The Fireside21 Team
The Fireside21 team includes former Hill staffers, so we understand and appreciate the demands of working in a high-pressure congressional office. When you need reliable, dependable and responsive people to support you, the staff of Fireside21 will be there to help you succeed.
Leadership
Jeff Mascott | Ken Ward | Josh Billigmeier | Neda Nadjmabadi
Jeff Mascott – President
Jeff contributes to Fireside21’s long-term vision and strategy. Jeff’s unique blend of political experience, business savvy and communications expertise has helped Fireside21 grow and expand the functionality of our Web-based software services.
Jeff has been at the forefront of interactive public relations in the government sector for more than a decade. At a time when most representatives were just beginning to host individual Web sites, Jeff created some of the earliest applications to help congressional offices manage Web site content. Jeff has worked with both personal and leadership offices to implement technologies enabling members to quickly and directly connect with constituents through the Internet. The Congressional Management Foundation praised Jeff’s application as “pushing the boundaries of what is possible for Congress on the Web.”
As an adjunct instructor at the Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies, Jeff regularly shares his public relations and public affairs experience and vision. His course on interactive public relations teaches peers and future industry leaders about emerging trends and how to use the Internet to optimize PR campaigns. In addition, Jeff is frequently sought out by the media for expert opinion on both traditional public relations and its intersection with the ever-evolving realm of online communications. His insight has been featured by The Chicago Tribune, CNN.com, National Public Radio, and other prominent media outlets.
Ken Ward – CEO
Ken oversees all facets of Fireside21’s operations by providing strategic oversight for new projects, ongoing software development and interface design. He spearheaded the development and expanded capabilities of our Fireside Email™ and Fireside CRM™ services.
Ken’s unique blend of Capitol Hill insight and technical expertise has helped a number of our clients win Congressional Mouse Awards for excellence in online communications.
Ken earned his B.S. in Computer Science from Georgetown University and has previously served as a Legislative Assistant and Deputy Press Secretary for former member of Congress.
Outside of the office, Ken enjoys golfing and sailing. A California native, Ken currently resides in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife, Erin, and their cats, Tack and Jibe.
Josh Billigmeier – Director of Product Development
Josh works primarily to develop innovative solutions for Members’ online communications needs. Josh’s extensive technical expertise spans computer programming, database configuration and systems administration.
Josh has engineered the development of our industry-leading Fireside Web™, Fireside Email™ and Fireside CRM™ services.
Josh formerly worked at Epok where he managed a team of QA engineers on the Identity Applications team. His responsibilities included release testing, performance testing, certification testing, and maintaining the test lab. He has worked at the Department of Labor as a senior systems engineer, where he created and maintained the lab for testing patches before deployment to production. After 9/11, Josh was responsible for disaster recovery and data backup of 40+ servers. Josh has also worked at ADC in the R&D enhanced services division to test new products and prototypes, and he led a team on test automation.
Josh is originally from the D.C. Metro area and now lives in Wheaton, Maryland, with his wife, Joanna. In his spare time, he enjoys computers and video games.
Neda Nadjmabadi – Director of Client Services
Neda is the primary point of contact for all of our congressional clients to help design effective Web sites and develop constituent outreach campaigns. As Members of Congress constantly seek new ways to refine their online outreach efforts, Neda works closely with our interactive team to deliver customized solutions for each client’s communications needs that incorporate the best mix of interactive features to reach constituents.
Neda’s efforts are critical to the success of our clients, including 19 offices that recently received Congressional Mouse Awards for excellence in online communications.
Previously, Neda worked for Magnolia Home Theater where she managed a department that produced more than $20 million in revenue, overseeing operations, sales, marketing, training and customer relationship management. She has also worked for National Consulting Engineers where she oversaw the day-to-day interaction on all client accounts.
Neda holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park, and plans to continue focusing on business and entrepreneurship by pursuing an M.B.A.
Born in Washington, D.C., Neda now lives in Maryland, where she remains close to her family. She speaks fluent Farsi and enjoys music, movies, sports and travel.