Michael is a partner in FTP’s federal government relations practice, focused on health and agriculture policy. Michael brings deep Democratic policy expertise shaped by senior roles in labor, tax, trade, and healthcare.
Over nearly a decade in and around government, Michael understands the risk and opportunity that D.C. presents for clients. As legislative director to Representative Lucy McBath (D-GA) and in the office of Senator Doug Jones (D-AL), Michael advanced legislative priorities through committee work, coalition strategy, and caucus leadership.
Michael joined FTP to help guide clients through the complex and ever-changing landscape of Washington, D.C. He offers sharp political instincts, trusted relationships across the party, and deep connectivity to the current generation of Hill leaders. Whether he is guiding Fortune 500s or advising startups, Michael is keenly focused on how government relations can produce ROI for the business of his clients.
Zach is a partner in FTP’s federal government relations practice. He provides guidance to Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, and government entities on legislative strategies before Congress.
Zach has constructed and executed dozens of strategies on behalf of clients on issues across tax, finance, housing, healthcare, and technology. He has secured millions of dollars in federal funding for clients, representing universities and municipalities before the Senate and House Appropriations Committees.
A partner at Cauthen, Forbes & Williams — which later became FTP — and former managing director of Cauthen and Associates in Washington, D.C., Zach’s experience in Democratic politics began with his work with the Alabama Democratic Party in the 1996 statewide coordinated campaign. He coordinated logistics for credentials at the 2000 and 2004 Democratic National Conventions, helped lead grassroots efforts in Pennsylvania for Gore–Lieberman 2000 and Lieberman for Senate 2006, and served as a top advisor in then–Lt. Governor Lucy Baxley’s 2006 campaign for Governor of Alabama.
A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, Zach received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Foreign Languages and also studied business law at the L’Ecole Supérieure du Commerce Extérieur in Paris, France. Zach and his wife are natives of Alabama and have two children.
Lauren is a director in FTP’s public affairs practice. She works with FTP’s field network to advance client interests at the state and federal levels through community engagement, earned and paid media, and content development.
Lauren’s on-the-ground experience and creative style make her a versatile team member, bouncing from complex trade issues to emotional healthcare appeals. She is able to quickly “get smart” on any issue, and think strategically about the best course of action for any problem.
Starting her career at a boutique public affairs firm in Nashville, TN allowed her to hone her communications, research, and government affairs skills. Lauren was immersed in all aspects of client work on a diverse set of issues, from opposing wastewater treatment plants to securing Certificates of Need or handling strategic communication for law enforcement co-response units.
Hailing from Irmo, SC, she is passionate about connecting with real people on real issues, and centers deep understanding of target audiences and communities for every issue.
Derrick is a partner in FTP’s federal government relations practice. Prior to joining FTP in 2015, Derrick was a member of the federal government relations team at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) from 2012 to 2015, leading the organization’s engagement with Republican Senators, their staffs, and committee staffs. Derrick played a central role in BIO’s efforts on reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, the Food and Drug Safety and Innovation Act, the Drug Quality and Security Act, patent reform, 340B reform, biodefense, and vaccines, as well as 21st Century Cures legislation and the next PDUFA reauthorization effort. As an independent consultant, Derrick advised and represented the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and other biopharmaceutical companies on legislative deliberations around the Affordable Care Act and the America Invents Act.
Earlier, Derrick was a member of the federal government relations team at PhRMA from 2001 to 2009 with responsibility for the Senate Republican Caucus, working on Medicare, Medicaid, PDUFA reauthorizations, Project Bioshield, patents, biodefense, vaccines, and 340B reform. He also worked with Congress on the Medicare Modernization Act creating Medicare Part D. Derrick previously served on the staff of Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT), where he covered healthcare, defense, and trade.
Caroline is a director in FTP’s public affairs practice, where she supports national and multi‑state public affairs campaigns across the health care sector. Her work focuses on developing and executing strategic communication initiatives that elevate provider voices, strengthen health care access, and advance advocacy efforts across complex health care landscapes.
Caroline leads national campaign strategy and manages relationships with advocacy partners and state teams, advising on campaign expansion, stakeholder engagement, and messaging to strengthen visibility and positioning for clients. Previously, she worked at Ketchum on the Public Sector and Government team, supporting federal health‑communications initiatives focused on research participation, health literacy, and workforce development through communications and outreach.
Claire is a director on the research and policy analysis team. She provides strategic policy research and analysis across a broad portfolio that includes healthcare, trade, emerging technology, and energy, supporting the firm’s government relations practice by evaluating federal legislation, regulatory developments, and stakeholder landscapes and translating complex policy issues into actionable recommendations for clients.
In addition to producing policy memos and original qualitative research, Claire launched and authors FTP’s biweekly newsletter on U.S.–China relations and has led efforts to enhance the firm’s research offerings. Prior to joining FTP, she worked as a regulatory compliance consultant at an international outsourced financial services firm, where she helped develop and test compliance programs for investment advisory firms. She also served as an intern for the reelection campaign of Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), contributing to fundraising and outreach efforts. Claire holds a B.A. in Public Policy from the University of Michigan and is originally from San Diego, California.
Doug Usher is a partner and leads FTP’s insights and analytics practice. He has spent the last two decades building insights that have helped change the strategic trajectory of major corporations, industry associations, and political campaigns. Combining deep expertise in opinion research, data analysis, and analytics with years of experience navigating the intersection between business goals and the political, policy, and regulatory spheres, Doug helps clients build winning strategies and campaigns across a broad range of industries, with a particular focus on the healthcare, technology, and energy sectors.
In addition to his work at FTP, Doug helped launch the M.S. program in Political Analytics at Columbia University, where he consults, lectures, and helps develop the next generation of analytics professionals. Doug has appeared on MSNBC, CNBC, Fox News, CNN, National Public Radio, and CBC TV in Canada to analyze trends in public opinion and politics. His writing has been published in The Wall Street Journal, National Journal, The Hill, and Campaigns & Elections.
Barrett is a partner in FTP’s federal government relations practice who specializes in building public policy campaigns for life sciences corporations launching new products or service lines. Drawing on 20 years of experience in health policy and market access, he advocates on legislative issues before Congress and on regulatory matters before the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Food and Drug Administration, and other agencies, as well as state governor offices.
Barrett’s work spans chronic and infectious diseases, oncology, innovative diagnostics and medical devices, niche and orphan therapeutics, and value‑based business models and commercial market management. He helps clients anticipate and shape policy debates that affect reimbursement, coverage, and commercialization pathways for cutting‑edge therapies and technologies.
He began his career on Capitol Hill, serving as a health care legislative assistant for Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA), and Representative Charlie Norwood (R-GA). Barrett received his B.A. in Government and B.A. in Classical Archaeology from Dartmouth College and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. He is a licensed attorney and lives in McLean, Virginia.
Tori is a senior vice president in FTP’s federal government relations practice. She helps clients navigate significant trade policy exposure, including Section 232 and 301 investigations, domestic content and de minimis rules, and the trade agreements that govern global commerce. For manufacturers, importers, and exporters exposed to tariffs and trade actions, she builds strategies tailored to each client’s manufacturing footprint and political reach, identifying champions who will carry a company’s case.
She orchestrates strategies that engage Republican congressional leaders and members of the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees, as well as decision makers at USTR, Commerce, Treasury, and the White House to move outcomes in her clients’ favor. One of the country’s leading conservative experts on trade, Tori spent nearly a decade at the Heritage Foundation, where she rose to lead its trade policy work as the Jay Van Andel trade economist, before directing international economic policy at the American Action Forum.
She has published extensively on tariffs, Buy American laws, and the economic impact of trade barriers on American businesses and consumers. Tori took her expertise to Capitol Hill as a tax and trade advisor to Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) of the Senate Finance Committee, drafting tax legislation and helping shape the senator’s positions across the committee’s trade and tax jurisdiction. She authors “Trade Winds,” FTP’s guide to the fast-moving trade landscape, and is a frequent television commentator and widely published author.
Tori works alongside the firm’s national security and regional practices on trade exposure facing clients across borders, including the USMCA review that will shape the future of North American trade and national security. A native Michigander who began her career as a legislative aide in the Michigan House of Representatives, she holds a B.A. in International Relations from Michigan State University and an M.A. in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University.
Cristina is a senior vice president in FTP’s public affairs practice, where she specializes in building integrated communications programs for corporate, nonprofit, and government clients in the healthcare space. She leads initiatives across partnership development, corporate reputation, executive visibility, thought leadership, and public health and healthcare public affairs, advising pharmaceutical companies, foundations, advocacy organizations, associations, payers, and hospitals and health systems on how to reach and engage priority stakeholders.
On behalf of clients, Cristina oversees national public affairs campaigns that advance specific policy, advocacy, and stakeholder goals. Her environment‑shaping work currently focuses on therapeutic innovations in pain management, opioid use disorder, and overdose reversal, helping clients communicate clearly about complex science and policy questions while navigating sensitive political and reputational dynamics.
Cristina has managed media relations programs for a leading vaccine manufacturer during the COVID‑19 pandemic and led executive visibility and corporate reputation efforts for Biogen’s neuroscience portfolio, Lilly’s Alzheimer’s disease and oncology business units, and Sandoz, Novartis’s generics and biosimilars manufacturer. Her public health and payer experience ranges from supporting national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention campaigns to designing signature community health programs for Kaiser Permanente.
Cristina holds a Master of Arts in Management with a concentration in Marketing from Wake Forest University and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and International Relations from the College of William & Mary. She lives on Capitol Hill with her husband and two daughters, and she enjoys hiking and biking the trails across the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia region.
