About
CALSTAD is a full service advocacy, strategy, and PR firm with expertise in local and state government, media, and community relations in California. With the ever-increasing regulations and environmental justice community pressure facing California businesses today, CALSTAD has the experience and the expertise to develop and execute a well-planned strategy addressing these challenges. We have years of experience working with California legislature and various communities, and we have the experience to help you succeed.
When there are reputational challenges due to an incident, we offer our expertise to advise and manage communications and messaging with government agencies, the NGOs, communities, and the media.
Matt Rezvani
Managing Partner, CALSTAD
Matt is a Managing Partner of CALSTAD, a strategy, public affairs and crisis communication firm in California with extensive experience in upstream, midstream and downstream oil and gas and other energy sectors.
The firm’s focus is strategy development and advocacy in the public policy arena, as well as community outreach and reputation management.
Matt’s extensive experience in the energy sector sets his firm apart from other public affairs and crisis communication firms in California. In this capacity, Matt has assisted fortune 500 companies as well as a California government agency with their crisis communications and community outreach as well as their government relations activities.
He serves on several boards and committees, including:
• Governor’s appointee to the Technical Advisory Committee, Office of Spill Prevention and Response, Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Member of the Los Angeles Oil and Gas Facilities Advisory Panel, representing the Fourth District
• Member of the Advisory Board, Oiled Wildlife Care Network of UC Davis since its creation, nearly two decades ago
• Member of the Advisory Board of School of Engineering at California State University in Long Beach
Prior to forming CALSTAD, Matt Rezvani served as General Manager, West Coast External Affairs at BP. As a BP veteran, Matt led a group of professionals representing and advocating the company’s interests in the community, media and political arena in six states of the West Coast and Southwest.
For portions of BP’s response to the Gulf of Mexico Incident, Matt served as the PIO for the response at the Houma, Louisiana Command Center.
With more than 20 years with ARCO and BP, Rezvani was the most senior political, public affairs and community advisor on the West Coast on government, media and community issues to senior BP executives in a region that stretches from the Mexican border in the South to the Canadian border in the North. Rezvani was responsible for proposing, formulating and implementing strategies relating to public policy issues impacting BP’s operating businesses. Matt was also responsible for BP’s community involvement and charitable contributions on the West Coast and the Southwest.
Rezvani holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Materials Engineering and a Masters degree in Business Administration and Finance.
He also served on numerous other non-profit and business boards including LAUP, KCET, the Long Beach Symphony, and Long Beach Chapter of the Red Cross, Board of the Directors of Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, the Long Beach Boys and Girls Club. He has served as the President of the Harbor Association of Industry and Commerce, has Chaired the Advisory Board of the School of Business of the California State University in Long Beach, and the Technical Advisory Committee of Hazardous Liquid Pipelines, California State Fire Marshal.
Mershad Khazari
CEO, KMZ Group Inc.
Managing Partner, CALSTAD
Mershad is CEO and managing partner of CALSTAD, a strategy, community development, crisis communications and advocacy firm in California.
Mershad has extensive experience in issue analysis, community relations and outreach, government relations, and municipal issues relating to financials, real estate investments, and local zoning changes for residential and commercial developments, with potential revenue generating outcomes for the municipalities.
With nearly 20 years of experience in real estate and financing, Mershad put her project investment experience and relationships with key community leaders at the local level to work to assist CALSTAD clients’ business development and stakeholders and community outreach strategies.
Mershad has developed a strong portfolio of business and community relations in Northern and Southern California. She has worked with several private investors in stressed communities, bringing economic growth to those areas.
Mershad holds a Master of Science in Human Resources / Personnel Management and a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Sciences.