Civitas Welcomes Esther Ongeri as Chief of Staff

NEW YORK, NY — JULY 2026 — Civitas Public Affairs Group, an Orchestra company, today announced the appointment of Esther Ongeri as Chief of Staff. In this role, Ongeri will serve as a strategic and operational partner to the Civitas Management Team, driving execution across Civitas and Orchestra-wide priorities.

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Prior to joining Civitas, Ongeri served as Deputy Chief of Staff in Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Office of Appointments following her work as Appointments Manager for the Mayor’s transition. In those roles, she advised senior leadership on Deputy Mayor, Commissioner, and other executive-level appointments across New York City government and helped build the systems and operations to support the incoming administration.

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Previously, Ongeri spent more than four years in the U.S. Department of State, where she held several leadership roles within the Office of the Chief of Protocol and served within the White House Liaison’s Office. In her time there, she directed engagement between senior U.S. officials and foreign dignitaries, coordinated logistics for presidential travel, global summits and state visits. She also served in a chief of staff capacity overseeing daily operations and strategic priorities for the Chief of Protocol.

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Before her time at the State Department, Ongeri served on the Biden-Harris Presidential Transition and as Director of Special Projects on the Biden for President campaign, where she was a key advisor to the Campaign Manager and led executive operations for the campaign’s national headquarters. Earlier in her career, she held roles in the U.S. Senate and at Everytown for Gun Safety.

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"Esther brings exactly the combination of strategic instincts and operational excellence that this role demands,” said Katherine Grainger, Civitas Managing Partner. “Her experience executing at the highest levels of government - from the White House to the State Department to City Hall - makes her uniquely prepared to drive the work ahead for Civitas and Orchestra. We are thrilled to welcome her to the team."

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“I’m thrilled to join Civitas and Orchestra at such a pivotal moment for the firm. Throughout my career, I’ve been drawn to opportunities that combine strategy, operations and public service, and I look forward to partnering with this team as we continue to expand and evolve.” - Esther Ongeri, Civitas Chief of Staff

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On Esther Ongeri‍

“I had the opportunity to work closely with Esther during her time in the Office of the Chief of Protocol, and she’s someone you can always count on. She has a real talent for bringing order to complex challenges, earning people’s trust, and keeping teams moving forward, even under pressure. Whether we were supporting presidential travel or major diplomatic engagements, Esther consistently led with professionalism, sound judgment, and a steady hand. Those are exactly the qualities that will make her an outstanding addition to Civitas.”

-Ambassador Rufus Gifford, former US Chief of Protocol and US Ambassador to Denmark

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“As Deputy Chief of Staff for the Mayor’s Office of Appointments, Esther played a key role during the transition and the early months of the administration. She helped build and manage the appointments operation during these intense periods — a role requiring strong organizational skills, execution, and discernment. Throughout, she consistently brought thoughtful judgment, attention to detail, and collaboration to the work. Her ability to deliver in such high-pressure environments will continue to serve her well in her career.”

-Elle Bisgaard-Church, Chief of Staff for Mayor Zohran Mamdani

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"When you are working on important projects you need people around you who are fiercely organized, strategically sharp, and completely dependable. That is Esther. What made Esther so effective as Director of Special Projects was that she earned the deep trust and respect of campaign staff at every level. Because of that trust, senior leadership relied on her judgment and counsel. Esther's rare ability to unite teams, cut through complexity, and translate strategy into effective execution makes her ideally suited for her new role at Civitas."

-Greg Schultz, former Campaign Manager for Biden for President 2020 Primary

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“Esther has a natural ability to bring people together, tackle tough challenges, and keep the focus on what matters. As she’s taken on increasingly complex leadership roles, she’s met every challenge with humility, confidence, and integrity. I have no doubt she’ll bring those same qualities to Civitas.”

-Erin Wilson, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Vice President Kamala Harris

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About Civitas Public Affairs Group

Civitas Public Affairs Group brings proven bipartisan experience developing innovative advocacy campaigns to win substantive policy change at the local, state, and national levels. With offices in Boston, New York City, and Washington, DC, Civitas works closely with the nation’s leading philanthropists, nonprofit organizations, and movements to substantively impact pressing issues and causes. Civitas joined Orchestra’s network in 2024.

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About Orchestra

Orchestra is a strategic communications and marketing company built for today’s complex and fragmented world. From decoding audiences to designing bold strategies, Orchestra integrates people, platforms and stories that stick to help clients build lasting influence. The company combines executive advisory, strategy development and tactical execution across channels—grounded in deep insight and analytics, delivered with urgency and optimized for impact. With 700+ experts across consumer and lifestyle, technology, nonprofit and philanthropy, real estate, sports, travel, hospitality and more, Orchestra helps organizations navigate change, seize opportunities and thrive.