BRIAN D. BALLARD

Brian D. Ballard, President

Brian has earned a reputation as a tireless, persistent and effective advocate for his clients’ interests. He has been recognized in The Hill: Top Lobbyists / Hired Guns 2021, 2020, Florida Trend’s 2021, 2020 Most Influential Business Leaders, named a member of Vanity Fair’s “New Establishment for 2019″, and listed among the 18 to watch in 2018 by Politico Playbook Power List. His accomplishments have spanned over 25 years and includes legislative successes on hundreds of policy and funding initiatives in Florida and Washington, DC.

Brian has taken his passion for politics and policy to the national scene, opening up Ballard Partners’ Washington, DC office in February 2017. He is spearheading the firm’s successful efforts with a first-class bi-partisan government relations team that represents clients across the federal landscape and impacting a myriad of domestic and foreign affairs issues.

As one of the top political insiders in Florida and Washington, Brian’s political portfolio includes meaningful roles in several presidential and gubernatorial campaigns. He chaired the Florida Finance Committee of Republican presidential nominees John McCain in 2008, Mitt Romney in 2012 and Donald J. Trump in 2016.  Additionally, Brian has served as vice chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee and was appointed as a member of the Presidential Transition Finance Committee. Recognizing his formidable fundraising and political skills, the Republican National Committee tapped Brian to serve as the Finance Vice Chairman to help build resources for key national races.

Brian and his wife Kathryn were honored to be selected by three Florida Governors to plan and execute their inaugural ceremony and events, serving as Co-Chairs of the inauguration for Governor Ron DeSantis, Governor Rick Scott and Governor Charlie Crist.

Among his important public service experience, Brian currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He previously served on the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service Advisory Council, after appointment by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. He also directed the transition and assisted in the U.S. Senate confirmation of Governor Bob Martinez as the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (Drug Czar) in the Executive Office of the President.

As chief of staff in the Executive Office of the Governor, Brian developed a special interest in environmental issues. Among his accomplishments, he served as chief architect of Preservation 2000, the largest public acquisition program for environmentally sensitive lands in the nation. He also served as Florida’s chief negotiator with the U.S. Department of the Interior to end offshore drilling along the state’s southeast coastline and the Florida Keys. The American Lawyer magazine rated Brian as one of America’s top rated lawyers in the field of Energy, Environmental and Natural Resources law.

Committed to community service, Brian has been a member of the Council of 100, the Collins Center for Public Policy, Florida Governor’s Mansion Foundation, and the City of Tallahassee Architectural Review Board. He has received Florida’s highest award for historic preservation recognizing his efforts involving preservation of historic buildings. In 2016, Brian and Kathryn were inducted into Florida State University’s Francis Eppes Society for their philanthropic support to the University.

Before establishing Ballard Partners, Brian served as managing shareholder for Bryant Miller Olive P.A. He currently serves as counsel to Panza, Maurer & Maynard, P.A. He received both his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida, where he was later inducted into the University’s Hall of Fame.

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SYLVESTER LUKIS

Syl has a distinguished career in Florida and national politics spanning four decades. As one of the firm’s key strategic advisors, Syl’s political and policy experience has been critical to the success of the firm’s growth in Florida and expansion to the national level.

As Senior Partner of Ballard Partners’ Washington, DC office, Syl works closely with the firm’s President, Brian Ballard, and members of the Washington, DC team regarding a variety of significant federal issues on behalf of both domestic and foreign clients. Most important among them are matters involving Medicare, Medicaid, refugee assistance, education, trade, tariffs and tax issues before the Legislative and Executive branches of the federal government.

During his forty plus years tenure in Washington as a lawyer and government relations consultant, Syl has represented clients before numerous federal departments including the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, Justice, State, Transportation, Commerce, Treasury, Interior, Homeland Security and the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office.

Syl has been a member of the District of Columbia Bar for more than forty years and had the high honor of serving his country as a member of the United States Air Force. Further, his public service career included serving as an Attorney with the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia and as an Assistant Director of the Cuban Haitian Task Force at the U.S. Department of State during the mass immigration crisis commonly known as the Mariel Boat Lift.

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ROBERT WEXLER

Robert Wexler is the President of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace in Washington, D.C. He served as a Democratic Member of Congress from 1997 to 2010, representing Florida’s 19th district in the House of Representatives before retiring to lead the Center. Wexler was named one of the “50 Most Effective Legislators in Congress” by the influential magazine Congressional Quarterly and was named to the Forward 50 list as one of the most influential leaders in the American Jewish community.

In 2008, Congressman Wexler served as an advisor on Middle East and Israel issues to President Barack Obama during his presidential campaign. In 2012, he served on the President’s reelection Steering Committee and addressed the Democratic National Convention outlining the President’s policies related to Israel.

Throughout his tenure in Congress, Wexler was an outspoken advocate for the unbreakable bond between the United States and Israel and a leading proponent of Israel’s right to self-defense and the need for a just and comprehensive resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. He traveled on numerous congressional delegations to the Middle East and met with the leaders of Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Kuwait, Turkey, Syria, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and the Palestinian Authority. At President Clinton’s invitation, he was the only member of the House of Representatives present during the signing of the Wye River Peace Agreement. In addition, Wexler was one of two Congressmen to travel to the International Court of Justice at The Hague to oppose the Palestinian case against Israel’s construction of a security barrier.

Congressman Wexler served as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe, a senior Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and a member of the Middle East Subcommittee. Wexler worked to strengthen the transatlantic alliance, build security and economic bonds with the European Union and the nations of Europe, and help guide the economic and political development of the former Soviet States. Wexler served as an American representative to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and was the co-founder of the Caucus on U.S.-Turkish Relations, the Taiwan Caucus and the Indonesia Caucus. He was also an active member of the India Caucus. In addition, Wexler served as a senior member of the Judiciary Committee and the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property.

Born in New York, Congressman Wexler moved to South Florida with his family at age 10. He earned his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Florida and law degree from George Washington University. Before serving in Congress, he served in the Florida Senate for six years. Congressman Wexler and his wife, Laurie, have three children.

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DAN MCFAUL

Dan McFaul has been involved with more than 30 federal, state, and local campaigns in the last two decades, including races for Congress, U.S. Senate, and Governor, as well as Presidential campaigns. He served as campaign manager to Congressman Joe Scarborough in 1996 and 2000. In 1998, he worked as a Senior Field Analyst for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and consulted on eight Congressional campaigns in the Southeast and Ohio River Valley.

Dan served on the staff of U.S. Rep. Joe Scarborough of Florida from 1997-2001, rising to the position of Legislative Director. He became the Chief of Staff and Communications Director for Congressman Jeff Miller on Oct. 16th 2001, when Miller was sworn into office. Prior to Miller’s election, Dan was Miller’s campaign manager during the 2001 special election cycle.

Dan was a member of the Presidential Transition Team for then President-elect Donald J. Trump. In this capacity, Dan worked on the Appointments Team responsible for recruiting and vetting potential appointees to the incoming Administration, specifically for the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Armed Services, and the Intelligence community.

A native of Pensacola, Dan graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Public Relations. He later completed a Master’s Degree in Public Administration at the University of West Florida. Dan lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Jessica, and their three children.

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JUSTIN SAYFIE

Justin Sayfie is a government relations consultant, digital entrepreneur and attorney. Justin previously served as the spokesman and a top policy advisor for former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. In 2018, he was appointed by President Donald J. Trump to serve as a Commissioner on the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships, where he previously served in the administration of President George W. Bush from 2007-2009. In this role, Justin participates in the selection of White House Fellows and oversee the nation’s top leadership development program. Additionally, in 2005, Justin was appointed by U.S. Senator Mel Martinez as Chairman of the Federal Judicial Nominating Commission for the Southern District of Florida, where he led the initial nominating process for Federal Judges and U.S. Attorneys in South Florida.

He appears regularly as a political commentator on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. Justin has also published Florida’s leading political news site and mobile app, Sayfie Review, since 2002.

In 2007, Justin served as a delegate for the American Council on Germany’s Young Leader Conference in Berlin and Munich, and in 2008 he served as a delegate in the American Swiss Foundation’s Young Leader’s Conference in Geneva. He remains active in both organizations.

Sayfie received his bachelor’s degree in American Government from Georgetown University, and his juris doctor, cum laude, from the University of Miami.

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PAM BONDI

Pam Bondi, elected twice to serve as Florida’s Attorney General from 2011 – 2019, chairs the firm’s Corporate Regulatory Compliance practice. This national practice area focuses on serving Fortune 500 companies to implement best practices that proactively address public policy challenges such as human trafficking, opioid abuse and personal data privacy. As chair of the Corporate Regulatory Compliance practice, Pam works with clients to design and implement publicly conscious initiatives that will elevate their corporate responsibility reputation as well as address their critical regulatory challenges.

Bondi was one of Florida’s most accomplished Attorneys General and earned a reputation among her colleagues as one of the toughest law enforcement officials in the country.  During her tenure as Attorney General of Florida, Bondi undertook dozens of major state and national initiatives, including filing the most comprehensive state litigation regarding the national opioid crisis. She played a leading role in achieving the National Mortgage Settlement that ultimately resulted in $56 billion in total relief nationally. In a tremendous victory for Florida, Bondi sued BP and other responsible parties in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill case and settled for more than $2 billion in economic relief for Florida alone.

Since 2011, Bondi worked aggressively to shut down pill mills, combat opioid abuse, ban synthetic drugs, end human trafficking, test previously unprocessed sexual assault kits, develop a school safety app to prevent school shootings, recover more than $1 billion in consumer protection, antitrust, and false claims matters (not counting the National Mortgage Settlement and BP), obtain more than $870 million in settlements and judgments through the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, supervise the prosecution of hundreds of multi-judicial circuit criminal cases, defend Florida’s laws and constitution, and guard against federal overreach.

She has served on numerous boards, including: President’s Commission on Combatting Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis; Chair, Florida Statewide Council on Human Trafficking; Co-chair of the Substance Abuse Committee for the National Association of Attorneys General; and the Florida Constitutional Revision Commission.

Pam has also received numerous awards and accolades, including: the 2017 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Award for Excellence in Fighting Fraud, Waste, and Abuse; the

2018 Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association Furtherance of Justice Award; 2018 Drug Free America Lifetime Achievement Award; 2013 Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida Champion of Independent Education in Florida; and the 2012 National Association of Attorneys General President’s Award.

Bondi is a fourth-generation Floridian who spent more than 18 years as a prosecutor, trying cases ranging from domestic violence to capital murder. With her successful first-time run for office in 2010, Bondi became the first female Attorney General in Florida’s history.

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ADAM GOODMAN

Adam Goodman, one of the nation’s best-known media consultants, has been producing award-winning television, radio and strategic messaging for corporate, advocacy and candidate campaigns for four decades. Adam serves as a strategic communications consultant for Ballard Media Group’s clients domestically and abroad.

Adam, a frequent national TV commentator and widely-published columnist, was honored by being selected as the first Edward R. Murrow Fellow at Tufts University’s prestigious Fletcher School. He was also recently named, for the second time, as one of Florida’s “500 Most Influential Business Leaders” by Florida Trend. Dubbed a “media icon” by the Tampa Bay Times, Goodman has also worked with screen and television celebrities on behalf of issues and causes, from Robert De Niro and James Earl Jones to Katie Couric and Bob Barker.

Prior to joining the Ballard Media Group, Adam was President of The Victory Group, Inc. In that role, he created and produced media for corporate, institutional and academic clients including Hard Rock, The Walton Family Foundation, the National Football League, Mazda’s Road to Indy, Bacardi, PhRMA, the United States Chamber of Commerce, the University of South Florida, and the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence. In addition to his corporate media work, Adam worked on more than 200 winning federal, state and local races in 46 states. In Florida, his winning clients included five Senate Presidents, three House Speakers, eight Members of Congress, dozens of legislators, and several Florida Cabinet officials including former Florida Attorney General (and Ballard Partner) Pam Bondi.

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OSCAR CHEMERINSKI

Oscar Chemerinski, based in Tel Aviv, is the Co-Managing Partner of our firm’s office in Israel. Prior to joining Ballard Partners, Chemerinski served as the Director of the Global Corporate Coverage Group for the International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group. He was responsible for developing, managing and expanding relationships with strategic clients across the globe. Prior to that he served as Director for Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Services for Latin America and Africa, and Global Director for Agribusiness, with overall responsibility for strategy, portfolio and investment operations.  Oscar also has extensive experience as an advisor to Boards, CEO’s, equity funds and investment banks on emerging markets, cross-border financing and economic development. Oscar is fluent in Spanish, English, Hebrew, Portuguese and French, and received his MBA in Finance and International Business from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

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TOLA THOMPSON

Tola is a seasoned governmental relations professional with over 18 years of experience at the state and federal levels.  A 14-year veteran of Capitol Hill, Tola most recently served as Chief of Staff to U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, a member of the House Financial Services Committee.

Over the years, Tola has developed relationships with key members of Leadership and members of the Congressional Black Caucus and the New Democrat Coalition.  In addition to his service with Rep. Lawson, Thompson also worked for ten years with former US Rep. Carrie Meek, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, where he managed a broad legislative portfolio that included telecommunications, education, labor, health, and agricultural appropriations.

Tola previously served as Assistant Vice President and Director of Governmental Relations at Florida A&M University where he worked across almost every facet of government to develop and ensure execution of the university’s legislative agenda. He has also worked to successfully pass new legislation to provide high quality educational options for low-income K-12 students in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Louisiana, and Florida.  He received his bachelor’s in journalism from Florida A & M University.

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EUGENE O’FLAHERTY

Eugene O’Flaherty was appointed to the role of Corporation Counsel for the City of Boston in January 2014. In his role as Corporation Counsel, Eugene was the chief legal officer for former Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, President Biden’s newly confirmed Secretary of Labor. Eugene served as a senior cabinet advisor to the Mayor of Boston and was responsible for providing high-quality and effective legal advice and representation on all legal matters involving the Mayor, Boston City Council, all City Departments and Boards & Commissions. In that role he managed an office of 60 Attorneys, paralegals and administrative staff. As a cabinet member, Eugene was also part of a mayoral administration whose work has resulted in the largest growth of development in Boston’s recent history.

Prior to his appointment, Eugene served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives for seventeen years and has been practicing law since 1994. Elected to the Massachusetts Legislature in 1996, O’Flaherty served on the Education Committee and as Vice-Chairman of the Banks and Banking Committee before being appointed to serve as the Chair of the House Judiciary Committee in 2002.

During his twelve-year tenure at the helm of the Judiciary Committee, Eugene was responsible for the drafting, review and implementation of the largest number of legislative proposals before the Massachusetts Legislature. He was the chief architect of the overhaul of impaired driving statutes, court reorganization legislation, stronger sex offender statutes, tougher penalties for violent habitual offenders, CORI reform and human trafficking.  Eugene also repeatedly defeated attempts to reinstate the death penalty in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

In addition to his legislative duties, Eugene served as a member of the House Leadership Team for more than a decade and under three successive Speakers of the House and played a pivotal role in advising, advocating for and polling the 160-member House on a wide variety of legislative issues involving economic development, education, health care, gaming, and revenue.

Eugene oversaw the legislation and led the discussions required for the implementation of the Goodridge decision, which legalized gay marriage, making Massachusetts the first state in the United States of America to do so and served as the House of Representative’s lead negotiator on a number of complex and high-profile conference committee negotiations with the Senate and Executive Branch.

Eugene spearheaded the sister city agreement between Boston and Belfast, Northern Ireland which results in annual exchanges and visits by elected officials and members of the business community and organized the Friendship Four Hockey Tournament that annually brings four American university teams to compete in Belfast for the BelPot Trophy during the Thanksgiving holiday. The tournament has been acknowledged as crucial in continuing initiatives to support the peace process there.

Known affectionately in Massachusetts political circles simply as “Gene-O”, Eugene was honored for excellence in his efforts by the Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston Bar Association, Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, Massachusetts Legal Assistance, Children’s Trust Fund, Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Animal Rescue League to name a few.

Eugene is the youngest of five boys and the only member of his immediate family born in the United States. Eugene lives in Boston with his wife Patricia and their large extended families. Eugene is most proud of being a loving Uncle to his many nieces and nephews.

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ALEXANDER GRAY

Alexander Gray has focused his career on national security, foreign affairs, and the defense industrial base in both the executive and legislative branches. He most recently served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff of the White House National Security Council (NSC), where he was responsible for the Front Office of the National Security Advisor and the personnel, budget, and security functions of the NSC. He also served as a trusted policy advisor to the National Security Advisor on all regional, functional, and administrative matters before the NSC.

Previously, Alex served as Special Assistant to the President for the Defense Industrial Base at the White House National Economic Council (NEC), where he was the principal Executive Office of the President official responsible for matters impacting the health and resiliency of the defense and manufacturing industrial base. He had also served as Director for Indo-Pacific Security & Oceania at the NSC, with a portfolio covering U.S. relations with Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, and regional security issues.

Alex earlier served on the Presidential Transition Team at the U.S. Department of State and as Senior Advisor to former U.S. Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R-VA), Chairman of the Seapower & Projection Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee.

Alex has written widely on national security and defense issues in publications including The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy Magazine, Newsweek, The Hill, National Review, Real Clear Defense, The National Interest, and the Naval War College Review. He currently serves on the Board of Visitors of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. His awards include the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service and the NSC’s Outstanding Service Award. Alex is a graduate of George Washington University.

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STEPHEN PASSACANTILLI

Stephen brings fifteen years of Municipal Government expertise to Ballard Partners. In 2014, Stephen was appointed Special Assistant to former Boston Mayor and current U.S. Secretary of Labor Martin J. Walsh. As Special Assistant, Stephen provided transitional assistance for the new Mayoral Administration and coordinated communication between the Boston City Council and elected officials of the state’s Boston Delegation. Stephen also served as the liaison to multiple community associations as well as governmental, non-profit and private organizations.

Stephen served in several other roles in Mayor Walsh’s administration: From January 2015 to January of 2017, Director of Operations for the city of Boston’s Transportation Department; from January 2017 to January 2019, Operations Specialists to the city’s Office of Economic Development; from January 2019 to March 2021, Director of Operations for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Prior to his work in the Walsh administration, Stephen served as one of former Mayor Walsh’s Regional Field and Get Out The Vote Directors during the historic 2013 Boston Mayoral election. He also served as a Legislative Aide and as the Director of Constituent Services for the Office of Boston’s District 1 City Councilor Salvatore LaMattina from June 2006 to April 2013. Through these multiple roles in government Stephen has cultivated relationships at the local, regional and national levels.

Stephen is the grandson of former 10 term Boston City Councilor Frederick Langone who served as the Council’s President in 1961. He is the great grandson of Joseph A. Langone who served as a member of the Massachusetts Senate from 1933-1940 and as the Boston Election Commissioner from 1946-1947. Stephen is also active on the Board of Directors for the Gavin Foundation, a non-profit group that provides residential rehabilitation to men, women and adolescents suffering from substance abuse.

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G. JOHN O’HANLON

G. John O’Hanlon has more than thirty years of hands-on political, advocacy and business/entrepreneurial experience. He has represented interests before the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, the White House and a host of federal agencies and departments.

In 1992, John joined the law firm of McAuliffe, Kelly, Raffaelli, as a partner to begin his legal practice. He then co-founded The Washington Group in 1997. At TWG, John successfully represented a Who’s Who of Fortune 500 Companies, Associations and Causes. He’s well experienced in a broad scope of economic sectors and causes where he developed then implemented winning legislative strategies. John has personally represented clients before the President of the United States, Leaders and Members of Congress, staff and government officials at all levels.

John has served in a number of roles during his career including; Finance Chairman for the Democratic National Committee’s Presidential Gala, advisor to the Presidential Inaugural Committee, DNC’s National Convention Site Advisory Committee, Board member of the Jefferson Trust, Trustee for the Democratic National Committee, board member for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Speaker’s Club and the Democratic Finance Chairman for DC’s largest bi-partisan event, the March of Dimes Gourmet Gala

In recognition of his leadership efforts to pass the historic Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Act of 2000, John was a recipient of the Year 2000 Steward of the Everglades Award. John volunteers his time and services to a group of retired military officers whose mission is to increase the diverse enrollment at U.S. Military Academies so that military leadership is more reflective of those enlisted. John has also worked with Civil Rights leaders and activists to increase voter registration and GOTV.

John is an honor graduate of Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management and earned his Juris Doctorem at Georgetown University Law Center. He is admitted as an Attorney and Counsellor of the Supreme Court of the United States.

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ANA CRUZ

Ana Currently manages Ballard Partners’ Tampa Bay practice. She brings over 20 years of experience in lobbying, strategic communications, strategic partnerships, media relations, crisis management, grassroots coalition building and political consulting. During her career, Ana has represented a wide array of clients throughout Central Florida in both the private and public sectors and has successfully advocated for several high profile national and Florida-based clients in development, civil engineering and infrastructure, food and beverage and technology industries.

Prior to entering into the lobbying sector, Ana worked in the Florida House and U.S. Senate, served as the Executive Director of the Florida Democratic Party, served as Hillary Clinton’s 2008 and 2016 Florida campaign spokesperson and advisor, and has successfully run numerous judicial, local and state legislative races. She recently served on the DNC’s Convention Platform Committee as a representative for Joe Biden.

Ana was twice named Florida’s Top 100 Most Influential by Florida Politics Magazine, she serves on the Board of The Greater Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce Board, the Athena Society, the 51st Superbowl Committee and is an active mentor to Hispanic Youth. She and her partner, Jane are Tampa natives and have two college aged children. They are avid art collectors and enjoy fishing, cooking, traveling and spending time with their family.

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COURTNEY WHITNEY

Courtney has worked in politics at the federal, state and local level for 15 years. Recognized as Florida’s top democratic fundraiser, she has extensive experience working with Democratic Party leaders and elected officials from Miami to Washington.

Courtney began her career fundraising for Senator Bill Nelson’s 2006 re-election campaign. Most recently Courtney played an instrumental role in the successful campaign of Miami-Dade County’s new Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. She served as a senior advisor to Mayor Levine Cava’s campaign, and managed the campaign’s finance operation. She also led the fundraising for Commissioner Eileen Higgins’ successful Miami-Dade County Commission race.

Courtney was a consultant for Priorities USA Action, the super PAC supporting President-Elect Joe Biden. She also worked for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign as Clinton’s Deputy finance director for Florida. Courtney served the Democratic National Committee as finance consultant in 2014-2016, raising funds for the Democratic National Committee from Florida donors through events with President Obama, Secretary Clinton, and Vice President Biden. She has also served as the Finance Director for a number of Democratic candidates, including Debbie Wasserman Schultz from 2011 – 2017.

Courtney moved from Illinois to Miami to attend the University of Miami, graduating in 2005. She lives in Miami with her husband and their one-year-old son.

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HUNTER MORGEN

Hunter Morgen is a Partner at Ballard Partners, having joined the firm after serving more than three years in the Trump Administration as a Special Assistant to President Trump for policy and strategy. Hunter provides firm clients with strategic consulting on trade and immigration policy.

During his tenure in the Trump Administration, Hunter worked in the White House as a principal deputy to Peter Navarro and Stephen Miller, specializing in trade and immigration matters. Among his many responsibilities, Hunter drafted executive orders, legislation, policy guidance and regulations while he over saw a team of five. He also directed the Administration’s efforts on Buy American/Hire American policy.

Prior to his White House position, Hunter was a Policy Advisor at the State Department in the Office of Policy and Planning, where he focused on Africa and assisted the Secretary with preparation for the G-20 Summit.

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STEPHEN R. KLOPP

Steve is the President and Founder of Sagacity Global Services, (SGS) providing bespoke consultancy, facilitation and professional services to corporate, government, individual and international Clients. Steve specializes in elected official, congressional and political engagement services as well as expert advisory services related to “full-scope” security and cybersecurity needs on behalf of the Client.

Prior to launching SGS, Steve served almost two decades on Capitol Hill in varying capacities with the most recent being the Deputy Assistant Sergeant at Arms for the U.S. Senate, where he was responsible for working in partnership with Senate Leadership, Senators, congressionally elected/appointed officers, chiefs of staff and Senate committee directors to advise on, problem solve, and deliver results for an array of security-related matters and sensitive issues.

Throughout Steve’s career, he has been recognized for exceptional leadership, vision, integrity, partnership building, strategic planning, problem-solving, and achievements. Steve has a proven record of generating successful results and effecting change through collaboration with key partners and stakeholders to identify requirements, implement solutions, and build/advance programs and capabilities for mission success.

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JEFF MILLER

Congressman Jeff Miller represented the 1st Congressional District from 2001-2017 in the U.S. House of Representatives. In Congress, Jeff chaired the House Veterans Affairs Committee for three terms and also served as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

During his tenure, he championed numerous pieces of legislation to support veterans and provide tax relief to American citizens. In the House, Jeff was known for his conservative principles and voting record, as well as his bipartisan ability to get things done.

Before entering Congress, Jeff served in the Florida House of Representatives where he chaired the Utilities & Telecommunications Committee. Jeff received his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast News from the University of Florida in 1984.

He and his wife Vicki have two children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

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TYRONE D. BLAND

Tyrone D. Bland, is a Los Angeles County native and longtime corporate business strategist and political and policy advisor. He is the former global head of government affairs at the Creative Artists Agency, (CAA) where he led a range of legislative, regulatory and political issues directly impacting the agency’s global and national clients and business segments.

In his previous role as the Vice President of U.S. State and Local Government Affairs for Herbalife Nutrition (North America), he led the company’s Government Affairs and stakeholder engagement strategy, with all State and Local elected officials, Attorneys General, and state regulatory and oversight agencies.

With more than 20 years of bi-partisan lobbying experience at the Federal, State and Local level, Mr. Bland implemented tactical expertise for Herbalife Nutrition’s U.S. Government Affairs operation in more than 45 states, 13,000 Cities and 2,100 Counties and 300 Special Districts throughout the U.S.

From 2004-2008, Bland served as the lead lobbyist for the City of Los Angeles under Mayor(s) James K. Hahn and Antonio Villaraigosa. Prior to joining Herbalife Nutrition, he served as Managing Partner for the Washington, D.C. based lobbying firms, Capitol Hill Consulting Group and Porter Tellus, LLC. His focus areas included: land- use and urban planning, trade, transportation, utilities and financial services policy issues.

For a decade, Bland provided legislative and regulatory counsel to major corporations including; Toyota Motor Corporation, American Airlines, AT&T, Bank of America and a wide range of national trade associations. Bland has been a featured commentator on numerous policy and political media outlets including MSNBC, CNBC and the Washington Post. Bland has recently been made gubernatorial appointee to the California Water Commission by current Governor Gavin Newsom. He also serves on the Smithsonian Institution Regional Council and the U.S. Conference of Mayors – Business Council.

He attended the University of California at Berkeley and the University of California at Los Angeles, where he earned a B.A. degree in Political Science.

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