Former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley has a key role in the Nelson Mullins government relations practice. As the longest-serving secretary (eight years) in that department’s history, and as Governor of South Carolina for two terms (eight years), he enjoys widespread personal and professional respect throughout the country for his bipartisan statesmanship and ability to achieve successful outcomes. To read Secretary Riley's full biography, click here.

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Philip Lader brings extensive federal government service and domestic and international business expertise to our practice. In addition to his four years at the Court of St. James’s, he served as the U.S. Small Business Administrator, White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Deputy Director for Management of O.M.B., and held several college and business presidencies. To read Mr. Lader's full biography, click here.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Canada David H. Wilkins offers experience on a wide range of strategic bilateral issues and also chairs the Public Policy and International Law Practice Group. Before being tapped as ambassador, he practiced law for 34 years and served in the S.C. House of Representatives for 25 years. He served as Speaker of the S.C. House of Representatives for 11 years. To read Mr. Wilkins' full biography, click here.

Robert B. Crowe, co-chair of the Firm’s Government Relations practice, served as co-chairman for Finance for the Democratic National Committee during the 2004 Presidential campaign. He serves as the co-chairman of Senator John Kerry’s Finance Committee and PAC. He is also a member of the Finance Committees of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Congressman Michael Capuano and many local officeholders. To read Mr. Crowe's full biography, click here.

Former Congressman Ron Klink maintains close, personal relationships with members of both the United States House and Senate, as well as the various federal agencies, to successfully effect regulatory reform for clients and to steer federal dollars to them. He served four terms representing the 4th Congressional District of Pennsylvania. His knowledge of the federal legislative process has made him a well-known entity on Capitol Hill. To read Mr. Klink's full biography, click here.

Former Congressman Alan B. Mollohan is based in the West Virginia and Washington, DC offices.  A former Member of the United States House of Representatives, Mr. Mollohan served 14 terms, having been first elected in 1982 to represent West Virginia’s 1st Congressional District. Mr. Mollohan was appointed to the powerful House Appropriations Committee where he served from 1986 to 2010 and served on five Appropriations Subcommittees.  To read Mr. Mollohan's full biography, click here.

Former Congressman J. Gresham Barrett has significant federal experience, having served in the U.S. House of Representatives representing South Carolina’s 3rd District from January 2003 to January 2011. During his tenure he served on key committees and subcommittees including the Committee on Financial Services, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Energy and Commerce Committee, and the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.

Leo Coco, a Senior Policy Advisor in the Washington office, has more than 20 years of Congressional and Executive branch experience. As Chief of Staff to several House members, Staff Director of the Subcommittee on the Legislative Process and senior staff in the House Caucus and Whip organizations, he has broad knowledge of Congress at every level and excellent working relationships with Members and staff. To read Mr. Coco's full biography, click here.

Thomas M. Sullivan represents clients seeking to have their matters heard in Congress and during the regulatory and rulemaking processes. Before joining the Firm, he served as the highest ranking government official charged with exclusively advocating the views and needs of small business before government agencies and Congress during his seven-year tenure as Chief Counsel for Advocacy in the Small Business Administration. Before his appointment to the SBA, he represented the National Federation of Independent Business. To read Mr. Sullivan's full biography, click here.

Craig H. Metz, a partner in the Washington office, advises a wide range of clients, with emphasis in the areas of appropriations and defense. His broad background has provided him with the skills to craft successful strategies for enabling clients to achieve their objectives throughout the federal government. With more than 20 years of experience in federal legislative, regulatory, and agency adjudicative operations. Prior to going into private practice, Mr. Metz represented the federal government relations interests of the EMC Corporation (EMC), in Washington, D.C., for almost six years. EMC, a Boston-area based Fortune 500 company, is a global leader in information technology systems and services. Mr. Metz was chief of staff to the late Congressman Floyd Spence (R-SC), for eight years. To read Mr. Metz's full biography, click here.

Christopher T. Cushing has more than 20 years of experience in the nation's capital. Mr. Cushing represents clients in transactions and investments in which there is an interaction among political, business, regulatory, and legal environments. His clients include multinational corporations, nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, major trade associations, and domestic and foreign start-up ventures. To read his full biography, click here.

Government Relations Consultant Connie Myers brings a wealth of legislative and executive branch experience to the Firm.  With prior service in the Majority Whip offices of the U.S. House of Representatives and as Chief of Staff for Intergovernmental Relations at the U.S. Department of Education, she organizes strategies to gain legislative and executive branch support for client issues and requests. To read Ms. Jameson's full biography, click here.

Ana Lopes Meuwissen, a Senior Policy Advisor, has more than 10 years of experience in the area of transportation policy. She advises a diverse group of manufacturers, with a particular focus on automotive and commercial vehicle component and systems suppliers. Her experience with transportation safety issues includes work before the Department of Transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). She also brings with her notable experience in the field of international trade policy. Prior to joining Nelson Mullins, Ms. Meuwissen was the Director of Government Relations for the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) in Washington, D.C. To read Ms. Meuwissen's full biography, click here.

Policy Advisor Mick Nardelli assists clients with their federal government matters including legislative and regulatory issues. Mr. Nardelli has worked in Washington for former Congressman Ron Klink and Congressman John Tierney. He has held every job in a congressional office and has worked on both House and Senate campaigns. His network of contacts within the federal government is vast, and, after having worked for members assigned to committees such as Commerce, Government Reform, and Education and the Workforce, his knowledge of regulatory reform and public policy are broad. To read Mr. Nardelli's full biography, click here.

Jennifer L. Pharaoh has more than 15 years of experience in the public policy and political arenas, including positions on Capitol Hill, in the Executive Branch, and national political campaigns. As a senior aide on Capitol Hill, she designed and managed the policy agendas for members of Congress, successfully navigating legislation and appropriations projects through the political and legislative process. In addition, she served as primary staff liaison to the House Democratic Leadership, the New Democratic Network, and the Blue Dog Coalition. She previously served in the administration of President William J. Clinton. Ms. Pharaoh's extensive political campaign experience includes six years with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Most recently, she was Deputy National Finance Director, Women for Kerry-Edwards 2004. To read Mrs. Pharaoh's, click here.