Mastering The Room

On this episode of Mastering The Room, we’re joined by Keysha Brooks-Coley, an alumnus of the Political Management program at GSPM and a veteran Hill staffer and lobbyist with extensive experience and expertise in health care policy issues.

She has worked for multiple high-powered women in the halls of Congress, including time spent as a legislative assistant to Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur of Ohio and then five years working with Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland as a professional staff member on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions—specifically on the Subcommittee on Retirement Security and Aging.

Keysha is currently the Vice President of Federal Advocacy and Strategic Alliances for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, where she serves as the head federal lobbyist for the organization, leads the Federal Relations team, and so much more.

On this episode of Mastering The Room, we’re joined by Aaron Lavallee, an alumnus of the Strategic Public Relations program at GSPM and currently the Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Food Safety and Inspection Service within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Prior to his time at USDA, Aaron started his career as an organizer for Howard Dean’s presidential campaign in 2004 and went onto serve in a variety of different roles on political campaigns, in Congress, and for consulting firms.

On this episode of Mastering The Room, we’re joined by Stephanie Vance — an alumna of the Legislative Affairs program and current adjunct faculty member at GSPM, and a 25 year veteran of the Washington political scene, where she has held positions as a lobbyist, grassroots consultant and Congressional aide.

Known as the Advocacy Guru, Stephanie is the author of five books including Citizens in Action: A Guide to Influencing Government, and her most recent release The Influence Game. She also puts her extensive experience on Capitol Hill to use as the founder of Advocacy Associates, a firm dedicated to helping individuals and organizations be both heard and agreed with in the legislative environment.

On this episode of Mastering The Room, we’re joined by Lindsay Murphy, an alumna of the Strategic Public Relations program at GSPM and currently the Executive Director for Strategic Communications at the American Forest and Paper Association — a national trade association that advances public policies that promote a strong and sustainable U.S. forest products industry in the global marketplace.

Prior to her current job, she worked with a variety of different consulting firms, trade associations and even on Capitol Hill, so we’re really fortunate to have her sharing her wealth of experience with us on the show.

On this episode of Mastering The Room, we’re joined by Nien Su, an alumnus of the Political Management and Legislative Affairs programs at GSPM and a veteran public policy and food industry executive with extensive experience on Capitol Hill, in the executive branch, and in the private sector with companies like Walmart.

Nien served multiple stints as a top aide on the House Foreign Affairs committee under former Committee Chair, Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), most recently as the committee’s Chief Economic Advisor. And he is currently the CEO of Artemis ESG, where he specializes in corporate public affairs and customized risk solutions for global supply chain operators in food, agriculture, and transportation.

On this episode of Mastering the Room, we’re joined by Matt Rhoades, an alumnus of the Political Management program at GSPM and a veteran of Republican politics. Matt is perhaps best known for his role as the campaign manager for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, but he has also worked for President George W. Bush and at the Republican National Committee, as well as co-founding the GOP outside group America Rising.

More recently, Matt partnered with Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager Robby Mook and Eric Rosenbach, former Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s Chief of Staff, to launch the Defending Digital Democracy Project at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

And he is currently the co-CEO of CGCN Group, an advocacy and strategic communications firm that specializes in helping corporations, non-profits and trade associations navigate complex legislative and regulatory issues.

And if all that wasn’t enough, Matt will also be the featured speaker at GSPM’s annual Fahrenkopf-Manatt Lecture on Thursday, October 24th. You can get more info on that event by following the link in our episode notes!

This episode on Mastering the Room, we’re joined by Katie Upton, an alumna of the Strategic Public Relations program at GSPM and currently a Senior Vice President at Edelman — a renowned global communications firm that partners with businesses and organizations to evolve, promote and protect their brands and reputations.

In our first episode of Mastering the Room, we’re joined by Mindy Finn, an alumna of the Political Management program at GSPM and a 15-year veteran of digital politics who has led digital and technology programs for the Republican National Committee, Mitt Romney, and George W. Bush, among many others. She was also a candidate for the vice presidency in the 2016 elections alongside her ticketmate Evan McMullin — and she’s now the co-founder and executive director of Stand Up America, where she continues her lifelong efforts to give a voice to more Americans in our democracy and inspire her fellow Americans to defend their freedoms.

Mastering The Room gives you a behind-the-scenes look inside the room where it happens, guided by some of the brightest minds in politics, advocacy and communications. New episodes drop on Mondays, beginning September 23.