Amy McConkey grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina with two younger  brothers in a deeply religious household. Father was a small business  man in textiles. She did not have much interest in politics as a child  except for dinner talks during presidential elections. Amy was not sure  which major to pick when she joined UNC Chapel Hill until during her 2nd  semester class in political science. Most of her friends hated it  except Amy. Amy also loved writing and communicating. So she also  applied to School of Journalism as a double major to tap into her  communication skills. She got a taste of local politics when she started  writing at the Daily Tarheel. From that point, after graduation, how  did she get into lobbying? What is her favorite movie? We talk all about  it in this next episode with Amy McConkey.

Lander Hiott grew up in a small town in the mountains called Pickens in South Carolina. His great grand father, grand father and father owned a printing company. Lander always had a keen interest in state politics, primarily because of his father, Rep. David Hiott. Lander's natural inclination to politics led him be the student body president and eventually even run for statehouse races even before the age of 17. He then applied to Univ of South Carolina in political science and enjoyed thoroughly all the course work. Lander went on to work as a campaign manager and as a legislative monitor before deciding to move into the world of lobbying. Who are Lander's role models? What do Lander and his Dad talk during free time? Let's learn about Lander Hiott's journey and personal story in this next episode. 

Ashley Perkinson grew up in a small town Archdale, North Carolina. A family of four, Ashley was interested in Arts, primarily in music and not so much in politics. Ashley pursued music with Clarinet during her freshman year but got to a point where she decided music would be more of a hobby than a profession. So she switched majors during her  sophomore year to Journalism and Mass Communication at UNC Chapel Hill. Her first step into politics was when she applied for internship at the White House in DC and was located at the West Wing press office when Bill Clinton was in office. She also had an internship at the NCGA was instantly attracted to the legislative process and the people involved.  Ashley went to apply for Law school at the Univ of NC and practiced commercial litigation after graduation. In 2005 is when she stepped into  the world of lobbying. How and more importantly why?  Broadway star,  cooking, traveling?  Let's learn about Ashley's personal interests and her journey in government relations in this next episode.

Mr. Roger Tellinghuisen was born in Eastern South Dakota. He is the oldest of 4 kids with 3 younger sisters. Mr. Roger moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin when he was 10 years old because of his dad's job as an Insurance salesman. All his schooling and the first 2 years of under-graduation was in Wisconsin. When his parents moved back to Spearfish, South Dakota, Mr. Roger fell in love with the city and transferred to Black Hills State University to complete his under-graduation in Business Administration. When he was in the 8th grade, he distinctly remembers watching his favorite TV show Judd for the Defense and deciding that he was going to be lawyer. His inner desire naturally led him to apply for law school in University of South Dakota. After graduating from Law, what sparked Mr. Roger's interest to become the Attorney General of South Dakota and what were his cherished accomplishments during his tenure? What would he do if he was the governor of South Dakota for a day? Let's learn about Mr.Roger's illustrious career in this next episode.

Lauren Pollow grew up outside of Albany, New York. Having two elder brothers, Lauren was a skilled arguer so was a natural in debates in her high school. Lauren's first foray into politics was during President Bush's elections. Being a people person, she was keen to learn about people's behavior and so took up Psychology at the University at Buffalo. Did that help her in lobbying career? After graduation, she volunteered at the NY state assembly and was hooked onto government processes and relations. She worked hard and became Legislative Director of JL Morgan in Georgia. What made her move from NY to Georgia? What would she be if she wasn't a lobbyist? Let's dive into Lauren's personal story in this next episode.

Cady Thomas grew up in Edenton North Carolina for 17 years. She was the only child, grew up with a lot of friends and had the quintessential town life. Her family was involved in politics but she was always interested in policy than politics. Her inclination to policy led her to pick Political Science at Sweet Briar College. Cady liked learning International government classes but the real eye opening class in Cady's life was when she was given 4 different country constitutions and was asked to pick a country to live in. What sparked Cady's interest in the political side of policy rather than the legal side of the policy in that specific class? Cady then started her career at the Capitol Hill, worked at the North Carolina Association of Realtors as the Director of Regulatory Affairs and eventually as a Partner at Focus Public Affairs. Let's listen into Cady Thomas' personal story.

Representative Terry England was the only child, born and raised in Georgia. He grew up on a farm, his father, grand father, great grand father were all carpenters. Rep. England was fascinated by politics since childhood. He went on a 5th grade field trip to the State Capitol and fell in love with it. His early part of the career was in growing produce and later on in the farm supply business. As a Georgia House Representative, Mr. England discusses what matters most to his  constituents of District 116 - transportation issues, means to good health care and Education. What are the essential qualities of a politician and how does Rep England feel about the Georgia legislative process? We talk all about it in this episode with Representative Terry England.

Brian Flynn was the only child, born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina. Brian was a political nerd right from childhood who loved current events. After graduating from high school, he wanted to have discipline and structure. So he joined the Citadel, the military college of South Carolina, where he learnt two important aspects of life which stuck with him in his career - the honor code not to lie and how to respond when asked a question. After graduation, he worked on a home improvement business before being deployed to Afghanistan for a year as a Military Intelligence officer. What happened during his deployment which triggered the start of his lobbying career path? Let's dive into Brian Flynn's career and how he became the Senior Vice President at McGuireWoods Consulting in this next episode.

Kristen Casimir grew up in Lowell Massachusetts where she attended high school. She  went to college for Liberal Arts in Southern New Hampshire University for about a year and then transferred out to Atlanta, Georgia where she got her Bachelors in Public Policy. How did that shift happen? As a youngster watching CSI and Criminal minds TV shows, she always wanted to be an FBI agent. Kristen was advised that the next best thing to Law enforcement was Public Policy. She learned quickly that she could be a part of governance, non-profits and actively working in politics to bring a change in her community. Her first foray into Government Affairs was in her internship with Georgia World Congress Center. Kristen learned how to approach, speak to legislators and budgeting. She worked her way up from that point working in several government relations positions and currently working as an associate with Connect South. Let's listen in to what Kristen learned during this journey.

Chris Emanuel was hired as an airline pilot at prime age of 21. He served with US airways for 38.5 years where he flew different types of aircrafts, worked as a manager in the training command to train pilots. Once he retired from a long distinguished career at US Airways, he started volunteering in politics, worked with different candidates in state wide elections. Meeting with different legislators and lobbyists at the NCGA, he loved the field of lobbying. He then started his own consulting group in Charlotte and never looked back from that point. Let's listen to this interesting story of Chris Emanuel in this next episode.