Meet our team

Aileen Pincus – President 
Aileen Pincus launched The Pincus Group after more than two decades of communications experience. Aileen worked as a local and national television reporter in Portland, Tampa and Washington DC, before leading communications for a U.S. Senator, and then joining a global public relations firm as senior executive trainer. She now leads training and strategy for the firm’s clients around the country.
Aileen’s communications experience spans the fields of journalism, politics and public relations. She has trained senior executives from around the country for one of the nation’s largest public relations firms, Golin/Harris International.   Her work in strategy and communications training for Fortune 500 companies included counsel for the pharmaceutical, medical research, banking, automotive, legal, chemical, engineering and technology industries, as well as for political and non-profit groups.
Prior to training and consulting in private industry, Aileen worked as a senior staff advisor for a U.S. Senator. As Communications Director, she coordinated all local, regional and national media efforts, and served as the Senator’s chief spokeswoman. Aileen comes to media and communications consulting after an extensive career in journalism. Aileen reported for local and national television news markets around the country for nearly two decades. She was an award-winning reporter for the NBC affiliate in Portland, Oregon, the ABC affiliate in Tampa, for the Fox affiliate in Washington DC and for CNN, where she reported on national stories for CNN affiliates around the country.
As President and founding partner of The Pincus Group, Aileen now directs effective media strategies and communication training for clients around the country. She writes and speaks on effective communication for national organizations and forums. Aileen is a graduate of California State University at Northridge, School of Journalism. She is listed in Who’s Who as one of the nation’s most influential people.

James Adams – Sr. VP, SE Region
James has served on the staffs of major broadcast and cable outlets for more than 20 years, including FOX TV, NBC, and CNBC. James joins TPG after a distinguished career as Emmy-award winning former Washington DC news anchor and member of the White House and Congressional Press Corps. James has trained both private and federal clients in preparing for media interaction, including the US Post Office, government representatives from DC to Saudi Arabia, and a number of interest groups.
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.
P: 301.938.6990 E: info@thepincusgroup.com

Tom Squitieri – Senior Trainer
Tom joins The Pincus Group as a veteran journalist and foreign correspondent, having spent the last 16 of his 34-year journalism career as an award-winning reporter for USA Today.
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.