OUR TEAM

Chad Heywood is a Founding Partner at Sandpiper Strategies where he provides advice on political and strategic consulting. An expert in grassroots advocacy, data targeting, and public affairs, Heywood has led campaigns at every political level. Prior to Sandpiper Strategies and its affiliated company Camelback Strategy Group, Chad was Executive Director of the Arizona Republican Party from 2013-2016.

Chad has developed winning strategies and run successful local campaigns for Mayor and City Council in cities across Arizona. In 2020 and again in 2022, Heywood ran the Republican Legislative Victory Committee helping retain Republican Majorities in the House and Senate. In 2024, Sandpiper Strategies helped elect Republicans in Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Oregon, and Texas. 

Prior to his involvement in politics, Chad worked as a sales and marketing professional, training teams in direct sales, and presenting at marketing and trade shows. Heywood is the father of six children. Happily married to his wife of 21 years, they live in Gilbert, Arizona.

Rick Gorka has over twenty years of media, management, and political experience. Over that time, Rick has successfully developed and implemented creative media strategies in high-pressure situations and brings with him extensive relationships with national and local media along with political leaders.

Rick has served in senior positions on Presidential, Gubernatorial, Senatorial and Congressional campaigns, as well as other public interest and national political organizations.

Throughout his career, Rick has crafted communication plans that successfully echoed organizations' messages across multiple platforms while incorporating like-minded third party supporters. Rick has created and launched successful earned media events across the country, conducted extensive media training, pitched and placed stakeholders on local and national media, drafted both internal and external strategic memorandums and direct mail fundraising letters, placed op-eds and letters to the editor while expanding a social media presence.

In his down time, Rick enjoys playing bad golf, trekking and traveling around the world and exploring his new hobby of mountaineering. He also spends time volunteering with rescue animals.

Rick is originally from Spokane, Washington and now resides in Bordentown, New Jersey with his wife.

Lunden Santana serves as Director of Operations for Sandpiper Strategies where she provides specific oversight regarding direct mail production and communication.

With experience running direct mail operations for small local races through competitive national elections, Lunden brings vast experience creating eye-catching pieces and managing complex variable data production. Throughout a project, Lunden acts as a final check that the message reaching voters is clear, arrives on time, and is delivered to the targeted universe. Working closely with our account representatives, she ensures that all those interacting with an account have access to relevant information in real time to best service your campaign and cause.

Lunden graduated from Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis on communication and interdisciplinary analytical writing. In her free time, Lunden enjoys spending time with her family and dog, traveling, and maintaining a healthy obsession with F1 racing.

With almost a decade of experience in management, grassroots advocacy, and political strategy, Taylor Haller is a seasoned leader who has played a pivotal role in shaping campaigns at both the state and national levels. From large-scale political operations to hands-on grassroots efforts, she has built a reputation for delivering results.

Taylor’s expertise spans key battleground states like Arizona, Florida, and Iowa, where she’s held senior leadership roles in statewide campaigns. Most recently, she served as the Deputy National Field Director for the National Republican Congressional Committee, spearheading grassroots initiatives and Get Out The Vote (GOTV) efforts across 40 target congressional districts.

In 2022, Taylor was the Republican National Committee’s State Director in Florida, where she led an 85-person field team, orchestrating a political operation that helped deliver record-breaking voter turnout for Governor Ron DeSantis, Senator Marco Rubio, and Republican candidates across the state. Before that, she worked in Washington, DC, for the Republican National Committee, helping to strengthen the political infrastructure for state parties across all 50 states and six territories.

A proud native of Phoenix, Arizona and a graduate of Arizona State University, Taylor is passionate about connecting with her community and making an impact through her work. In her free time, she loves spending time with her family, exploring new places through travel, and cheering on her favorite sports teams.