Meet our team
He specializes in issue messaging and media training, particularly for those interacting with Capitol Hill in seeking change. James earned his B.A. in Journalism and an M.A. in Communications from American University in Washington DC. James divides his time between Washington DC and North Carolina.
Tom covered national politics and foreign affairs, including reporting from Africa, Central Asia, the Middle East and Afghanistan. He has also taught journalism ethics and public affairs at Washington and Jefferson College in Pennsylvania.
Tom’s executive coaching talents and proactive media and crisis communication strategies, provide a unique resource for TPG clients in both the non-profit and for profit sectors.
Additional Coaching Resources
Dave Griffiths – Senior Trainer
Dave Griffiths has a distinguished career spanning more than three decades as a print journalist, educator, and writing and media relations instructor. He has trained a variety of clients, from federal employees, to small business, insurance industry, and education executives.
With The Pincus Group, Dave trains corporate, non-profit and government clients in media relations and crisis communications, using his extensive expertise in national and local print media. Before joining The Pincus Group, Dave was a newspaper editor in Maine, following six years on the journalism faculty at Penn State University. He was also marketing consultant and founding managing editor of the Veterans Business Journal, a magazine.
Dave’s journalism career began as a reporter for the Kansas City Star, and spanned two decades in Washington DC, where he covered the Pentagon and the defense industry for three publications — Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine, the newsletter Defense Week and Business Week magazine. Dave graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in English, earning his MA in journalism at the University of Missouri. He is also an Army veteran, serving in Germany and Vietnam. He lives with his wife Catherine and their two sons, William and Richard.
Ellen Kandell – Senior Trainer
Ellen brings over 25 years of experience as a litigator, mediator and college professor to her work with The Pincus Group. Ellen works on negotiation skills training, conflict management, and executive communications skills training, conducting skills training workshops for the National Science Foundation, Montgomery College’s Workforce Development and Continuing Education division and many others. She is an adjunct professor at Catholic University and University of Maryland. Ellen trained as a mediator at Harvard Law School and has mediated over 300 cases. She is a past co-chair of the Montgomery County Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Section and a founding member of the Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County.