Mercury today  announced the addition of communications strategist Juan Melli to the firm’s New Jersey team. Melli, who most recently served as Communications Manager for the City of Hoboken, joins Mercury as Vice President.

“We are thrilled to welcome Juan to Mercury,” said Mercury Partner Mike Soliman. “As a respected and experienced communications expert, Juan will be a tremendous asset to our team and provide best-in-class service to our clients.”

“I am excited to join such a talented team and look forward to helping clients in New Jersey and across the country solve their most complex challenges,” said Melli.

“Juan managed communications under the most extreme conditions during Hurricane Sandy in Hoboken and built the strongest municipal social media presence in the state,” said Mercury Partner Mike DuHaime, who founded and oversees Mercury’s operations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Tennessee. “He is a creative problem-solver whose expansive and proven communications expertise will strengthen our public relations and digital capabilities.”

“As a long-time trusted advisor to Mayor Dawn Zimmer and new media director for a gubernatorial campaign, Juan has the political experience and instincts to create winning strategies,” said Mercury Managing Director Mo Butler.

Prior to his work for the City of Hoboken, Melli was Director of New Media for Governor Jon Corzine’s campaign. He founded BlueJersey.com in 2005 – one of the first websites for state-level political news and analysis. He is a 2002 graduate of Rutgers University and earned a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University in 2008. Melli resides in Hoboken with his wife and two boys.

Mercury is a high-stakes, bipartisan public strategy firm. The firm provides a comprehensive suite of services that includes federal government relations, international affairs, digital influence, public opinion research, media strategy and a bipartisan grassroots mobilization network in all 50 states. The firm has an established global presence, with U.S. offices in Washington, DC, New York, California, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and Tennessee, as well as international offices in London and Mexico City. Mercury is a part of the Omnicom Public Relations Group.