Meet Stateside

Cristina Pinzon

Cristina Pinzon is the president and founder of Stateside Affairs. She brings more than 18 years of media and government experience, having worked for several high-profile organizations including the State of New Jersey, NBC, News 12 and United Way.

Cristina has championed a diverse array of issues using creative marketing solutions, strategic thinking, and effective problem-solving skills. Based on her prior experience as a journalist and a government official, Cristina is uniquely positioned in both public-private sectors, bringing added value to her work. In addition to her professional career, Cristina has held various senior positions for political campaigns across the State of New Jersey, several of which won by historical margins.

Most recently, Cristina’s firm has been recognized for its work with the Phil Murphy for Governor campaign, the State Democratic Committee, the City of Elizabeth, the State of New York, and the Orange Housing Authority. Cristina used her strong ties to the Latino community to help propel Murphy into the governorship. During Murphy’s successful campaign for governor, Cristina managed and oversaw Spanish language media strategy, including the campaign’s media buy for digital, radio, TV and print platforms. As a result, a historic number of Latinos turned out to vote.

Cristina is a former commissioner and chairperson for the Elizabeth Housing Authority, where she worked to ensure low-and middle-income families have quality and safe affordable housing. She is also a former board member and advocacy chair for the Young Women's Christian Association of Union County (YWCA-UC), an internationally known non-profit domestic violence agency which provides emergency shelter to women and children who are victims of abuse.

In 2017, Cristina was recognized by Univision 41 and named Insider NJ’s Top 100 Millennials. She is also an alumna of Emerge New Jersey, a premiere political training organization for Democratic women in the state. Currently, Cristina serves as an executive board member and public relations secretary for the Latinas United for Political Empowerment (LUPE-PAC), a non-partisan political action committee whose mission is to increase the number of Latinas in elected and appointed office.

In 2018, Cristina was recognized by Make the Road New Jersey’s as a Comunidad, Dignidad & Poder leader in immigration advocacy. She also recently received an award by the Boy Scouts of America at their 2019 Tribute to Women’s Award.

In 2019, Cristina was honored to join the executive board of the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The chamber is the voice of the more than 120,000 Latino businesses that contribute more than $20 billion to the New Jersey economy. It is also ranked as the number one chamber in State of New Jersey by NJBiz.

Cristina holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in broadcast journalism with a concentration in political science from Montclair State University. She is certified from Rutgers State University in Public Housing Section 8 Management and Assessment, Tenant Based Assistance, Financial Issues and Procedures, and Ethics.

Sean Coll

Dr. Sean Coll brings his business acumen, and exemplary work ethics to his role as Chief Operating Officer. As COO, Sean’s goal is to ensure that Stateside Affairs continues to function efficiently to drive extensive and sustainable growth, setting goals for performance and expansion, and establishing policies that promote Stateside Affairs’ overall mission. He is responsible for designing and implementing business strategies, plans, and procedures. He takes a leading role in expansion activities such investments, acquisitions, and corporate alliances and evaluates the success of those initiatives by analyzing and interpreting data and metrics. As second-in-command at Stateside Affairs, Sean encourages staff members toward maximum performance and dedication. As an officer of the firm, Sean plans, develops, and implements Stateside Affairs’ fiscal performance. He evaluates the impact of long-range planning and introduces new programs and strategies. He is responsible for preparing monthly budgets as well as providing an accurate analysis of those costs. Dr. Coll is a double Rutgers graduate, holding a bachelor’s degree in exercise science with minor in history and a doctorate in physical therapy.  

Laura Gaviria

Laura Gaviria brings her expertise in social and digital media, web design, and event planning to her position as general manager of the firm. She oversees the company's marketing and communications, in addition to her work managing political and advocacy campaigns directed by Stateside Affairs. Laura has successfully managed events and press conferences for a diverse group of clients that include the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless, the Newark Housing Authority Scholarship Foundation, Latina Civic PAC, Emerge New Jersey, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA AFL-CIO), among many others. 

In 2022, Laura and her team earned the Gold Stevie® Award in the Social Media Team of the Year category. Stateside Affairs was the only U.S. company to be named a Finalist in the Social Media Team of the Year category, ultimately winning the Gold Stevie® award. Laura also is bilingual and offers translation and spokesperson services in English and Spanish to our wide variety of clients.

She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Kean University and graduated with cum laude honors. In her spare time, she has volunteered with United Way of Greater Union County, Make the Road New Jersey and the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless. She has also tutored kids of various ages in subjects such as Math, English, and Spanish.

Outside of the office, you can find Laura spending time outdoors hiking with her family. She also loves exploring the latest podcasts that cover lifestyle, self-care, and culture!

Simran Sadaranganey

Simran Sadaranganey is a Stateside Affairs Associate Account Executive where she is responsible for acquiring and developing client accounts, social media management, and digital media assistance. Simran leverages her background in marketing and public relations to help implement creative approaches and innovative tactics to numerous campaigns. She utilizes her customer service and event planning experience to help execute strategic initiatives for local businesses, political campaigns, and advocacy groups. A graduate of Rutgers University, where she earned her degree in Strategic Public Relations with Cum Laude honors, Simran brings a broad range of communications expertise. Fluent in English and conversational in Spanish, Simran offers communication services to a diverse client base. During her time at Rutgers University, she worked in the Media Department and curated content for Rutgers’ social media and digital campaigns. She also made media content and collaborated with companies such as Timberland, JBL, and Trojan as a Campus Brand Ambassador and Newbridge Marketing Campus Brand Manager. Simran has worked on non-profit campaigns as a Marketing and Strategy Coordinator for State Theatre New Jersey and as the Director of Staff for the Institute for Domestic and International Affairs. During her time with these organizations, she assisted in donor outreach, creative consulting, event planning, and team management. Simran has further garnered experience with formal event planning at NP Special Events and logistical coordination as a Resident Program Assistant at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth.  Outside of the office, you can find Simran trying different foods, traveling to new places, or reading books on the beach.

Linda Flores Tober

Linda Marie Flores-Tober is a remarkable individual whose life is characterized by a profound dedication to humanitarian causes and community service and she looks forward to bringing her passion and commitment to Stateside Affairs. Her educational journey commenced with an Associate of Arts degree from Brookdale Community College in 1977, followed by the attainment of a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Saint Elizabeth in 1981.

Manuela Gaviria – Roldán

Manuela Gaviria - Roldán is an Associate Account Executive at Stateside Affairs. She handles our clients' communication needs across a wide spectrum of social media and email marketing platforms. She is bilingual in English and Spanish and uses that to help our clients reach a wider demographic whether in writing or translating for clients or guests at events. She has helped translate for the Latino Community at Job Fairs and has been a great help with translating press releases for our various clients. Manuela uses her love for her Latino roots to help spread imperative information to our Latino communities in New Jersey. She has managed social media for various political campaigns to spread their platform and address the issues in their community. Her hard work and dedication contributed to our award nomination for the 2022 Stevie Awards for Women in Business; Stateside Affairs won the Gold Stevie® Award for Social Media Team of the Year.

Manuela graduated from Kean University with Magna Cum Laude Honors, as well as EOF Honors. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Business Management with a minor in marketing. In her spare time, you can find Manuela indulging in a new Netflix series/movie or spending time with her family.