Andy Spahn

PRESIDENT

Andy oversees all business development and strategic direction, managing day to day client relations alongside his partners, Jennifer Gonring and Jennifer Lin. With more than 30 years in the entertainment, political, and non-profit arenas, his counsel is sought by Fortune 100 executives, elected officials, and philanthropic organizations.

Before co-founding Gonring | Lin | Spahn, Andy served as the head of corporate affairs and communications for DreamWorks SKG, where he was direct liaison to Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen in all work related to government and community relations, media, new business development, internal affairs, real estate, and all charitable and political matters.

Prior to DreamWorks, Andy was an executive vice president with the David Geffen Company and president of the David Geffen Foundation. Previous positions in national politics and the non-profit world include national finance director for the presidential campaign of U.S. Senator Gary Hart of Colorado, chief of staff to California State Controller Gray Davis, and special assistant to the Chairs of the Democratic Senatorial and Congressional Campaign Committees. He co-founded and served as president and CEO of the Environmental Media Association, an entertainment-industry non-profit created to raise public awareness around environmental issues.

In 2009, Andy was appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama to his Committee on the Arts and Humanities. He has served on the National Finance Committee of the Democratic National Committee, and as a member of the Speaker’s Cabinet for the DCCC. He currently sits on the boards of the Geffen Playhouse and March For Our Lives.

Andy is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. His wife, Jennifer Perry, is the Executive Director of the Children’s Action Network.

Jennifer Gonring

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Jennifer is the Chief Executive Officer of the boutique public affairs firm Gonring | Lin | Spahn. She oversees operations and runs communications for their Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. based team, leading strategy on positioning key philanthropic, policy, and political objectives. In partnership with major institutions, foundations, corporations, individuals, and political organizations, she delivers a steady campaign mentality to her work, refining clients’ key messages and significantly increasing their visibility and funding overall.

Before co-founding Gonring | Lin | Spahn, Jennifer worked at DreamWorks SKG, where she oversaw the studio’s corporate affairs, directed special projects, and managed public relations, the Spielberg Family Living Trust, the Katzenberg Family Trust, the David Geffen Foundation, and DreamWorks’ CSR programs.

Jennifer is a member of the governor appointed California Film Commission and currently serves on the boards of City Year Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Urban League, and the Charles Edison Fund in Newark, New Jersey. She is also a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy.

Jennifer holds a joint bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of Wisconsin. She is a featured speaker and panelist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Southern California. Her husband, Chris, is an ethnomusicologist and writer. They have two daughters.

Jennifer Lin

MANAGING PARTNER

Jennifer is the Managing Partner at Gonring Lin Spahn.  She specializes in public affairs, with extensive experience in federal, state, and local government relations, community outreach and fundraising.  She provides counsel to Fortune 100 corporations, private companies, prominent individuals, philanthropic foundations, and non-profit organizations seeking to build coalitions and achieve their policy goals.  Jennifer also leads political fundraising for the firm, amassing tens of millions of dollars for Democratic candidates each cycle.

Jennifer previously worked at DreamWorks SKG where she directed the company’s government, political and community affairs. She was also responsible for special fundraising events and political giving on behalf of the studio and its principals.

Jennifer, appointed by President Biden, serves on the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.  She also serves as the Chair of the Exposition Park and California Science Center Board, on the board of Emily’s List, and on the Board of Trustees of St. James Episcopal School.  

Jennifer is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where she received Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and English.  Her husband, Allan Edmiston, is a partner at the law firm Loeb & Loeb LLP. They reside in Los Angeles with their children.

Kevin Ryan

PARTNER

Kevin manages Gonring | Lin | Spahn’s office in Washington, DC. He helps clients navigate complicated legislative, policy and communication challenges on a wide range of issues, including green energy, healthcare, telecommunications and education technology.

Prior to joining the firm in 2006, Kevin worked at the Rogers Group, a public-relations firm in Los Angeles, where he developed statewide communications strategies, coordinated press events, and wrote speeches and talking points for the firm’s largest public-sector account. He previously worked as a deputy press secretary for California Governor Gray Davis, a personal aide and research assistant to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York, and a campaign manager and chief of staff to U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner. He was also a consultant on the 2003 NBC political drama Mr. Sterling.

Kevin holds a juris doctor and master’s degree in public administration from Syracuse University, as well as a master’s degree in politics from the Catholic University of America. His bachelor’s degree in government is from St. Lawrence University in New York. His wife, Julie, is a co-founder of AltaClaro. They have two children.

 BACK