The CSG team provides your campaign, organization or effort with the expertise gained through decades of combined experience in campaign management and operations, political and non-profit fundraising, communications and press, research, public policy, political outreach, grassroots organizing and activation, public and community affairs, economic development, multi-cultural outreach and government relations.

The CSG team is led by:

Kevin Paquette, Principal

 Kevin brings a wide array of analytical professional experiences to Compass Strategy Group. Most recently, he served as the Policy and Research Director for James Mejia's campaign for Denver Mayor, described by The Denver Post as having "produced the most substantive position papers" in the race. Kevin served as Research Director for Andrew Romanoff's 2010 United States Senate campaign, prior to which  he worked for a boutique criminal defense law firm primarily serving indigent clients through the Colorado Alternative Defense Counsel Program. Beyond his legal experience, Kevin has worked in policy development and political strategy for multiple campaigns, ranging from local officials to the U.S. Senate office and the re-election campaign of U.S. Senator Max Baucus.

Originally from Billings, Montana, Kevin holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Indiana University and both a Master's degree and J.D. from the University of Denver Strum College of Law.

Dave Sabados, Principal

Dave brings experience working every aspect of political campaigns: voter targeting, fundraising, communications, and management. Beginning as a community organizer for various progressive causes and candidates, Dave learned what a grassroots movement entailed. Most recently, Dave worked as Arturo Jimenez's campaign manager for the DPS Board of Education. Jimenez won reelection despite being outspent at least 4-1 in a race that gained national attention. Prior to that, Dave managed the field operation and assisted with research for James Mejia's campaign for Denver Mayor. As Andrew Romanoff's campaign coordinator, Dave worked with major donors, oversaw large events, and served as point on numerous projects, such as crafting and executing an aggressive new media strategy and opposition research implementation. As a congressional campaign manager in Iowa, Dave broke fundraising records for the district, managing a race media referred to as West Iowa's first viable Democratic campaign in over a decade. Dave has also worked with (now) Vice President Joe Biden and numerous citizen lobbying groups.

Dave has lived in Colorado nearly his entire life and holds B.A.s in English and Philosophy, as well as a Master's degree in English from the University of Northern Colorado. His graduate work focused on political rhetoric and the presidential persona in the age of television and internet.

Advisory Board

Berrick Abramson, Senior Advisor

Berrick Abramson has worked in local and national politics for more than fifteen years, including working as a campaign manager, senior staffer and strategist for a number of State House, State Senate, Mayoral, Gubernatorial, Congressional and ballot initiatives. Most recently, Berrick managed James Mejia's campaign for Denver Mayor prior to which he ran the daily operations of Andrew Romanoff’s campaign for the U.S. Senate. Berrick has managed a number of state house, state senate and U.S. Congress races in California and Colorado and has served as a messaging strategist, policy analyst, campaign operations consultant and voter outreach strategist for a variety of campaigns and as a contract crisis management, policy and messaging consultant for a number of other elected officials, candidates and initiatives. From 2000 – 2006, Berrick was the President of P.B. Abramson & Co., one of the only political consulting firms specializing in reaching the youth and urban markets. Abramson has served on several international trade and diplomatic missions where he has provided advice on election operations, voter turn-out and intellectual property rights management and licensing.

In addition to his work in politics, Berrick was Managing Partner of The Phoenix Group International (TPGI), a San Francisco based Venture Consulting firm representing institutional shareholders, merchant banking firms and a variety of technology and entertainment companies. TPGI’s consulting also included contract work with several governments and government agencies, expert witness testimony and research and analysis of insider trading and financial/corporate corruption. Berrick also worked as Managing Partner & COO of Sniper Marketing, a non-traditional marketing agency he helped grow from its roots as a regional promotional firm to a national age ncy with millions in revenues and promotional campaigns across the U.S. for a wide range of clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 brands.

Berrick  grew up splitting time between Denver and New York City. He attended U.C. Santa Barbara, majoring in Economics and Middle East History and lived in San Francisco until returning home to Denver in 2005.

Carrie Herren, Advisor

Carrie brings a unique perspective to campaigning in Colorado.  As a community organizer, she has spent countless hours working with campaigns, non-profits, and leadership groups to develop educational outreach programs promoting civic engagement and volunteerism.  Most recently, Carrie served as Campaign Coordinator for James Mejia's campaign for Denver Mayor prior to which he was the Campaign Operations manager for Andrew Romanoff’s campaign for the United States Senate.  Working directly with the candidate, management, press, field, and finance operations, she understands the importance of teamwork in developing a successful campaign strategy. As an experienced organizer, Carrie brings fresh ideas to CSG focusing on event management, organizational behavior, volunteer coordination, and community involvement.

Carrie holds a bachelor’s degree, in Political History, from the Metropolitan State College of Denver focused on American and International Politics, as well as American History.