This week Jim chats with Ryan Shay, the Director of Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs at Faegre Drinker, about current events on the Hill. Ryan Shay is a Capitol Hill veteran and former legislative director with the policy experience, political insight, and relationships in the legislative and executive branches to advance clients’ legislative and regulatory goals. For more than seven years, he served on active legislative teams in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of...

This week Jim chats with Meredith Beeson, the Senior Director of State Affairs at Global Business Alliance. In her role at GBA, Meredith focuses on educating state and local elected officials about the role of foreign direct investment as well as advancing policies that ensure fair treatment of U.S. affiliates of foreign owned companies. Meredith bring to GBA over 10 years of experience in leading public policy and lobbying efforts. Prior to joining the GBA team, Meredith worked as a Senior...

This week Jim chats with Amy Andryszak from Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) about the short- and long-term concerns regarding the significant role of natural gas as a major resource for the foreseeable future in this country. Amy Andryszak was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) and the INGAA Foundation in 2020. INGAA represents natural gas transmission and storage companies who operate over...

This week Jim chats with Peter Ruddell from Honigman LLP about the makeup of the Michigan legislature heading into the 2023 session.  Peter is an accomplished attorney and government relations advisor with more than two decades of experience around state government, public policy, and elections. He is widely recognized for his experience in representing clients with their health, insurance, education, and budget issues. Among his many legislative accomplishments, he is highly regarded for...

This week Jim chats with Tom Manatos from Block about his oversight of his noted D.C.-area job aggregator website as well as his tips for networking in the Capitol. Job Site https://tommanatosjobs.com/ Article: 11 Networking Tips For Your DC Job Hunt   Email for Tom Manatos - [email protected] Tom Manatos is the Head of Federal Affairs at Block, a company that includes Square, Cash App, TIDAL, TBD and Spiral. He previously served as Vice President of Government Relations at Spotify and...

This week Jim chats with Sarah Mercer and Steven Stenzler from Brownstein about the recent legalization of psychedelics in Colorado as well as recent legislative trends in California, Colorado, and states in the Western U.S. more generally. Steven Stenzler is a Policy Advisor in the Sacramento office of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. In this role he advises on a variety of issues including housing, land-use, tax policy, and emerging technologies. Prior to joining Brownstein, Steven served...

This week we are happy to present an incredible panel from WASRG's first ever in-person Inside the Dome – moderated by Jim! – featuring on-the-ground consultants from high-impact states giving their candid insider insight on the impact of the November elections and the major legislation expected in 2023.  The Washington Area State Relations Group (WASRG) is one of the nation’s largest organizations dedicated exclusively to serving state government relations professionals.  Since the...

This week we once welcome back Howard Franklin to the podcast to provide yet another critical update on the runoff Senate race in Georgia. Howard Franklin is the President and CEO of Ohio River South, a high-stakes strategy firm rooted in the New American South and led by professionals from government, business and politics. Savvy, southern and strategic, ORS has assembled the region’s best technologies and tactics for achieving electoral and policy success. Help us grow! Leave us a rating...

This week we welcome Josh Resnik back to the podcast to discuss the recent developments at FiscalNote in Washington, D.C. Josh is FiscalNote’s President & Chief Operating Officer with more than twenty-five years of experience as an executive, attorney, and business leader in both startup and established corporate environments. For a full bio, click here! As President & COO, he is responsible for managing corporate operations, including the Commercial, Business Development,...

This week we welcome Maureen Riehl and Ed Griesmer to the podcast to discuss the work they do at Multistate and the fascinating process of hiring lobbyists in an ever-changing political landscape. Maureen is Principal and General Counsel with MultiState Associates. She joined the firm in October 2015, and leads the firm's Strategic Government Relations Practice. Her work has encompassed both the public and private sector, advising organizations on their strategic planning, public policy,...

This week we welcome back Howard Franklin to the podcast to provide an update on the extremely close Senate race in Georgia. Howard also walks us through the turnover in the legislature of this increasinly-important state. Howard Franklin is the President and CEO of Ohio River South, a high-stakes strategy firm rooted in the New American South and led by professionals from government, business and politics. Savvy, southern and strategic, ORS has assembled the region’s best technologies and...

This week we welcome Jonathan Oceguera to the podcast for a special pre-election-day episode to discuss the tight Senate and Gubernatorial races in Nevada as well as his unique entry-point into politics as a retired firefighter. John runs Strategies 360’s Nevada operations, overseeing a diverse mix of clients from corporations and nonprofits to campaigns and candidates. John formerly served as Speaker of the Nevada Assembly and was an elected representative in the Nevada Legislature for 12...

This week Jim welcomes Rob Vescio to the podcast to discuss the looming Pennsylvania Senate race and to break down the current political landscape in the state. One of the original principals that launched Dentons Cohen & Grigsby Public Affairs, Rob is a seasoned professional with nearly 20 years of public affairs experience. If a major public policy debate is occurring in Pennsylvania, chances are, Rob is part of the discussion. As a lobbyist, Rob has successfully lobbied on behalf of...

This week Jim welcomes back friend of the show Eric Tanenblatt to discuss the tight US Senate race between Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker in Georgia. They also assess the likelihood of a possible runoff between the two candidates. Eric Tanenblatt is the Global Chair of Public Policy and Regulation of Dentons, the world's largest law firm. He also leads the firm's US Public Policy Practice, leveraging his three decades of experience at the very highest levels of the federal and state...

This week Jim welcomes Leif Johnson to the pod to discuss his experience in public affairs as well as some of his interesting endeavors from the past. Leif Johnson provides strategic counsel and serves as a solutions provider for corporations and trade associations to enhance their state government relations efforts throughout the country. In 2003, he opened the Leonine Washington, D.C., Office and branded the 50-state government affairs practice, FOCUS. He oversees the coalition &...

This week Jim welcomes Christine Csizmadia and Marc Nichol from the Nuclear Energy Institute to the show to discuss – you guessed it – nuclear power! Christine Csizmadia is the Senior Director for State Governmental Affairs and Advocacy at the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and has been with NEI for 15 years developing, launching and managing state, local and grassroots programs. As the senior director of the state and local government affairs team at NEI, Christine manages coalition...

This week Jim welcomes Trevor Cornwell to the podcast as they chat about Trevor's experience as a businessman and entrepreneur. Their conversation touches on several of Trevor's current and previous projects like Forum280, Merit, and Skyjet – as well as his time spent working on the Gary Hart presidential campaign. Tune in to hear all about it! Trevor Cornwell serves as a President of Government Affairs at Merit International, Inc., an Andreesen Horowitz portfolio company. He founded the...

This week Jim welcomes Martin Gold back to the podcast as they focus on the process of what the senate parliamentarian had to go through to determine what could be considered for the Inflation Reduction Act as part of the budget reconciliation process. Martin B. Gold is a partner with Capitol Counsel, LLC. In service to our clients, he brings over 40 years of legislative and private practice experience. He is a recognized authority and author on matters of congressional rules and...

This week we welcome back friend of the podcast Saat Alety as he gives Jim an update on his recent move from Allstate to Fed Hall. Saat Alety is a Partner at Federal Hall Policy Advisors (Fed Hall), a leading bipartisan government affairs firm in Washington, D.C. Named to The Hill's Top Lobbyist list in 2021, Alety most recently led Allstate’s advocacy efforts with Congress, the White House, and federal agencies, in addition to its public policy development at the federal, state, and local...

This week we welcome Mike Bober to the podcast as he shares a bit about his personal story and tells Jim how he ended up in his current role as the President and CEO of the Pet Advocacy Network. After more than a decade in various political outreach roles, Mike now oversees all aspects of the pet care community’s agenda at the federal, state and municipal levels for the pet trade’s largest legislative trade association. He works to engage and educate elected officials on a variety of issues...

This week we welcome Maggie Mick to the podcast as she gives Jim a sneak peek of WASRG's upcoming In-Person Inside the Dome Symposium in Washington, D.C.! Maggie Mick serves as Assistant Vice President at MultiState. Before joining the firm's leadership team, she spent nearly 12 years at The Council of State Governments, or CSG, nationally headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. Her final role was Chief Advancement Officer. Prior to her tenure at CSG, she was an aide in the United States...

This week we welcome Tim Storey to the podcast to give Jim the rundown on what it's like to oversee the largest state legislature conference in the country. Tim Storey serves as the Executive Director of the NCSL. Prior to that, Storey spent the past 30 years working for and studying legislatures—specializing in elections, redistricting, legislative organization and leadership. As Executive Director of NCSL, he provides leadership and vision to diverse constituencies in achieving NCSL’s...

This week we welcome back friend of the show Rich Gold to discuss the recent wins for Democrative policy-makers in Congress. Rich Gold is the leader of Holland & Knight's Public Policy & Regulation Group and focuses his practice at the intersection of complex policy and political issues involving Congress, the executive branch, and the media. Mr. Gold has been recognized as a top lobbyist in Washington by The Hill, The National Journal, Washington SmartCEO, Super Lawyers,...

This week we welcome James "Jake" Bookwalter onto the show to give us a rundown of his many international trips during the Covid-19 pandemic. You might be surprised by his favorite location over the past couple of years. James (better known as Jake) serves as Vice President for Legislative Information Services at Stateside Associates. Jake joined Stateside in 2011 as a legislative associate and served as a manager and senior manager before assuming his current role. As Vice President, Jake...

This week we welcome newcomer Rachel Stern the show to chat with Jim about their shared enjoyment of NCSL as well as Rachel's work with InState Partners. Rachel Stern is a Senior Vice President for InState Partners, a business line of Advantage Capital. As the founder of the business line, over the last decade she has invested in and advised InState’s extensive portfolio companies on how to foster effective partnerships between innovative technology solutions and state and local governments...