Our team
Meet the Jukesters
Meet the Jukesters
JukeStrat is a woman-owned and managed firm built on the belief that great strategy starts with great people.
We don’t believe strategy lives in decks. It lives in judgment, experience, and trust earned over time. The Jukesters bring decades of cross-sector leadership, creative rigor, and operational excellence to every engagement. We’ve built companies, led turnarounds, raised capital, shaped cultures, and guided leaders through moments that matter.
We show up prepared, curious, and all-in, because the quality of the work is inseparable from the quality of the people doing it.
Christie Zwahlen
Owner, Voice & Chief of People
Christie is the heart, conscience, and voice of JukeStrat. A writer and nationally recognized community engagement specialist, she brings two decades of experience building mission-driven initiatives, shaping organizational culture, and helping leaders articulate who they are—and who they want to become.
Her career spans higher education, nonprofits, public service, and agency leadership. Across every role, Christie has served as a trusted advisor on people, purpose, and communication – often formally, always instinctively. She is equally at home developing brand voice, recruiting world-class talent, securing philanthropic and institutional funding, and guiding organizations through moments of growth and change.
Previously, Christie served as Head of Communications and Culture at Rainfactory, where she helped bring consumer brands to life while building and sustaining a high-performing, values-driven team. Earlier roles include Director of Community Engagement and Service at Miami University (Oxford, OH), where she helped secure more than $1M to expand civic engagement efforts, and Statewide Director of STEAM Initiatives for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware.
Christie’s writing on organizational justice, workplace culture, and equity has appeared in Fast Company, Chief Learning Officer, and Talent Management Magazine. She also writes about race, belonging, and Asian American identity in U.S. culture, with a forthcoming essay in Power in Listening: A Sounding Out! Reader (NYU Press).
Areas of Expertise
· Writing & brand voice · Talent recruitment & team building · Organizational culture · Higher education · Nonprofits · Civic & social impact
Core Skills
· Ghostwriting · Grant writing · Partnership development · People operations · Public speaking · Program management · Finding the best bites in cities around the world.
Education
· M.A., English; Graduate Certificate in Asian & Asian American Studies, Binghamton University · B.A., English Language & Literature, Stony Brook University
Christie is the heart, conscience, and voice of JukeStrat. A writer and nationally recognized community engagement specialist, she brings two decades of experience building mission-driven initiatives, shaping organizational culture, and helping leaders articulate who they are—and who they want to become.
Her career spans higher education, nonprofits, public service, and agency leadership. Across every role, Christie has served as a trusted advisor on people, purpose, and communication – often formally, always instinctively. She is equally at home developing brand voice, recruiting world-class talent, securing philanthropic and institutional funding, and guiding organizations through moments of growth and change.
Previously, Christie served as Head of Communications and Culture at Rainfactory, where she helped bring consumer brands to life while building and sustaining a high-performing, values-driven team. Earlier roles include Director of Community Engagement and Service at Miami University (Oxford, OH), where she helped secure more than $1M to expand civic engagement efforts, and Statewide Director of STEAM Initiatives for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware.
Christie’s writing on organizational justice, workplace culture, and equity has appeared in Fast Company, Chief Learning Officer, and Talent Management Magazine. She also writes about race, belonging, and Asian American identity in U.S. culture, with a forthcoming essay in Power in Listening: A Sounding Out! Reader (NYU Press).
Areas of Expertise
· Writing & brand voice · Talent recruitment & team building · Organizational culture · Higher education · Nonprofits · Civic & social impact
Core Skills
· Ghostwriting · Grant writing · Partnership development · People operations · Public speaking · Program management · Finding the best bites in cities around the world.
Education
· M.A., English; Graduate Certificate in Asian & Asian American Studies, Binghamton University · B.A., English Language & Literature, Stony Brook University
David M. M. Taffet
Venture Builder & Executive Whisperer
David brings uncommon depth, range, and lived experience to leadership work. Over a 30+ year career, he has been a lawyer, venture capitalist, investment banker, fund manager, turnaround specialist, executive coach—and, most importantly, a builder of teams and organizations that work.
Industry-agnostic by design, David has led turnarounds and growth initiatives across Fortune 500 companies, private enterprises, startups, and nonprofits around the world. He has raised nearly half a billion dollars in capital, navigated complex restructurings, and helped leaders confront the human dynamics that determine success or failure.
David is widely respected for his ability to identify and dismantle workplace toxicity—combining financial discipline with deep empathy and clarity. His leadership philosophy is grounded in humility, accountability, and a profound respect for the people doing the work.
A regular contributor to Fast Company, David writes candidly about leadership, culture, resilience, and emotional intelligence. He is also open about his own journey through adversity, including homelessness, neurodivergence, and recovery—experiences that deeply inform his approach to executive advising.
Beyond business, David is an acclaimed street photographer whose work explores human connection across cultures and borders.
Areas of Expertise
· Leadership & governance · Venture building · Turnarounds · Private equity · M&A · Fundraising · Innovation
Core Skills
· Executive coaching · Strategic management · Conflict resolution · Team building · Negotiation · Public speaking
Education
· J.D., University of Virginia School of Law · B.A., Public Policy, Duke University
David brings uncommon depth, range, and lived experience to leadership work. Over a 30+ year career, he has been a lawyer, venture capitalist, investment banker, fund manager, turnaround specialist, executive coach—and, most importantly, a builder of teams and organizations that work.
Industry-agnostic by design, David has led turnarounds and growth initiatives across Fortune 500 companies, private enterprises, startups, and nonprofits around the world. He has raised nearly half a billion dollars in capital, navigated complex restructurings, and helped leaders confront the human dynamics that determine success or failure.
David is widely respected for his ability to identify and dismantle workplace toxicity—combining financial discipline with deep empathy and clarity. His leadership philosophy is grounded in humility, accountability, and a profound respect for the people doing the work.
A regular contributor to Fast Company, David writes candidly about leadership, culture, resilience, and emotional intelligence. He is also open about his own journey through adversity, including homelessness, neurodivergence, and recovery—experiences that deeply inform his approach to executive advising.
Beyond business, David is an acclaimed street photographer whose work explores human connection across cultures and borders.
Areas of Expertise
· Leadership & governance · Venture building · Turnarounds · Private equity · M&A · Fundraising · Innovation
Core Skills
· Executive coaching · Strategic management · Conflict resolution · Team building · Negotiation · Public speaking
Education
· J.D., University of Virginia School of Law · B.A., Public Policy, Duke University
Antonio Naglieri
Chief of Staff
Antonio is a trusted operator, strategist, and connective force—known for calm execution, principled leadership, and results that speak for themselves.
With more than 20 years of experience across communications, operations, and change management, Antonio has helped build and scale early-stage ventures, including an award-winning home technology startup and a performance marketing agency responsible for over $1B in client revenue.
His career spans major U.S. institutions, global NGOs, startups, and professional sports organizations. Whether guiding executive teams, managing complex initiatives, or uniting distributed, intergenerational teams, Antonio brings clarity, momentum, and trust to the work.
Antonio has a particular gift for surfacing and amplifying stories of impact—securing earned media coverage in outlets including NPR, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Fast Company, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post. As a fractional executive, he moves seamlessly between strategy and execution, helping organizations strengthen culture while delivering measurable outcomes.
Diplomatic. Adaptable. Grounded. No ego.
Areas of Expertise
· Communications strategy · Operations · Change management · Media relations · Organizational effectiveness
Core Skills
· Project management · Earned media · People operations · Qualitative research · Stakeholder engagement
Education
· M.P.A., Binghamton University · B.S., Business Management & Marketing
Antonio is a trusted operator, strategist, and connective force—known for calm execution, principled leadership, and results that speak for themselves.
With more than 20 years of experience across communications, operations, and change management, Antonio has helped build and scale early-stage ventures, including an award-winning home technology startup and a performance marketing agency responsible for over $1B in client revenue.
His career spans major U.S. institutions, global NGOs, startups, and professional sports organizations. Whether guiding executive teams, managing complex initiatives, or uniting distributed, intergenerational teams, Antonio brings clarity, momentum, and trust to the work.
Antonio has a particular gift for surfacing and amplifying stories of impact—securing earned media coverage in outlets including NPR, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Fast Company, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post. As a fractional executive, he moves seamlessly between strategy and execution, helping organizations strengthen culture while delivering measurable outcomes.
Diplomatic. Adaptable. Grounded. No ego.
Areas of Expertise
· Communications strategy · Operations · Change management · Media relations · Organizational effectiveness
Core Skills
· Project management · Earned media · People operations · Qualitative research · Stakeholder engagement
Education
· M.P.A., Binghamton University · B.S., Business Management & Marketing