The Political Life

Jason Ortiz is the Founder & CEO of Blue Suit Strategies. He is a seasoned political operative, with eighteen years of experience in lobbying, strategic research, public relations and political action, and has a long track record of significant political and electoral victories in New York City and State.

Jessica Stram is the Director of Advocacy - Northeast for Target. Jessica has spent her entire career in lobbying, and has a deep background in the industry with senior-level experience working both in-house and as a contract lobbyist.

Jeff Allan is the Founder & CEO of EchoRidge, putting the power of lobbyists into the hands of everyday Americans. Their key tool is Nation Crowd, a crowdfunding platform that brings people together around a common issue and translates their energy into actionable legislation. EchoRidge connects clients to a network of retained "boots on the ground" lobbyists. They have been highlighted in recent articles for the seed funding they have generated.  

George Cronin is the Managing Director for the public affairs practice at Rasky Partners. Based out of Boston, they cover government relations at the state and municipal level, grassroots organizing, and ballot questions. They also have a D.C. office to cover federal affairs. George discusses how he strikes a balance between managing a firm with over 20 employees and staying engaged with his clients.

Marcus Mason is a Senior Partner at The Madison Group, a boutique bipartisan consulting and lobbying firm that specializes in tax, technology, telecommunications, trade and transportation issues. Clients include Google, and Education Network of America. Marcus also serves as the President of the Washington Government Relations Group (WGRG), an organization of African American lobbyists that provides mentorship and professional growth opportunities while promoting diversity within the lobbying profession.

Did you know the Burning Man festival has a lobbyist? We are joined today by Rich Gold, who is a Partner at Holland & Knight, one of the largest lobbying firms in D.C., where he serves as a leader of the firm’s Public Policy and Regulation team. Rich shares his experience working for unique clients like Burning Man, and many more. Rich manages the firm's national lobbying team which has over 85 lobbyists, bringing in annual revenue of $25-30 million.

Today we sit down with two employees from Quorum – an integrated public affairs software platform providing stakeholder engagement, legislative tracking, and grassroots advocacy tools to government affairs professionals. Quorum is represented in this episode by Grayson Kinsella and Neal Walia.

This week, we welcome Sarah Matz to the show. Sarah serves as Senior Director of State Government Affairs for CompTIA, and is based out of Austin, Texas. CompTIA is a trade association that represents the U.S. tech industry, representing nearly 2,000 member companies, and offering IT certification programs.

Jonathan Kilman is the Chairman of Converge Government Affairs. Based out of Miami, Florida, Converge offers government relations and public affairs services at the state, national AND international level! After graduating from Harvard Law School, Jonathan had a career as an attorney before transitioning to the government affairs sector.

Charles Tassell is the Chief Operating Officer for the National Real Estate Investor Association (REIA), a trade organization representing 60,000 members from all walks of the real estate investment industry. Charles has a lot of experience working in local city government and in government affairs, specializing in real estate and land development. He is a man who wears many hats: COO, owner, and City Councilman! 

Our guest today is Steve Conant, who is a partner at Anbaric Development Partners, a Massachusetts-based company that specializes in early stage development of large-scale electric transmission systems, the transformation of the electric and heating/cooling systems on campuses, and storage solutions surrounding microgrid projects.

Dusty Brighton is the Managing Director of Brightstone Bridge, LLC, a firm that Dusty created after an illustrious career in the GR field. Dusty and Jim sat down to chat in Nashville, TN, talking about Dusty’s unique career serving as both an in-house and contract lobbyist, and dissecting the differences between the two.

George Cronin is the Managing Director at Rasky Partners. Based out of Boston, Massachusetts, Rasky Partners provides traditional government relations services at the state and municipal level, as well as grassroots organizing, and ballot question support. Their clients range from companies such as Toyota to Raytheon. In this conversation, George covers the ins and outs of managing a firm with over 20 employees.

Christina Fisher is the Executive Director for Massachusetts and the Northeast at TechNet, a trade association that represents over 80 technology companies. TechNet provides a face for the technology community. Christina talks tech, testimony and public policy. 

Christina Fisher is the Executive Director for Massachusetts and the Northeast at TechNet, a trade association that represents over 80 technology companies. TechNet provides a face for the technology community. Christina talks tech, testimony and public policy.