S2 Partners is a “minority-and-women led” strategy consulting firm that aims to help clients form relationships with government officials, labor unions, and “local stakeholders.” The firm’s co-founder, Ontario Smith, was the president of the left-of-center voter mobilization group Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund as of 2026. ^{1 2} Smith calls himself a “political and external affairs specialist” who navigates “the challenging political and regulatory environments that face projects across the United States.” He worked for many years as an energy regulator in San Francisco. ¹

S2 Partners helps governmental and private organizations create budgetary and implementation strategies to secure permits and push infrastructure projects forward, with an eye toward the inclusion of left-of-center goals, regulatory considerations, and labor benefit packages. It is particularly concerned with labor unions and their challenges in navigating laws at local and state levels, and aims to help them implement local policies and conduct statewide campaigns. ³

Background

S2 Partners is a racial “minority-and-women led” strategy consulting firm that aims to help clients form relationships with government officials, labor unions, and “local stakeholders.” ^{1 2} The company predominantly works in the Bay Area of San Francisco and California more generally, focusing on land use, labor, and infrastructure solutions with politicians and government offices. It was founded in 2018. ⁴

Activities

S2 Partners claims to primarily work with groups involved in “collaborative zoning, land use and workforce strategies” and states it aims to ensure these projects are “approved and constructed in diverse communities.” ¹

S2 Partners helps governmental and private organizations create budgetary and implementation strategies to secure permits and push infrastructure projects forward, with an eye toward the inclusion of left-of-center goals, regulatory considerations, and labor benefit packages. It is particularly concerned with labor unions and their challenges with navigating laws at local and state levels, and aims to help them implement local policies and conduct statewide campaigns. ³

Leadership

S2 Partners was co-founded by Ontario Smith. As of 2026, Smith was S2’s managing principal. ^{1 5} Smith is also president of the left-of-center voter mobilization group Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund. Smith calls himself a “political and external affairs specialist” who navigates “the challenging political and regulatory environments that face projects across the United States.” ¹

Smith graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Finance. He began working as a ratemaking regulator at Pacific Gas and Electric Company in San Francisco. He then became the principal local representative to the City and County of San Francisco, where he led lobbying strategies for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and various municipal offices. Smith also worked as an external affairs coordinator for AT&T in Atlanta, Georgia. ¹

1. “Board.” Georgia Conservation Voters. Accessed March 16, 2026. https://gcvoters.org/board/.
2. “S2 Partners.” LinkedIn. Accessed March 13, 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/company/s2psf/.
3. ‘Services.” S2 Partners. Accessed March 13, 2026. https://www.s2psf.com/services.
4. “S2 Partners – About.” LinkedIn. Accessed March 13, 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/company/s2psf/.
5. “Ontario Smith.” LinkedIn. Accessed March 13, 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ontariosmith/.