With 15 years of experience in media and communications, Bilen Mesfin Packwood is the founder and principal of Change Consulting, LLC. She has established a reputation as a trusted strategic communicator and advisor to some of Northern California’s leading changemakers.

Prior to founding Change Consulting, Bilen advanced communications efforts for then San Francisco District Attorney Kamala D. Harris. While there, she created and implemented strategies to roll out the District Attorney’s key initiatives, such as truancy and reentry; led outreach to local, statewide and national multicultural media; helped manage crisis communications issues as they arose; and served as the Office’s day to-day print and on-camera spokesperson.

As a journalist, Bilen has written for the Associated Press, the Nashville Tennessean, Edutopia and Art & Antiques, among other publications. She has a Master’s in Journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BA in English from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Connect with Bilen on twitter: @bmesfin.