« Return to Board Members

Kevin Herglotz

Kevin Herglotz

Kevin Herglotz is president of HPA Strategies, Inc. a strategic communications, public affairs and government relations firm based in San Francisco, California. Mr. Herglotz has served as a senior advisor to Fortune 100 company executives, elected officials, government agencies and non-profit organizations. His broad background and relationships built over his twenty year career helps clients effectively manage public and government affairs priorities.

Before forming HPA Strategies, Mr. Herglotz was the senior vice president of public affairs and government relations for Safeway Inc., one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America. As a key policy advisor and strategist he was an integral part of the company’s senior management team. Mr. Herglotz managed media relations, communications, legislative and political strategies, community relations and corporate giving programs. He helped Safeway become an industry leader in public and government affairs, building proactive strategies to strengthen its image and brand. This included managing strategic initiatives for healthcare, corporate responsibility, labor, community giving, and sustainability. This included helping create and build the Coalition to Advance Healthcare Reform, a group of fifty companies aligned to advance healthcare reform. Mr. Herglotz also directed federal, state and local government relations programs where his leadership resulted in major legislative victories, multi-million dollar bottom line savings and growing the company political operation to one of the most effective and bipartisan in the sector.

Mr. Herglotz has extensive experience working in federal and state government. He served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Communications for the United States Department of Agriculture, one of the largest and most diverse federal agencies. As the department’s top communications official and a key advisor to Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman, he directed media strategies for a wide range of policy issues. This included agriculture, international trade, the environment, nutrition, and food safety.

Mr. Herglotz worked in the Administration of California Governor Pete Wilson where he served as a spokesperson in the Governor’s press office and as communications director for the California Department of Food and Agriculture. He was part of the Secretary’s executive team, implementing major initiatives on farm policy, trade, food safety and public awareness. He also served on the Governor’s re-election and presidential campaigns. Previously, Mr. Herglotz worked in Washington, D.C., as a Congressional press secretary, national campaign press aide and researcher.

Currently, Mr. Herglotz serves on the boards of the US Chamber of Commerce and US Chamber Foundation. He recently completed a two year term as chair of the California Retailers Association and served as vice chair of the California Grocers Association. He earned his degree in consumer economics and business communications from the University of Delaware and served ten years in the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard. HPA Strategies gives a portion of its earnings to help support community-based organizations.