About WCEY professionals

WCEY's professionals have held senior policy positions in the Executive Branch, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Partners and principals have held senior policy positions in the government's executive and legislative branches.

Team bios

LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson is a member of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young practice where she represents clients before the Congress and at Treasury on a broad range of federal income tax issues, providing services related to corporate and international taxation. » LaBrenda held a senior position on the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation where she had significant responsibility for the tax-exempt leasing rules, straddles and other securities-related provisions in the Deficit Reduction Act of 1984, and the foreign currency, corporate and capital cost recovery provisions in the Tax Reform Act of 1986. » In addition to substantial transactional experience in the private sector (she began her career with Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson in New York and was a partner in Piper & Marbury), LaBrenda served as an adjunct professor in the graduate division of the Georgetown University Law Center for five terms, and has lectured at continuing legal education programs and before professional and trade organizations. » LaBrenda received a B.A. from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, and a J.D. and an LL.M. in taxation from New York University School of Law.

Gary Gasper | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » Gary Gasper is one of the leaders of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young practice. He assists clients on a variety of matters before Congress, the White House, the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service. Gary provides services related to federal tax legislative and regulatory matters involving corporate taxation, financial products, tax-exempt entities, employee benefits, insurance taxation and other areas. » From 1989 to 1993, during Presidents George H.W. Bush and Clinton Administrations, Gary served as Senior Tax Advisor in the Office of Tax Policy at the Department of the Treasury and as Assistant to the Internal Revenue Service Commissioner. Gary was selected by President George W. Bush to serve on the 2000 “Transition Team” for the Department of the Treasury. He previously worked at a leading national law firm and served as an Attorney-Advisor to the Honorable Judge Perry Shields of the US Tax Court. Gary also served as Tax Advisor to the National Commission on Economic Growth and Tax Reform (Kemp Commission). » Gary received a B.S. in accountancy from the University of Illinois, a J.D. from DePaul University College of Law and an LL.M. in taxation from Georgetown University Law Center. He is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the state of Illinois and in the District of Columbia. Gary is the former Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Taxation's Government Relations and Formation of Tax Policy committees.

Nicholas P. Giordano | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » Nicholas Giordano is one of the leaders of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young practice and provides services related to tax and budget issues. » Prior to joining Ernst & Young, Nick served as the Chief Tax Counsel of the US Senate Committee on Finance, where he advised the Committee and other members of the Senate on substantive tax policy issues, as well as budget and parliamentary issues. Prior to his position with the Finance Committee, Nick served as the National Director for Tax Legislative Services at Ernst & Young. He has also served as Legislative Director and Tax Counsel for Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), where his responsibilities included coordination of all Senate floor items. » Nick recently completed a two-year term as the Chair of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' Tax Legislation and Policy Committee. He also is a former chair of the American Bar Association's Formation of Tax Policy Committee. » Nick is a graduate of Syracuse University and received a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School and an LL.M. in taxation from Georgetown University Law Center.

Francis Grab | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » Francis Grab is a member of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young practice where he advises clients on tax, budget and international trade issues. » Prior to joining the firm, Francis served as the Tax and Trade Counsel for Representative Robert T. Matsui (D-CA), a senior member of the Committee on Ways and Means, for the 105th, 106th and 107th Congresses (1997-2002). In this capacity, he advised the Congressman on tax, pension and trade policy matters. Francis was the Principal House Democratic Staff Contact for the successful effort to pass Permanent Normal Trade Relations for China in the 106th Congress. During the 105th Congress, he was the Trade Advisor to Mr. Matsui, who was then the ranking member of the Trade Subcommittee. » Francis previously served as Tax Legislative Assistant for Representative Xavier Becerra (D-CA), a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, and also worked for another Committee member, Representative Gerald Kleczka (D-WI). » Francis served as the Chair of the Tax Policy Committee for the Barack Obama Presidential campaign. » Francis received degrees from Swarthmore College and the Emory University School of Law. He also received an LL.M. in taxation from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Anne E. Phelps | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » Anne E. Phelps is a member of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young practice. Anne has extensive policy and legislative experience in a broad range of federal health care legislative and regulatory issues. Her experience includes employee health benefits, health insurance and Medicare law for plans and providers, health care savings and tax vehicles, and pharmaceutical and device industry issues. » Anne has been in Washington, D.C. since 1989 and has held several health policy, legislative and political positions. Prior to joining Washington Council Ernst & Young in 2002, she served in the Bush Administration as Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy (Health). She served as the Chief Health Policy Advisor to the President for the Domestic Policy Council, where she developed proposals and recommendations on national health policy issues, pending legislation and regulatory matters. She also served as the Executive Director of the 2004 Republican National Platform Committee. » Prior to joining the Bush Administration, Anne worked for Senator Bill Frist (R-TN) as the Staff Director for the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Subcommittee on Public Health. Her main areas of focus included health insurance and managed care, public health and biomedical research, bioterrorism, medical records privacy and bioethics issues. Anne also worked for Senator Nancy Kassebaum (R-KS), Chair of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee. Prior to her work on Capitol Hill, Anne spent nearly five years working at the National Institutes of Health in a variety of health policy and legislative roles. » Anne received a B.A. from the University of Dayton and an M.A. in public policy from The George Washington University.

Robert M. Rozen | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » Robert Rozen is a member of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young practice where he provides services related to federal tax, real estate and intellectual property issues for a variety of corporate, non-profit and trade association clients. » Robert served 15 years in various staff positions in the US Senate, working first as Legislative Assistant for Senator Wendell Ford (D-KY), and then as Legislative Counsel to the Senate Majority Leader, George J. Mitchell (D-ME). » In his work for the Senate leadership, Robert was primarily responsible for economic policy issues involving tax, financial services, health and budget matters, as well as campaign finance reform and other election-law issues. As Legislative Counsel to Senator Mitchell, Robert participated in the development of every tax bill from 1986 to 1994, and provided strategic advice to the Majority Leader in connection with the major deficit reduction bills in 1990 and 1993. He also was deeply involved in the development of comprehensive health care reform legislation in the 102nd and 103rd Congresses. » For his many years of work in and out of government in support of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, Robert was selected as one of the five original members of the Affordable Housing Hall of Fame by Affordable Housing Finance Magazine. In addition, he has been selected by Tax Notes magazine as one of the top 10 federal tax lobbyists. » Robert is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He has a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School and an LL.M. in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center.

Bob Schellhas | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » Bob Schellhas is a member of Ernst & Young’s Washington Council Ernst & Young practice where he represents clients on a wide range of issues before the Congress and the Executive Branch. » Bob most recently served as the Managing Director and Head of Federal Government Affairs in the Washington, D.C., Global Government Affairs office for Citigroup, Inc. Prior to Citigroup, Bob was the Vice President of Federal Relations for the American Council of Life Insurers, representing the Washington interests of more than 400 domestic and global life insurance companies. » Bob has had a distinguished career in Washington including having served as Deputy Chief of Staff to current Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH), Communications Director and Senior Legislative Assistant to current House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI), and Chief of Staff and Trade Advisor to then-Congressman (now Senator) Rob Portman (R-OH). Bob got his start in politics 25 years ago with then-Congressman Bill Schuette, who is now Michigan's Attorney General. » Bob, a native of Clare, Michigan, holds a B.S. in Political Science and Economics from Central Michigan University.

Timothy J. Urban | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » Timothy Urban is a member of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young practice and leads Washington Council's Renewable Energy & Climate Change practice. » He has represented a variety of clients on energy issues, including tax credits for electricity from renewable resources, investment incentives for purchases of solar energy property, production tax credits for biodiesel and proposed incentives for investment and production associated with Cellulosic Biomass Ethanol. Since 1999, Tim has worked with Congress and Administration officials in the development of renewable energy tax policy. »In addition, he works closely with trade associations and companies representing a wide variety of renewable energy technologies and works with the environmental community on developing energy and climate change policy options that can garner a broad base of support. Tim frequently speaks on energy policy issues. » Prior to joining Washington Council Ernst & Young, Tim served as the Committee on Ways and Means Staff Associate for Representative Wally Herger (R-CA). In that role, he was responsible for advising Representative Herger on tax, trade, pension and health policy issues; creating and implementing the annual tax legislative agendas; drafting legislation and testimony; and coordinating with Committee and Joint Committee staff. » Tim previously served as Legislative Assistant at a national law firm. There, he was responsible for covering the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance. » Tim received a B.A. from The George Washington University. He also graduated from the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center. Tim received military awards from the Governments of France and Italy.

Weston J. Coulam | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » Weston Coulam is a member of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young practice where he represents clients before Congress and provides services related to a broad range of policy areas, including financial services, corporate taxation, employee benefits and energy tax issues. » Prior to joining Ernst & Young, Wes was Executive Director at Morgan Stanley, a global financial services firm, and represented Morgan Stanley before Congress and the Executive Branch on various financial services, corporate tax, real estate and energy policy issues. » Wes has extensive experience working in Congress, including as Staff Director of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, chaired by Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME), where he led the Committee's work providing oversight of federal programs serving the small business sector and in authorizing the Small Business Administration and its business development and lending programs. In addition to his duties as Staff Director, Wes continued as principal adviser to Senator Snowe (whose staff he joined in March 2003 as Senior Tax Policy Advisor) on a range of important policy issues, including the federal budget, taxation, and general economic issues. Wes also served as a Legislative Assistant to Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), where he had responsibility for tax, banking, and employee benefit issues. Wes has been involved in most of the major tax and budget legislation that Congress has considered since 1993. » Wes has also worked at Deloitte & Touche and Arthur Andersen, where he advised corporate clients on corporate tax, energy and benefits policy issues. » Wes received a B.S. from the University of Maryland University College and an MBA from The George Washington University.

Donna Steele Flynn | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » Donna Steele Flynn is a member of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young practice where she provides services related to tax legislative issues, particularly in the areas of tax administration and energy tax policy. » Before joining the firm, Donna served from 1994 to 1998 as the Staff Director of the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight. Donna directed the Subcommittee's investigative and legislative activities, including planning and preparation for hearings and markup sessions, drafting legislation and Subcommittee reports, and managing the Subcommittee's professional staff. During her service on the Subcommittee staff, Donna was the Principal Counsel on the Taxpayer Bill of Rights 2, enacted in 1996, and the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act, enacted in 1998. » Immediately prior to joining the Subcommittee staff, Donna was tax counsel to the Independent Petroleum Association of America. She also had served from 1988 to 1994 as Legislative Director to Representative Bill Archer (R-TX), the former Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. » Donna received a B.S. from the University of Maryland and a J.D. from the George Mason University School of Law.

David H. Koshgarian | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » David H. Koshgarian is a member of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young practice where he provides services on tax, budget and retirement savings issues. » Before joining Ernst & Young, David served for 25 years in various staff positions in the House of Representatives. From 1987 to June 2002, he was Chief of Staff to Representative Benjamin Cardin, a senior member of the Committee on Ways and Means. In this capacity, David advised the congressman on tax, budget and pension policy. » David was the Chief Adviser to Representative Cardin in connection with the congressman's work as the lead House Democrat on the Internal Revenue Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 and on the pension title of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. As Chief Adviser to the Democratic Caucus Committee on Organization, Study and Review, David worked closely with the House Democratic leadership on House rules and procedures. » David also has extensive experience as Budget Committee Associate Staff to several members of the House Budget Committee. In 1984, he served as a speechwriter on the vice presidential campaign of Geraldine Ferraro. » David received a B.A. from The George Washington University.

Jeff Levey | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » Jeff Levey is a member of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young practice where he provides services related to tax policy issues, including international tax, financial services company and product issues, and other corporate tax issues. He has a broad range of experience working on tax policy issues in Washington and around the globe for more than 25 years. » Jeff has worked on tax policy issues since the early 1980s, most recently (until May 2009) as Vice President and Director of Tax Legislative and Regulatory Policy for Citigroup, covering both US and non-US tax issues in Citigroup's Global Government Affairs Office. In 12 years at Citigroup, he was responsible for working with policy-makers in Congress and the Executive Branch on federal tax matters of significance to the company as a whole and its subsidiaries. Jeff also covered renewable energy and climate change issues, including cap and trade legislation, and was responsible for coordinating Citigroup's advocacy efforts in these areas. » He was named one of the top 10 tax lobbyists in Washington in a survey of Members of Congress, the Administration and staff by the Hill Magazine. » Jeff also has significant experience working on tax advocacy initiatives outside the US. » Jeff has B.A. degrees in journalism and economics from The George Washington University. He was a reporter for several newspapers, including the Syracuse Post Standard, and covered tax issues for Bureau of National Affairs' Daily Tax Report. Prior to joining Citibank in 1997, he represented clients of PricewaterhouseCoopers on federal tax legislative and regulatory matters.

Jeffrey P. Petrich | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » Jeff Petrich is a member of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young practice where he provides services related to energy, environmental and natural resource policy issues, including climate change. He has a broad range of experience with the Congressional legislative, procedural and investigative processes. » Jeff most recently (until January 2008) served as Chief Counsel to the Committee on Natural Resources in the US House of Representatives. He worked for the Committee for more than 20 years under Chairmen and Ranking Members George Miller (D-CA) and Nick Rahall (D-WV). During his lengthy tenure with the Committee on Natural Resources, Jeff was extensively involved in legislative policy and strategy for one of the most active committees in Congress. His duties as Committee Counsel also included responsibilities for investigative and oversight matters and procedural compliance with committee and House rules. »He has extensive experience with energy issues, notably oil and gas, and natural resource issues related to Alaska. Jeff began his career on Capitol Hill in 1978 as a legislative assistant to former US Senator John Durkin (D-NH). » Jeff was previously an associate in the law firm Perkins Coie. He has a B.A. from Dartmouth College and a J.D. from the Indiana University-Bloomington School of Law. He is a member of the Alaska, District of Columbia and Virginia Bar Associations.

Tara Bradshaw | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » Tara Bradshaw is a member of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young practice where she provides services related to tax, budget, energy and climate change issues. She also provides clients with integrated communications, media relations and government affairs strategies. » Tara most recently served as the Communications Director for the President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform, where she developed and implemented the communications strategy for the Panel; advised the executive director and panel chairmen on the communications and messaging of key policy issues; and served as the spokeswoman on Panel policies and initiatives. Prior to joining the Tax Reform Panel, she served as an associate director in the Americas Public Relations Group at Ernst & Young, where she managed public relations for the National Tax Department. » From 2001 to 2004, Tara served as a spokeswoman for the US Department of the Treasury regarding tax policy, tax reform, IRS, and the Administration's budget and economic issues. She developed and conducted strategic communications programs for the Office of Tax Policy to promote its legislative proposals, regulatory guidance and international tax issues. Tara was the Press Secretary for the Senate Finance Committee (Chairman William V. Roth, Jr. (R-DE)) from 1999 to 2001. » She holds a M.A. in mass communication and journalism and a B.A. in English from the University of South Carolina.

John Doney | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » John Doney is a member of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young practice where he provides clients with guidance and strategy on the arcane and often cumbersome Senate rules of procedure as legislation makes its way to full Senate consideration. He has also worked extensively on pension, entitlement reform and telecommunications issues. » John worked for more than 15 years in the US Senate in various capacities culminating in the position of Assistant Secretary for the Majority. The responsibilities of that office included monitoring Senate floor activity and protecting the interests of the Majority Leader and Senators during full Senate consideration of legislation. John has a thorough working knowledge of Senate procedure and an insider's perspective on the legislative process from bill introduction to final passage. » John also worked closely with the Senate leadership and committee staff in formulating legislative scheduling agendas, parliamentary strategy and the committee selection process. » John received a B.A. from St. Andrews College.

Sarah Kuehl Egge | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » Sarah Kuehl Egge is a member of Ernst & Young’s Washington Council Ernst & Young practice. She has nearly 14 years of legislative and policy experience in the Senate working on health care, entitlement reform, budget, tax and transportation issues. » Sarah most recently served as the lead health and entitlements analyst for the Democratic Staff of the Senate Budget Committee, where her portfolio included private health insurance coverage, Medicare and Social Security. She was a key advisor to Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) in his capacity as a member of both President Obama’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform and the Gang of Six. » In addition, Sarah served as the Deputy Staff Director of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction created by the Budget Control Act, where she helped Committee members navigate the complex issues and tradeoffs associated with significant deficit reduction. In this role, she helped manage the non-partisan staff of the Joint Select Committee; led Member briefings on various policy topics; provided strategic advice to the Committee Co-Chairs; and coordinated legislative drafting and budget scoring of deficit reduction measures. » Sarah began her career on Capitol Hill as a legislative aide to former Finance Committee member Senator Bob Kerrey (D-NE), advising him on tax, Social Security, budget and appropriations matters. » Sarah graduated from the University of Denver with a B.A. in History and Public Affairs, and received a Masters Degree in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

Daniel Esquibel | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » Daniel Esquibel is a member of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young practice where he provides services on the implementation of the health care law and related regulatory activity. »Prior to joining Washington Council Ernst & Young, Daniel spent more than 10 years working on health care issues, with particular emphasis on California health policy, other state Medicaid initiatives, coverage expansion efforts and health information technology. For seven of those years, Daniel edited the iHealthBeat and California Healthline news digests. Daniel wrote a weekly column on the national health care reform debate in 2009 and 2010. In addition, he spearheaded news analysis and legislative tracking efforts focused on the 2007 health care reform effort in California. »Daniel received a B.A. in history from the University of Pennsylvania.

Adam Francis | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » Adam Francis is a member of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young practice where he focuses on tax policy issues and provides guidance on legislative procedure and strategy in the U.S. House of Representatives. » Prior to joining Washington Council Ernst & Young , Adam spent more than 14 years on Capitol Hill, most recently serving as Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director to Congressman Patrick J. Tiberi (R-OH), a senior member of the House Ways & Means Committee and current Chairman of the Select Revenue Measures (Tax) Subcommittee. Adam served as the lead staff on all tax matters and worked with the professional committee staff on operations of the Select Revenue Measures Subcommittee. His portfolio also included advising Congressman Tiberi on all legislative issues before the U.S. House of Representatives and managing the daily operations of his Washington, D.C., office. Adam's broad knowledge of tax and legislative policy ranges from domestic and international corporate tax reform, to the congressional budget process and health policy. » Prior to his service with Mr. Tiberi, Adam worked on the staff of Congressman John Kasich (R-OH), then Chairman of the House Budget Committee, from 1996 through 2000. As Legislative Director for Mr. Kasich, Adam crafted legislative policy and strategy and served as the primary advisor on votes and procedure in the U.S. House of Representatives. Mr. Kasich is currently the Governor of Ohio. » Adam received a B.A. in International Studies from Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts.

Will Heyniger | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » Will Heyniger is a member of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young practice and provides services in the areas of financial services, energy, climate change and health care. He analyzes legislative developments in Congress, monitors committee and floor action, and provides advice and reporting to clients. » Prior to joining Washington Council Ernst & Young, Will was an editor and writer at Congressional Quarterly's magazines for five years, including CQ Weekly and the daily CQ Today, focusing on finance, budget, telecommunications and other legislative areas. He was part of the original editorial team that launched the CQ.com online news operation in 1997, the web's first source of real-time congressional news. » He also profiled members of Congress for several editions of CQ's Politics in America. His journalism career began with six years as a news editor and columnist at The Montgomery Journal, a daily newspaper in Rockville, Maryland. » Will spent three years as an account director and writer at the SheaHedges Group, a public relations firm in McLean, Virginia, focusing on technology businesses, where he placed clients in stories appearing in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Red Herring and other publications. » Will also served as Deputy Communications Director for People For the American Way, a 350,000-member non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., and has taught writing at The George Washington University's Graduate School of Business and Public Management. He has a B.A. from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Heather Meade | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » Heather Meade is a member of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young practice where she provides clients with services related to legislative and regulatory advice and government affairs strategies related to health care, health tax and employee benefits issues. » Prior to joining Washington Council, Heather provided legal representation to Fortune 100 companies, employers, insurers and unions in matters related to health care, employee benefits and public policy. Heather previously served as the Deputy Director of Surrogate Scheduling at the Democratic National Committee during the 2004 Presidential campaign, on the staff of Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and the transition staff of Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA). » Heather received a B.A. in political science, Spanish and international studies from Western Washington University and a J.D. with an emphasis on health law from the University of Washington School of Law.

John D. Porter | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » John Porter is a member of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young Practice where he provides services related to tax, budget, energy and intellectual property issues. He represents a variety of corporate clients and business coalitions before Congress and the Executive Branch (White House, Treasury and FCC). » Before joining Ernst & Young, John was the Director of Tax and Economic Policy for the Financial Executives Institute (FEI), a professional association of 14,000 CFOs, treasurers, chief tax officers and controllers. While at FEI, John was responsible for the formulation of tax policy for FEI's 35-member Committee on Taxation and was successful in lobbying for international tax reform measures in the 1997 Balanced Budget Act. He also led FEI's longstanding efforts to achieve a balanced federal budget and improved federal financial reporting. » Prior to his work with FEI, John worked as a special assistant in the Bush Administration at the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, where he formulated position papers on employee benefits issues, retirement and health care policy. Before moving to Washington, John worked as a financial consultant, gaining invaluable experience in pension and retirement planning, corporate cash management, and equity and income portfolio structuring. » John has a B.A. (double major in political science and Mandarin Chinese) from Vanderbilt University. He currently serves on the Executive Board of Directors of the Boy Scouts of America National Capital Area Council.

Kurt Ritterpusch | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » Kurt Ritterpusch is a member of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young practice where he provides services related to tax, health and energy policy, as well as the federal budget process. His chief responsibility is to track legislative and regulatory developments with regard to those issues and provide detailed reporting and analysis to clients. » Prior to joining Washington Council Ernst & Young, Kurt was a reporter with the Bureau of National Affairs (BNA) for eight years, most recently serving as Senior Congressional Correspondent for the Daily Tax Report and Daily Report for Executives. That assignment involved a daily presence in the US Capitol, reporting the latest developments with regard to tax, health, energy, transportation and budget issues. »The job also entailed coverage of the broader Congressional landscape, House and Senate leadership, and the tax reform panel that operated in 2005, as well as periodical dispatches from the White House. Kurt represented BNA on the seven-member Executive Committee of Press Correspondents. » Previous reporting assignments included covering health and pension policy, and monitoring legislative and regulatory developments. » Kurt earned a B.A. in English from St. Mary's College of Maryland.

Amy Swonger | Washington, D.C Email | Fax: +1 202 293 8811 Learn more... » Amy Swonger is a member of Ernst & Young's Washington Council Ernst & Young practice where she provides clients with strategic guidance on legislative matters pending before the US Senate in the areas of tax, health care, financial services and energy. » Amy served more than a decade in the federal government before joining Washington Council Ernst & Young. She held positions in the House of Representatives, US Senate and the Bush Administration. In 1996, she began her government career with Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC) and went on to work in the Senate leadership offices of Republican Whip Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Republican Leader and Whip Trent Lott (R-MS). In between Senate positions, Amy served for three years in the Office of Legislative Affairs for Vice President Dick Cheney. » Most recently, she served in the Whip Office of Senator Trent Lott coordinating the Republican whip effort on a variety of legislation. Prior to this, she worked in the Vice President's Legislative Affairs Office alongside the White House Legislative Affairs team advocating the President's policies before Congress. »During her time in the Whip Office of Senator Mitch McConnell, she served as a floor assistant helping to coordinate Senate floor strategy. Before joining Senator McConnell's Whip Office, Amy worked for Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott as a legislative assistant for tax, budget, health and trade issues. She first started out on Capitol Hill working for Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC), handling health, transportation and veteran's issues. » Amy earned a B.A. in international studies and Spanish from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.