Mastering The Room

On this episode, we’re joined by Austin Weatherford, an alumnus of the Political Management program at GSPM and a veteran of the legislative branch, who has spent the better part of two decades working on Capitol Hill in a variety of roles, including as a long-time aide to Republican House members like Congressmen Mike Conaway of Texas and Charles Djou of Hawaii.

Currently, he serves as Chief of Staff to Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois — a role he’s held for the past 8 years as Congressman Kinzinger has become one of the most distinctive voices in his party and in our national political conversation. As a result, Austin has picked up a wealth of knowledge about how Congress works and been smack dab in the middle of some of the biggest political moments of our time, so we’re extremely lucky to have him here with us.

On this episode, we’re joined by Pam Yuen, an alumna of the Strategic Public Relations program at GSPM and a detail-oriented lobbying and government relations professional with a decade-long track record of experience in legislative analysis, public policy, grassroots advocacy, public relations, and constituent services.

Pam started her career on Capitol Hill as an aide to Congressman Frank Pallone, but ultimately moved on from Congress to hold several roles in government relations for the American Association of University Women over the course of 8 years.

Since 2019, she’s been with YWCA — a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all — where today she serves as the organization’s Director of Government Relations.

On this episode, we’re joined by Carney Anne Nasser, an alumna of the Community Advocacy program at GSPM and a big cat expert and leading animal protection attorney who pitched the wildlife trafficking case against the now-infamous “Tiger King” Joe Exotic that led to his conviction for multiple federal crimes and a 22-year prison sentence.

Professor Nasser has a long and storied career in the animal law space, with most of her seventeen years of legal practice focused on combatting the exotic pet trade and wildlife trafficking, with a significant focus on the protection and conservation of tigers and other big cats. As part of that mission, she has worked with some of the leading organizations in wildlife protection — including serving as a senior attorney for wildlife and regulatory affairs at the Animal Legal Defense Fund and as Associate Director for Captive Animal Law Enforcement at PETA.

In 2017, Professor Nasser became the founding director of the animal welfare clinic at Michigan State University’s College of Law, which also made her only the second full-time animal law professor in the world. Today, she is a ​​Research Fellow in the Animal Law and Policy Program at Harvard Law School, alongside her work as an in-demand consultant to candidates, elected officials, government agencies, corporations, and organizations that seek her expert guidance on animal welfare policy, strategy and communications.

Oh, and as if all that wasn’t enough, she also recently served as the executive producer of a critically acclaimed documentary film, The Conservation Game, which follows the story of a retired cop who makes a bombshell discovery while undercover at an exotic animal auction and begins an investigation into whether America’s top television celebrity conservationists may be secretly connected to the exotic pet trade.

On this episode, we’re joined by Remmington Belford, an alumnus of the Strategic Public Relations program at GSPM and an up-and-coming communications professional who knows the halls of Congress like the back of his hand.

Remmington has spent most of his career working on the Hill, for representatives like Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and his current boss Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, in a variety of communications and legislative roles. And he also recently served as the communications director for Jackie Gordon’s campaign in New York’s 2nd Congressional District during the 2020 election.

But in addition to his crucial work in Congress and the campaign trail during the day, Remmington also uses his talents to benefit a variety of causes and organizations near and dear to his heart, such as the United Negro College Fund and a nonprofit called Black, Gifted and Whole, where he serves as the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships.

On this episode, we’re joined by Stami Williams, an alumna of and adjunct professor for the Political Management program at GSPM and an experienced communications operative who has extensive experience both on Capitol Hill and on the campaign trail.

Stami started her career in the state offices of her home state Senators Saxby Chambliss and David Perdue, before moving to the District and taking on a press role in Senator Perdue’s DC office. She later jumped to the other side of the Hill, where she served as Communications Director to three different House members: Congressman Jeb Hensarling, Congresswoman Karen Handel and Congressman Joe Wilson.

Since 2019, Stami has been working in the campaign world as the communications director for the Republican State Leadership Committee, which is the only national organization committed to electing Republicans in state-level offices across all 50 states. And she’s recently taken on a new role as communications director for Jack Ciattarelli, who is running to become New Jersey’s next governor in the upcoming 2021 election.

On this episode, we’re joined by Jamie Hennigan, an alumnus of the Strategic Public Relations program at GSPM and a master communicator who has worked in virtually every nook and cranny of politics and government — from his start on the campaign trail to a stint in the White House and from the halls of Congress to his current job representing one of the biggest trade associations in Washington.

Early in his career, Jamie worked in Vice Presidential Operations from the Bush-Cheney ’04 campaign, before taking a role as Assistant Press Secretary to Vice President Cheney in the White House following his reelection. He then headed to the Hill, where he served as Communications Director and Senior Policy Advisor for Congressman John Fleming of Louisiana, before moving to the House Committee on Natural Resources as the majority staff’s Director of Outreach and Communications Advisor.

But in 2013, he left government and joined the National Association of Manufacturers, a key trade association that represents more than 14,000 member companies from across the country in every industrial sector, and where he still works today as the association’s Vice President of Communications.

On this episode, we’re joined by Dimitry Pompee, an alumnus of the Legislative Affairs program at GSPM and someone who has taken a unique career path that’s completely different from every other guest we’ve had on this show: He’s our first lobbyist turned screenwriter — and you don’t find many of those out there!

Dimitry began his career working in government relations for organizations like the United States Navy and the United States Postal Service. But eventually he heard the call of the silver screen and made his way to Hollywood, where he has since participated in the CBS Writers Mentoring Program and worked as a staff writer for the popular Disney Channel show Gabby Duran and the Unsittables.

Tune in to hear more about Dimitry's hilarious, inspiring journey!

On this episode of Mastering The Room, we’re joined by Colby Jenkins, an alumnus of (and former professor for) the Legislative Affairs program at GSPM and a dynamic leader with experience everywhere from the battlefields of Afghanistan to the upper reaches of the Pentagon to the halls of Congress to the fast-moving world of Silicon Valley.

Colby began his career in the U.S. Army, where he was a Green Beret and commanded a Special Forces A-Team in combat, including deployments in Afghanistan, Colombia and Paraguay. He eventually returned to the states and served in a number of policy roles, including as a liaison between Congress and the Pentagon, where he managed the congressional portfolio of the U.S. military’s #2 in command.

After a long and successful career in Washington, Colby made the move to the West Coast, where he first worked as a program manager for Google and then as the director of operations for the Defense Innovation Unit, which is the Pentagon’s Silicon Valley innovation operation.

Today, he serves as the Director of the Atwood Innovation Plaza at Dixie State University in St. George, Utah, where he helps the Southern Utah community innovate, create and launch their own ideas.

On this episode of Mastering the Room, we’re joined by Lindsey Holman, an alumna of the Political Management program at GSPM and a veteran emergency management professional, who has more than a decade of experience working with public and private entities to prepare, prevent, respond, and recover from natural and man-made hazards.

Most recently, Lindsey worked as the Associate Legislative Director for Justice & Public Safety at the National Association of Counties, where she planned and executed advocacy campaigns related to emergency management, homeland security, and criminal justice legislation and executive branch actions.

She has also spent many years as a consultant, with notable firms like Witt O’Brien’s and Eagle Hill Consulting. Today, she runs her own shop as the Chief Executive Officer of Holman Strategies LLC, where she offers comprehensive technical and advisory solutions to both public and private sector clients navigating the complexities of crisis management, continuity of operations, government affairs, emergency management, and homeland security.

On this episode of Mastering The Room, we’re joined by Erika Briceño Howard, an alumna of the Political Management program at GSPM and a veteran communicator, who has mastered her craft in both agency and in-house environments.

Erika started her career at Edelman, the legendary communications consultancy, where she spent three years helping high-profile clients in the technology and energy sectors solve their biggest communications challenges.

But she left agency life behind in 2014 to go in-house at the United Nations Foundation, a strategic partner that helps the UN mobilize the ideas, people, and resources it needs to deliver, and grow a diverse and durable constituency for global collective action.

In the seven years since, she has worked her way up through the ranks, all the way to her current role, in which she serves as the foundation’s Senior Director of Communications and External Relations.