Founder and President
Patrick Slevin is a public affairs strategist, author, speaker, and former Florida mayor who has spent more than 30 years helping clients navigate political resistance, community opposition, and high-stakes public battles.
He is the founder of SL7 Consulting and the creator of the NIMBY War Room, a strategic framework designed to help developers, energy companies, infrastructure leaders, and land-use stakeholders assess influence, measure opposition risk, and build the political cover needed to win approval.
Patrick has advised Fortune 500 corporations, multinational developers, trade associations, foreign governments, renewable energy companies, and data center operators. He is a two-time PRSA Silver Anvil Award winner, a #1 Amazon bestselling author of two books on NIMBY opposition strategy, and a nationally recognized speaker on public approvals, stakeholder pressure, and project risk.
Vice President of Digital & Political Marketing
Jennings Lawton DePriest I is a political strategist and digital marketing specialist with expertise in peer-to-peer texting, voter data targeting, and digital persuasion campaigns. A Florida State University graduate and U.S. Army veteran, Jennings has spent more than a decade shaping public opinion and driving outcomes for campaigns, causes, and infrastructure clients across the country. He runs his own independent digital practice and brings that same precision to SL7 Consulting’s project work nationwide.
Lead Lobbyist
Carlos Cruz brings more than twenty years of hands-on experience at the intersection of politics and policy. From his early days on the state senate floor to executive staff roles with a statewide Cabinet official – where he helped open markets across Latin America and the Caribbean – Carlos has built a career on turning complex governmental landscapes into strategic opportunity.
A bilingual English-Spanish communicator, he has crafted winning advocacy campaigns for clients in construction, energy, telecommunications, healthcare, and more. Today he is a partner in his own government affairs practice and is widely recognized as one of the most trusted voices in the field. Carlos received his Bachelors in Public Administration from Florida International University and a Juris Doctorate from the Florida State College of Law.
Vice President of Public Affairs
Tim White brings more than two decades of government relations and public affairs experience to the firm’s most complex project engagements. He has led successful advocacy campaigns on infrastructure, energy, public utility approvals, and real estate development across multiple states, navigating the intersection of politics, community opinion, and regulatory process with equal skill. Earlier in his career he held senior roles in state political infrastructure and served on transition teams for multiple elected officials. Named one of the country’s Top 100 Lobbyists, Tim runs his own practice and brings a results-driven, field-tested approach to every engagement and brings a results-driven, field-tested approach to every engagement.
Chief Storyteller - Film, Video, & Animation
Charles Belvin is a four-time Emmy Award-winning filmmaker with more than 30 years of experience in video production, storytelling, and visual communications. He has served as writer, producer, director, shooter, editor, animator, and concept developer across a career spanning broadcast, documentary, corporate, and political media. Charlie brings the full range of production craft to the firm’s storytelling work — from concept to final frame — with a rare ability to make complex infrastructure projects understandable, compelling, and human. He operates his own independent production practice and is widely considered one of the most versatile filmmakers working today.
Head of Survey Research
Bill Lee is a nationally recognized pollster and campaign strategist with more than 30 years of experience in public opinion research across the United States. He has served as pollster and as a senior advisor to multiple presidential campaigns and is the co-founder, with Barry Zeplowitz, of National Survey Research Group. A retired U.S. Army Special Forces Chief Warrant Officer, Bill has taught campaign strategy at Harvard’s Institute of Politics and American University, and is one of the country’s foremost experts on the practical usage of survey research. He brings that same analytical rigor to the firm’s community intelligence and stakeholder mapping work.
