3. Staff
Matt Raymond
President & CEO,
Celtis
30+ years in transit and transportation marketing; system branding, ridership growth, and ballot-measure strategy leadership.
- Education
- Loyola Marymount University — BA, Business Administration & Marketing
- Experience
- 30+ years in transit/transportation marketing; Former CMO/CCO, LA Metro; Adjunct Professor, SJSU Lucas School of Business.
- Key Achievements
-
- Branded multiple transportation systems (RTD, DART, LA Metro).
- Increased LA Metro ridership by 25% in 7 years.
- Guided passage of one bond and three tax measures.
- Adjunct professor at SJSU Lucas School of Business for over a decade.
- Skills
- Strategic planning, transit ridership growth, election campaign strategies, branding, and customer satisfaction strategies.
Gricel Ferreyra
Vice President & Brand Strategist,
Celtis
28+ years in marketing and 18+ years in public transportation; communications leadership across large-scale, bilingual programs.
- Education
- Northwestern University — BA, English
- Experience
- VP & Brand Strategist; previously at LA Metro, ADOT, Valley Metro.
- Key Achievements
-
- Rebranded Valley Metro and managed $5M annual budget.
- Developed communication strategies for major events like Super Bowl XLIX.
- Led brand transformation campaigns for LA Metro.
- Skills
- Communications strategy, community engagement, project management, stakeholder relationship development.
Devon Cichoski
Vice President & Outreach Strategist,
Celtis
20 years in community relations and public affairs; multilingual engagement and long-horizon outreach programs.
- Education
- Wheaton College — BA, Communications
- Key Achievements
-
- Directed multi-year communications programs for VCTC.
- Developed multilingual public engagement programs for bus restructuring studies.
- Skills
- Marketing strategy, campaign development, digital & social strategy, media planning.
Laura Raymond
COO/CFO,
Celtis
25 years in the financial industry; operations, finance, and process design for scalable growth.
- Education
- University of Texas, Dallas — MA, Organization; University of Colorado — BS, Business/Finance
- Key Achievements
-
- Led national mergers and acquisitions.
- Streamlined processes to boost efficiency and innovation.
- Skills
- Financial management, operational excellence, process design, strategic growth.
Nicole Bonnici
Operations Manager,
Celtis
Communications project management with a focus on complex cross-team coordination and delivery.
- Education
- California State University, Fullerton
- Key Achievements
-
- Managed complex communications projects at Christie Digital Systems.
- Skills
- Project management, organizational operations, team collaboration.
Rachel Braga
Account Services Director,
Celtis
16 years in marketing; transportation-focused campaigns and digital strategy leadership.
- Education
- San José State University — MS, Transportation Management; California State Polytechnic University — BS, Communications
- Key Achievements
-
- Increased LAVTA ridership by 113%.
- Directed campaigns for Omnitrans and Santa Cruz Metro.
- Skills
- Campaign development, digital strategy, media buying, website/UX.
Susana Andres
Account Services Director & Project Coordinator,
Celtis
10+ years in marketing communications; art direction and complex program coordination.
- Education
- Otis College of Art and Design — BFA
- Key Achievements
-
- Increased Valley Express ridership by 26%.
- Managed marketing for over two dozen LA Metro projects.
- Skills
- Art direction, graphic design, branding, UX design.
Georgina Artiga
Art Director,
Celtis
20 years in design; award-winning campaigns and large-scale rebrands.
- Education
- Otis College of Art and Design — BFA
- Key Achievements
-
- Designed award-winning campaigns for OCTA.
- Rebranded Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District.
- Skills
- Environmental design, product design, typography, illustration.
Patrick Tirschel
Web Developer,
Celtis
12 years in web development; UX-focused, mobile-first builds with measurable growth.
- Education
- Studied web design and devlopment
- Key Achievements
-
- Developed landing pages that boosted ridership.
- Increased organic search traffic by 101%.
- Skills
- Web development, UX design, SEO, mobile-first design.
Hadi Zaidi
Graphic Designer,
Celtis
25 years in graphic design; motion-first creative for digital campaigns and branded content.
- Education
- George Brown College — Diploma, Graphic Design & Advertising
- Key Achievements
-
- Created and animated bespoke online ads.
- Designed graphics across multiple video game genres.
- Skills
- Motion graphics, video editing, branding, Adobe Creative Suite.
Carolina Chavez
Graphic Designer,
Celtis
13 years in design; high-impact event and campaign creative with measurable engagement.
- Education
- Gnomon School of Visual Effects
- Key Achievements
-
- Increased attendance by 32% for VCTC events.
- Designed campaigns with 5.5M impressions for OCTA.
- Skills
- Motion design, graphic design, web development, Adobe Suite.
Sandra Gonzalez
Account Executive,
Celtis
10 years in marketing; multicultural and youth-focused campaigns that drive measurable outcomes.
- Education
- California State Polytechnic University, Pomona — BFA
- Key Achievements
-
- Increased Spanish-speaking web visits by 217%.
- Deployed Snapchat campaigns with 2× interaction.
- Skills
- Digital marketing, multicultural marketing, event planning, public outreach.
Emily Kirwan
Senior Director of Account Services,
Celtis
9 years in marketing; cost-efficient, data-driven campaigns across transit brands.
- Education
- San José State University — MS, Transportation Management
- Key Achievements
-
- Cut costs by 75% for VCTC campaigns.
- Generated 3M+ impressions for OCTA.
- Skills
- Media strategy, campaign development, digital marketing, reporting.
Karyn Comorre
Account Services Executive,
Celtis
11 years in digital marketing; measurable SEO and multi-phase campaign results across transit and SMB portfolios.
- Education
- University of Denver — MS, Marketing
- Key Achievements
-
- Increased organic search rankings for 75+ businesses.
- Implemented multi-phased campaigns for SCMTD.
- Skills
- SEO, digital media buying, influencer marketing, strategic planning.
Natalie De La Rosa
Account Services Executive,
Celtis
4 years in digital marketing; budget ownership and performance growth across paid and owned channels.
- Education
- California State University, Northridge — BS, Marketing
- Key Achievements
-
- Managed $100K budget for SCMTD campaigns.
- Increased organic search rankings by 13 positions for RCTC.
- Skills
- Media planning, SEO, social media production, email marketing.
Chris Bywater
Graphic Designer,
Celtis
20 years in creative design; brand systems, illustration, and campaign creative for national brands and publications.
- Education
- San José State University — BS, Marketing
- Key Achievements
-
- Managed multi-seasonal campaigns for national brands.
- Directed creative for Skateboarder Magazine.
- Skills
- Branding, illustration, animation, campaign management.