ABOUT
Founded by Steve Benjamin, the former Mayor of Columbia, SC who served as
76th President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and President of the African American Mayors
Association, Civint is the nation's premier municipal advocacy firm building the coalitions and
strategies you need to make your vision a reality. We bring urgency to public advocacy and make
sure good people with great ideas don't get lost in the shuffle.
Our team of seasoned public sector leaders knows what works and, whether you're a
technology entrepreneur, a Fortune 500 company, a 21st century trade association or a national
nonprofit fighting to improve life for our most vulnerable families, we can put you where you
need to be and when you need to be there.
At the end of the day, this isn't about influence or accolades. This is about
opportunity. This is about getting things done.
Working with you and our partners, Civint provides the comprehensive strategic planning services that take the long view. Together with your team, we will maximize impact.
With a thousand different voices coming from a thousand different directions, the noise at City Hall can be deafening and even the best ideas can get lost in the chatter. At Civint, we have the tools and the talent to make sure our clients rise to the top instead of falling through the cracks.
At Civint, we have a national network of relationships on both sides of the aisle and, as our client, that network goes to work for you. We connect the dots so you don't have to.
PEOPLE
With decades of experience and expertise, our team knows what works. We know cities and we know how to put you in the position to take your project to the next level.
With a proven record of weaving a blanket of cooperation between the public
and private sectors and navigating both to meaningful partnerships, Sam Johnson has firmly
established himself as a leader with the experience and expertise to deliver real results.
Regularly providing counsel to mayors across the country, Sam is an expert in state and local
government proving his skill repeatedly whether serving as Chief of Staff to the former
President of both the U.S. Conference of Mayors and African American Mayors Association, Steve
Benjamin or advising clients on policy and regulatory matters.
As CEO of the firm, Sam brings that same energy and efficacy to Civint uniquely positioning
clients to build the relationships necessary to address challenges, conquer new priorities and
reach decision-makers with the ability to cut through the red tape that often impedes success
and drives progress away from our communities. A board member of organizations like the U.S.
Conference of Mayors Enterprises, Sam works closely with mayors and organizations across the
nation to build a platform for the necessary and evolving discourse of how today's leaders can
transform their cities.
Sam is a native of Columbia, SC and a graduate of both the University of South Carolina and the
University of South Carolina School of Law. He lives in Columbia with his wife, Ashley, their
daughter Kennedy and labradoodle Bates.
With more than two decades of experience organizing groundbreaking campaigns, structuring
programmatic response to challenges impacting communities and facilitating direct policy
discourse for both the private and public sectors, Rania Jamison has a reputation for getting
things done.
Rania has worked directly with groundbreaking organizations and individuals like the
Obama Foundation, the US Global Leadership Coalition and former Columbia, SC Mayor Steve
Benjamin and has orchestrated key experiences with high profile leaders at municipal leadership
events like the US Conference of Mayors, The National League of Cities and The African American
Mayors Association conferences. An expert in strategic communications and media buying, she has
a unique ability not only to unite broad and diverse coalitions under a single vision, but also
to drive that vision forward to the Civint community. That ability has served her well not only
professionally, but also as a community leader serving as past President of the Central Carolina
Habitat for Humanity and the Columbia Junior League's first African-American President.
A graduate of the University of South Carolina, entrepreneur and nonprofit change agent,
Rania's unflinching commitment to community service and leadership has earned her awards and
accolades in the education, government, health, nonprofit and political sectors.
Rania brings a clear vision and boundless energy to the Civint team serving our clients
at all levels with the same tireless dedication that has set her apart from day one.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, Rania is married to her husband Theron and is
mother to two sons, Lynard and Blaize.
From providing first class strategic advising, government strategy, relationship management, advocacy and community engagement to both private and public sector organizations to generating hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue to clients as the founder of Kazmi Advisors, LLC, Reyahd D.J. Kazmi has distinguished himself in government and politics at the local, state and national levels.
In addition to serving political campaigns including Obama for America and Biden for President, where he was a Senior Political Advisor, Kazmi helped manage $4 billion in assets as Chief of Staff for Chicago City Treasurer Stephanie Neely and helped lead National Youth Advocate Program, Inc. (NYAP), one of the country's largest providers of therapeutic foster care, restorative justice, and community-based programming, as the organization's Chief Advocacy & Government Strategies Officer.
A graduate of The Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law and Glenn School of Public Affairs, where he teaches graduate level Strategic Management, Kazmi brings his broad experience and talent to Civint where he specializes in strategic advising and local, state and federal advocacy.
Kazmi is based in Chicago where he lives with his wife, daughter, and dog Jazzy.
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