Steyer Announces Major Additions to Campaign’s Latino Outreach Team

Carlos Eduardo Espina joins as Advisor for Latino Digital Mobilization, and Elsa Collins, Kevin Rutkowski, and Shyh Saenz join the team on surrogate and public engagement.

SAN FRANCISCO — Today, Democratic gubernatorial candidate and climate advocate Tom Steyer announced the addition of Carlos Eduardo Espina as Advisor for Latino Digital Mobilization, as well as Elsa Collins, Kevin Rutkowski, and Shyh Saenz, who will work on surrogate and public engagement, to strengthen the campaign’s digital and field Latino outreach efforts and help ensure that Latinos across California are engaged around a shared prosperity agenda and vision for the state’s future.

“California has the largest Latino voting block in the nation, yet our communities have often been overlooked by campaigns and in turn policy and decision-making,” Nathaly A. Maurice, Senior Advisor for Latino Outreach & Communications for Steyer’s campaign said. “We welcome the expertise and energy of these leaders joining the campaign to help ensure our communities are meaningfully engaged, their concerns are heard, and their voices are reflected throughout this campaign. This work is about building stronger, more consistent relationships with Latino voters and ensuring that outreach is both authentic and sustained.”

Elsa Collins is a strategic advisor and connector working across culture, civic engagement, and social impact. She partners with leading organizations and high-profile talent to drive initiatives that expand voter participation, support immigrant communities, and advance inclusive engagement at scale. Her work includes collaborations with Fair Count/Fair Fight, The New Georgia Project, Aliento, Mi Familia Vota, Battleground Texas, Florida Immigrant Coalition, Florida Rising, the NBA (through NBA Cares), I Am A Voter, Voto Latino, and Common Sense Media.

Carlos Eduardo Espina is a 27-year-old nonprofit director, activist, and content creator who works to uplift the immigrant community through social media content, community organizing, and charitable causes. Carlos received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Vassar College in 2020 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2024. Currently, he has over 23 million followers on social media, where he posts bilingual videos informing and uplifting the Latino community in the United States. Carlos is the most followed Latino activist in the United States. Beyond making content, Carlos now spends most of his time leading his nonprofit organization "The Espina Project" and his community center in Houston, Texas.

Kevin Rutkowski is a strategic consultant working across culture, entertainment, and social impact. An alumnus of campaigns for President Barack Obama, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and Congressman Joe Kennedy III, he is the Founder and Principal Director of Good People advising high-profile artists, creators, industry leaders, and organizations on their cultural, philanthropic, and political strategies. He has led initiatives with the American Foundation for Equal Rights, Common Sense Media, Future Forward, HARNESS, HeadCount, I Am A Voter, Los Angeles Downtown Women’s Center, Maremoto, and RepresentUs among others.

Shyh Saenz is a public engagement leader focused on civic engagement, culture, and political power building. Originally from the Bay Area and now based in San Diego, she has mobilized communities across California to advance Latino civic participation. Shyh serves as Chief of Staff at Operativo, where she leads strategic campaigns, public engagement initiatives, and cross-sector partnerships that drive community-centered impact. Her work spans advocacy and statewide political efforts, including partnerships with Latino-led organizations and experience in Catholic Latino voter engagement.

Steyer builds on his existing Latino outreach team, first announced in March, which has guided the campaign’s political, communications, and paid media strategy focused on Latino voter outreach and engagement, including senior strategists Julie Chávez Rodríguez, Adrian Saenz, Ariana Andrade, and Colin Rogero.

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