co-created the first-ever Prescription Drug Abuse Caucus and chaired hearings specific to the drug abuse epidemic. She continues to be at the forefront of the nationwide fight against drug abuse and youth overdoses, both of which impact every community in the country. Currently, she serves as the Chair of the Board of the nonprofit organization Mothers for Awareness and Prevention of Drug Abuse (MAPDA). In 2022, Mary received the Distinguished Graduate Merit Award from her alma mater, the University of Southern California. She is married to former astronaut and Rear Admiral Steve Oswald (U.S. Navy, Retired) and is a mother, grandmother, and dog mom.

Alex Castellanos is the co-founder of Purple Strategies, a bipartisan strategic communications firm that helps organizations drive meaningful change. Alex is a nationally recognized political strategist and commentator with decades of experience in media and public affairs. He has helped shape national dialogue on policy and public health, using his platform to elevate issues impacting families and communities.

A corporate affairs executive and leader of organizations that integrate a deep understanding of where public policy intersects with business, including initiatives related to drug abuse prevention. In 2025, Ms. DeLorenzo and her business partner, Gulden Mesara, founded M&D Advisors, specializing in C-suite communications and public affairs advisory services. With 30 years of communications and public affairs experience in private sector, political, and government settings, Ms. DeLorenzo is skilled at building and leading highly effective teams, including her leadership team, that defend corporate reputation and shape more favorable external operating environments for clients, especially at pivotal moments. Prior to working in the private sector, she served in the administration of President George W. Bush, working in the White House Coalition Information Center at the outset of the war on terror, and in the Bureau of International Information Programs at the U.S. Department of State. She also worked in the United States Senate and on political campaigns, including support for nonprofit organizations. Ms. DeLorenzo holds a BA in Government and International Relations from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in International Relations from the University of Chicago.

Cat Castellanos is a copywriter and content strategist skilled at bringing stories to life. She has written about everything from politics and veterans’ affairs to brain health and backcountry cooking, with work appearing in CNN, BuzzFeed, HuffPost, Thrive Global, and Maria Shriver’s media platforms, among others.

On the brand side, Cat has worked with Purple Strategies on communications and campaigns for Meta, McDonald’s, and BP, bringing a writer’s instinct for voice, narrative, and the human side of a story to complex subjects and big brands.

Cat is also the author of Noms de Plume, her first novel, currently under consideration by literary agents, and the founder of Heatbreak, a post-sweat apparel company. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia.