About Us
Helping municipal agencies build trust, engage and plan for what’s next.
Stellara Group is a boutique municipal consulting firm dedicated to strengthening local governance, communications, and service design.
Rooted in decades of public-sector and technology experience, we bring a human-centered, strategic approach to the complex challenges facing municipal agencies today.
Jessica Blair, MMC
Founder, Principal
Strategic Communications & Governance Consultant
With 25 years of public sector leadership, Jessica Blair brings deep expertise in municipal governance, strategic communications, and civic engagement. As a former Communications Director, City Clerk, and former President of the California Municipal Clerks Association, Jessica is known for her ability to lead through complexity, foster transparency, and deliver results that build public trust.
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Her work spans a wide range of disciplines including elections administration, legislative affairs, records management, crisis communications, and policy development. She has overseen large-scale employee engagement initiatives, managed high-stakes media relations during emergencies, and advised city managers and elected bodies through organizational change.
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Jessica has also led voter outreach efforts, navigated election litigation, and supported stand-alone elections, referendums, and petitions. With a passion for civic education, she has designed programs that empower both youth and adults to engage meaningfully in democratic processes.
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Jessica holds a Master Municipal Clerk (MMC) certification and has completed Masters Degrees programs in both Public Administration and Organizational Development.
Mel Allums
Founder, Principal
User Experience Consultant & Facilitator
​Mel Allums is a design expert with 17 years of experience creating digital tools in consumer technology sectors. Mel led digital user experience teams at Google, PayPal and Capital One, creating digital service experiences and setting AI implementation standards for banking and mobile commerce.
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Mel specializes in user experience design that translates complex tech systems into intuitive, accessible services that help agencies improve how they serve their communities online.
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Mel holds a Master of Arts in interaction design from Academy of Art University in San Francisco.