Richard brings nearly a decade of experience representing the nation’s governors before Congress, the administration, and federal agencies. His expertise spans infrastructure, transportation, energy, telecommunications, economic development, public finance, tax policy, and international trade. Most recently, Richard served as legislative director at the National Governors Association, where he led federal advocacy efforts on behalf of the nation’s 55 governors and territorial leaders.
Prior to joining NGA, Richard held government affairs and public policy roles with The Trust for Public Land, the American Planning Association, and the National Association of Regional Councils, where he worked on issues spanning economic development, infrastructure, regional planning, conservation, and community revitalization. Richard holds a master’s degree in political management from the George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Gettysburg College and has also studied at American University and the London School of Economics.
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.
Kelley is a partner in FTP’s federal government relations practice. A federal lobbyist and legislative strategist with more than 20 years of experience, she represents Fortune 500 companies, Wall Street institutions, and national trade associations before Congress and federal agencies. Her practice centers on financial services, insurance, and banking policy, and extends across transportation, telecommunications, and fintech. She is a well-respected advocate on Capitol Hill, known for her engagement with House Democrats and financial services-focused members of the House Financial Services Committee.
Before joining FTP, Kelley served as associate vice president of legislative affairs at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), where she was the organization’s lead Democratic lobbyist for the House of Representatives. In that role, she drove MBA’s legislative agenda on GSE reform, real estate investment trust policy, flood insurance, High Volatility Commercial Real Estate loans, and regulatory relief.
Before MBA, Kelley served as director of government affairs at The Hartford, one of the largest insurance companies in the United States, where she managed the company’s federal lobbying on insurance policy. She began her career at the American Land Title Association, where she combined direct lobbying with oversight of the association’s political action committees.
Kelley holds a B.A. in Communication and Political Science from the University of Miami. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband.
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.
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.
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.
Jeff Strunk is a Partner in FTP’s Government Relations Practice. Jeff works with Fortune 500 companies, trade organizations, and coalitions, representing client interests on a range of legislative and regulatory issues and bringing particular expertise in financial products and services, banking, energy, telecommunications, tax, and cybersecurity.
Before joining the firm in 2013, Jeff spent eight years on Capitol Hill, including six years with House Republican Leadership, most recently serving as deputy floor director to former Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH). During his time in House Leadership, Mr. Strunk formed incredibly strong relationships with members of Congress from both sides of the aisle. He developed expertise in parliamentary procedure, House Rules, and a thorough understanding of the inner workings of House Leadership and Congress. These roots connect him to a wide variety of House Committees. He frequently works with members of the House Ways and Means, Financial Services, Energy and Commerce, Judiciary, and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees. Jeff also maintains deep ties to both the House Intelligence and Homeland Security Committees.
Prior to serving as deputy floor director to former Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH), Jeff spent three years as floor assistant. Earlier, he worked for former Congressman Patrick J. Tiberi (R-OH), a previous Chairman of the influential Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Health.
Jeff has long been active in the Republican Party, both in Ohio and at the national level. He has worked on numerous campaigns including that of his former boss Patrick J. Tiberi (R-OH). He continues to lead an organized volunteer campaign effort in his home state of Ohio. For more than six years, he has led an independent GOTV program in the Buckeye State that helps to provide grassroots support to Republican candidates at the local, state, and federal levels. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Mr. Strunk is a graduate of Xavier University, where he received his B.S. in Political Science. He and his wife and three children live in Washington, D.C.
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.
Andres is a senior vice president in FTP’s state advocacy (governor engagement) and federal government affairs practices and ranks among the country’s leading authorities on Latino political and economic strategy, with a career spanning three decades at the center of Latino politics. He began his career as an aide to Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), working on public lands, mining, transportation, immigration, and education and advising the senator on Latino issues and community engagement. Andres became one of the most influential figures in Nevada and national Latino politics, shaping how Washington understands the Latino electorate, and today translates that understanding into strategy for companies and investors whose markets and politics run through Latino communities in the United States and across Latin America.
Leading FTP’s Latin America work, Andres advises U.S. companies and investors on the cross‑border political and reputational dynamics that connect the United States and the rest of the Americas. As Latin America moves to the center of U.S. economic and security debates—from Venezuela and the Panama Canal to North American trade and competition with China over influence and supply chains—his relationships across the hemisphere help clients stay ahead of fast‑moving developments. He co‑founded Latinos in Foreign Policy and hosts FTP’s Latin America Policy Forum, which convenes Latin American ambassadors, policymakers, and corporate leaders around the world.
Andres works closely with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Nevada congressional delegation, major national Latino organizations, and national civic groups. A fixture in Democratic politics, he has served on the Democratic National Committee and raises funds through Latino donor networks and political action committees on behalf of Democratic candidates across the country, where shifting Latino demographics are reshaping American politics. A longtime advocate on Latino healthcare and public health issues, he serves on the board of the National Hispanic Health Foundation and as president of its Action Fund, advising health systems, payers, and life sciences companies on health equity and demographic risk. His community engagement and enrollment work has been honored at the highest levels, including a health enrollment program the Obama White House cited as a successful model.
Previously, Andres led national work on Latino political strategy and digital campaigns at NDN, a Washington think tank, and founded the Ramirez Group, an award‑winning public affairs and community engagement firm based in Las Vegas. He has managed and advised campaigns at the federal, state, and local levels and has served as a redistricting expert for state legislatures. He also worked in Nevada Governor Bob Miller’s (D) Washington office, focused on healthcare, transportation, and federal‑state coordination, and served as a federal lobbyist for the City of Las Vegas and Caesars Entertainment, building deep expertise in gaming, hospitality, and Western economic development.
Sam is a senior vice president in FTP’s state advocacy (50-state governor engagement) practice. Prior to joining FTP, Sam served as the senior deputy chief of staff for federal affairs at the Office of the Illinois Governor, JB Pritzker (D). In this capacity, he served as the State’s principal liaison to key federal partners including Illinois’ Congressional Delegation, the White House, and federal departments and agencies, making sure the State’s federal priorities were properly represented in legislative and policymaking decisions on Capitol Hill. Additionally, Sam maintained relationships and communication with other states that shared similar federal-level goals, such as identifying common issues and forming multi-state strategic partnerships to better amplify advocacy efforts with various federal decision makers.
Sam began his time with the Illinois Governor’s Federal Affairs Office in 2019 as a legislative aide before assuming the role of first assistant deputy chief of staff in 2020 and ultimately was tapped to lead Governor Pritzker’s D.C. office in the spring of 2022. During his time leading Governor Pritzker’s federal affairs team and serving as Illinois’ designated infrastructure coordinator, Sam spearheaded Illinois’ federal funding strategy and was a key player in bringing home hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of federal discretionary grant awards to projects across the state.
Most notably, Sam focused on securing funding opportunities made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Notable BIL wins that Sam helped deliver for Illinois’ infrastructure needs included nearly $100 million for Chicago Union Station, $95 million for Illinois’ I-290, $52 million for Route 9 in Bloomington, and over $290 million for the CREATE rail program. Sam furthered Illinois’ nation-leading clean energy goals by helping the state secure significant IRA funding awards, including over $200 million in Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund dollars and a $430 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant award.
Additionally, Sam also led advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill related to Illinois’ ambitious quantum computing agenda which helped bring federal quantum funding and initiatives to Illinois, including The Bloch EDA Tech Hub and the DARPA-Illinois Quantum Proving Ground. Sam earned his undergraduate bachelor’s degree at the Pennsylvania State University’s Smeal College of Business. Although born in Chicago, Sam was raised in Potomac, M.D., and considers the Washington, D.C.-area home.
