About Tezlyn Figaro
With over 20 years of strategic communications, media relations and crisis communications and an unprecedented track record of political campaign wins at every level of government, Tezlyn Figaro is considered a master communications and political strategist. An award-winning business owner and Principal of the Tezlyn Figaro Communications Group, Tezlyn provides consultation to some of the nation’s most influential political, social movement and private sector leaders. She is also a coveted political pundit, delivering sharp analysis from an independent perspective for numerous top-rated media outlets including the New York Times, FOX News and Refinery29.
Through her extensive relationships with major media networks and her expertise in rapid response communications, Tezlyn is able to garner national and international media attention for clients whose stories are often ignored. After learning about the case of Daniel Holtzclaw, an Oklahoma City police officer accused of raping multiple Black women in his custody, she immediately enlisted Benjamin Crump, the lead attorney in the Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown cases, for legal counsel. She withstood opposition from city leaders and raised the profile of the case while living next door to the police station Holtzclaw was assigned. Forging forward in her role as the chief publicist, she led the media strategy through the sentencing period, in which Holtzclaw received a record 263-year sentence for his heinous crimes. Outlets including MSNBC, CNN and FOX News covered the story, and 60 minutes aired a featured segment on the case. Tezlyn’s bold approach and impassioned support of the survivors led her to the United Nations, where she provided testimony on behalf of the victims during the truth and reconciliation tribunal hearings.
After noting a lack of media coverage for Monroe Bird III, the 21-year-old denied medical coverage for a gunshot wound that left him paralyzed (a wound that would later be fatal) in an altercation with a security guard, Tezlyn re-enlisted Benjamin Crump for legal counsel. Working directly with Crump and his legal team, she spearheaded the communications efforts that resulted in national network coverage, including an investigative feature on Crime Watch Daily.
Tezlyn initiated and led the rapid response and crisis communication efforts on the Orlando Pulse nightclub shootings and the Dallas police shootings. She booked over 80 national media appearances within the first hour of the Pulse nightclub shootings for the elected representatives of Orlando, Commissioner Patty Sheehan and Commissioner Regina Hill. Tezlyn convened a national press conference, drafted key talking points and booked numerous media interviews with national and international outlets for the Next Generation Action Network during the Dallas police shootings.
In 2016, she served as National Racial Justice Director for the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign. Her work in this senior leadership role was pivotal to a number of successes during the campaign, including the historic win in the Michigan primary race. In Michigan, Tezlyn arranged a meeting with families impacted by the Flint water crisis and Senator Sanders. The earned media generated from the meeting elevated the crisis to the national political stage, with Sanders referencing the meeting during the Flint presidential debate, in subsequent campaign advertisements and during campaign rallies.
Since 2015, Tezlyn has acted as the personal director of communications for former Ohio State Senator and current President of Our Revolution, Nina Turner. As a senior advisor she oversees media relations, media coaching and rapid response communications for Senator Turner’s personal media appearances.
Tezlyn is the recipient of a number of awards highlighting her dedication to community service and excellence in business. In 2009, she was named the Cadillac Community Influencer of the year. She has also named the 2010 Orlando Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” and the 2012 Orlando Business Journal’s “Women Who Mean Business” as Founder and President of the Allied Group, a Florida staffing firm that employed over 300 people during the 2010 recession. Tezlyn is a certified Florida Supreme Court civil, circuit and appellate conflict resolution mediator and approved trainer.