We’re so happy to welcome two new members of the Presidio team: Alex Burrola, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs & Communications, and Cory Allen, Senior Director, Public Affairs & Communications. Together, Alex and Cory will help Presidio grow Presidio’s public affairs practice, focusing on expanding our capacities in government relations, land use, association advocacy capacities, and initiative campaigns.
ALEX BURROLA
Senior Vice President, Public Affairs & Communications
alex.burrola@presidiocomms.com
Alex Burrola brings his extensive experience in public affairs, government relations, and initiative campaigns to Presidio as its new Senior Vice President of Public Affairs & Communications. He will lead Presidio’s public affairs practice.
Experienced in government affairs, media relations, public outreach, coalition management, message development, and strategic communications, Alex possesses a solid background on issues such as land use and planning, tourism, hospitality, energy, transportation, legislative and regulatory advocacy, health & safety, and political campaigns including ballot measures and independent expenditure campaigns. His past work on such issues includes local, Southern California based efforts as well as statewide and national advocacy and campaign work.
Alex’s past clients include Fortune 500 companies, household name consumer products, national trade associations, hospitality developers, professional sports teams, state-regulated utilities, as well as local small businesses and government entities such as transportation agencies.
Prior to coming to Presidio, Alex was an Associate Vice President at a national public affairs firm, where he led the firm’s Anaheim-based team on several Orange County, statewide, and national projects and campaigns. He played a crucial role as trusted day-to-day client lead, member of several new business development teams, and as a mentor to junior staff and as a senior leader of the firm’s Orange County office. Alex also built important relationships with stakeholders such as the Building Industry Association, Orange County Business Council, Orange County Taxpayers Association, and the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building & Construction Trades Council.
Earlier in his career, Alex was a member of the Campaigns & Issues Management practice at Cerrell Associates Inc., one of the region’s leading public relations and political consulting firms. There, Alex’s projects included placing high-profile earned media hits and growing statewide grassroots advocacy and ballot measure coalitions.
Alex is a former member of the Fullerton Transportation Commission and a former board member of the North Orange County Chamber of Commerce. He also served as chairman of NOCC’s political action committee, NOC imPACt. Alex is also a member of the Orange County Public Affairs Association.
Alex graduated from Whittier College, double majoring in History and Political Science. He also received a certificate from the Public Policy Makers Academy at the University of California, Irvine.
CORY ALLEN
Senior Director, Public Affairs & Communications
cory.allen@presidiocomms.com
Since arriving in Southern California 17 years ago, Cory Allen has maintained an integral role in community relations and shaping public policy through his position as a political consultant and representative for several elected officials throughout the region.
As a legislative staffer to multiple Long Beach City Council members and the Mayor of Irvine, he managed a diverse policy portfolio. Highlights include opening up more opportunities for small businesses to participate in city contracts, re-allocating federal funds to invest in diverse populations, increased park programming in park-poor neighborhoods, a business-friendly ban on styrofoam, a new digital inclusion roadmap, a robust package of LGBTQ protections, and the passage of a Community Workforce Agreement in Irvine. As the Consultant of the California State Senate Ports and Goods Movement Committee, he organized legislative hearings related to freight and goods transportation throughout California.
Politically, Cory has been part of some of the most dynamic and game-changing campaigns in California, focusing on electing women, women of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ and disability communities to office. As the lead consultant for West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tem Sepi Shyne, his strategy helped her become the first woman of color on the West Hollywood City Council and the first openly LGBTQ person of Iranian descent elected to public office in the world. Other races include Long Beach Councilwoman Mary Zendejas, the first Latina in a wheelchair elected in the United States, and a slate of races that resulted in an unprecedented number of women of color elected in Orange County.
Cory serves as a delegation leader for the Los Angeles County Democratic Party and a Co-Chair of the California Democratic Party’s Legislation Committee. In the past, he served as president of the Long Beach Young Democrats, president of Lambda Democrats, and Los Angeles County Regional Director for the California Young Democrats.
