Katz Compliance, formerly known as Evans & Katz LLC (E&K), announced today that E&K's founder, Diane Evans, is stepping down as Principal after 27 years in the intriguing and convoluted world of campaign finance. The company has relaunched as Katz Compliance to be led by compliance industry veteran Cassie Tinsmon, who previously served as the vice president of compliance and operations for E&K. Evans will remain on board as Senior Advisor at Katz Compliance.
WASHINGTON, March 28, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- If you've worked in the progressive political arena over the last 30 years, you likely worked with Diane Evans and her firm, Evans & Katz LLC. Evans kept a low profile by design while her team processed and reported billions of campaign dollars for their clients and discreetly righted the ships of many a floundering political organization or campaign.
Today, Katz Compliance, formerly known as Evans & Katz LLC (E&K), announced today that founder, Diane Evans, is stepping down as Principal after 27 years in the intriguing and convoluted world of campaign finance. The company has relaunched as Katz Compliance to be led by compliance industry veteran Cassie Tinsmon, who previously served as the vice president of compliance and operations for E&K. Evans will remain on board as Senior Advisor at Katz Compliance.
"For nearly three decades, Diane played a critical role in defining what a campaign finance consulting firm was capable of," said Cassie Tinsmon, President, Katz Compliance. "Her deep roots in Democratic politics and her commitment to excellence and financial discipline have been critical to E&K's outstanding record of success. When Citizens United and the transition to small-money donations transformed the industry, Diane stayed well ahead of the curve, helping clients shift their operations while maintaining the checks, balances, and internal controls that are crucial when dealing with a flood of highly sensitive, political contributions. On a personal note, Diane has served as a trusted advisor and mentor to me, our staff, and scores of E&K alumni, and we wish her all the best as she transitions to a Senior Advisor role with Katz Compliance."
Evans founded E&K in 1997when campaign finance compliance did not exist as a formalized industry. A former aide for multiple Members of Congress, Evans set out to build an organization that would support progressive causes and diverse candidates while also providing stable careers for women, working parents, and others who wanted careers in politics but needed the flexibility E&K offered. Her work was instrumental in elevating and professionalizing the compliance industry. Prior to establishing E&K, Evans served 12 years in senior leadership positions for three Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. She has been involved in the campaign strategy and fundraising efforts for candidates and initiatives at all levels of government and provided generous funding and volunteer support to organizations that advocate for women's equality, workers' rights, social justice, freedom of expression, and support for marginalized communities.
"Diane is one of the early pioneers who validated the need for campaigns to have a professional compliance firm," said Marc Elias, Partner, Elias Law Group. "She is an innovator and was instrumental in shaping a whole new industry. Spurring a change like that among campaigns and candidates was no easy trick."
"When Diane Evans founded Evans & Katz, working in compliance usually meant a person either worked directly worked for a political committee or was a solo practitioner working for a handful of clients," said Christine Neville, President & CEO, Premier Political Compliance. "Diane was the first person on the progressive side to envision a multi-employee compliance shop handling numerous clients as a successful business model."
"Diane was our compliance representative from the very start," said Amy Emerick Clerkin, Chief of Staff, U.S. Congressman Raul M. Grijalva. "It's the personal touch, the human aspect, and the fact that she has always been so generous with her time and willing to mentor the people she works with, especially younger staff. We've had such a well-run compliance operation."
"As a new executive at Amalgamated Bank, Diane helped me think through a way to streamline banking for her clients that soon became the standard for the industry, said Keith Mestrich, Retired President and CEO, Amalgamated Bank. "That's just one example of so many innovations that help make her a legend."
"I met Diane in 2014 when we were starting our political banking division from the ground up," said Molly Culhane, Senior Vice President, National Director of Political Banking, Amalgamated Bank. "She helped us understand the banking needs of political organizations and helped us define our service offerings. She was incredibly helpful, very attentive, and always approachable as a sounding board."
"Diane was one of the early players who did this work to a professional standard." said Lou Levine, Senior Vice President, NGP VAN. "She brought a high level of quality and helped people understand what was possible, but the thing that strikes me most about Diane is that she cares on a personal level."
About Katz Compliance: Katz Compliance is a full-service campaign finance consulting firm that provides federal, state, and municipal-level compliance services for PACs, candidate committees, joint fundraising committees, independent expenditure committees, Super PACs, and IRS 527s. Founded by Diane Evans as Evans & Katz in 1996 and relaunched as Katz Compliance in 2022, the company has a long history of eliminating compliance-related worries for clients through FEC reporting, state and local compliance reporting, committee start-up services, systems development, strategy and fundraising campaign support, accounting, bookkeeping, and FEC enforcement action support services. Katz's approach combines a relentless focus on the details with a system of constantly refining and honing processes and procedures. Find us at http://www.katzcompliance.com.
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SOURCE Katz Compliance
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