Sebastian A. Ontiveros
Founder & Principal
Mesa Strategies · Public Affairs & Community Engagement

Sebastian A. Ontiveros is a strategic public affairs and external relations leader with nearly two decades of experience building the coalitions, relationships, and stakeholder strategies that let energy and infrastructure companies operate and grow in the communities where they do business, aligning corporate strategy with local trust at the highest levels of government and industry.

As founder and principal of Mesa Strategies, Sebastian helps data center, energy, and infrastructure companies earn that trust — mapping the stakeholders that matter, preparing clients for hearings and public meetings, and turning skeptical communities into partners. The firm brings public affairs, government relations, and community engagement together into a single local playbook for each project.

Most recently, Sebastian served as Vice President of Community & External Affairs for the HyperScale Division at Target Hospitality (Nasdaq: TH), where he built the company's first centralized external affairs function, leading engagement for HyperScaler and energy workforce campuses across Texas, Wyoming, Nebraska, Nevada, and Ohio.

Before that, he spent nearly a decade at Toyota Motor North America, most recently as National Director of Community Engagement & External Affairs, where he directed a $20M+ budget and relationships with more than 100 state and local officials nationwide. When the Takata airbag recall brought federal scrutiny to Toyota and other automakers, he worked across internal and external stakeholders to address the issue with DOT and NHTSA, while protecting the trust of the communities Toyota depended on.

Earlier, as Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Chief Fundraising Officer at the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, he raised more than $12M year over year, brokered multimillion-dollar procurement opportunities with Fortune 500 companies on behalf of small businesses across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and worked with members of Congress and pro-small-business groups to build coalitions advancing business-friendly policies. Having worked on Capitol Hill as a congressional fellow in the office of Rep. Linda Sánchez, Ontiveros understands the nuance of legislative operations. He began his career at Pacific Charter School Development (PCSD) as an assistant project manager helping to alleviate LAUSD's congested school system. It was there that he cut his teeth in public affairs as a liaison with Los Angeles municipalities.

Sebastian holds an Executive MBA from the University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business, with a focus on finance and entrepreneurship. Ontiveros is a UC Irvine alumnus where he earned dual bachelor's degrees in philosophy and literary journalism.

Having built corporate partnerships from the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, then led corporate community engagement from inside two Fortune-level companies, Sebastian has sat on both sides of the public-private table. That rare combination of government fluency, corporate experience, and community trust is now channeled through Mesa Strategies to help energy and infrastructure companies navigate complex stakeholder environments and deliver results for the businesses and communities they serve.