Throughout his career, Matt Rhoades has worked at the highest levels of political organizations and campaigns. He now applies those insights to the issues most important to his clients. Fortune Magazine described Rhoades as “a diligently low-key, data-oriented operator at the helm of the Romney campaign…”

As campaign manager of Romney/Ryan 2012, Rhoades managed a budget of nearly $900 million. Prior to his time as campaign manager, Rhoades served as Executive Director of Mitt Romney’s Free & Strong America PAC, Communications Director on Romney’s 2008 presidential campaign, Research Director on the Bush/Cheney 2004 presidential campaign, and in various senior-level positions with the Republican National Committee. Rhoades also spent time in the Bush White House as an Associate Director in the Presidential Personnel Office and as a White House Liaison in the Office of Personnel Management.

Rhoades brings nearly a decade of experience in the private sector to CGCN Group. During this time in the private sector, he played a significant role in building numerous political and issue advocacy organizations. He is also the co-founder of Defending Digital Campaigns – a bipartisan initiative to provide political campaigns with the resources to combat foreign and domestic cybersecurity threats.

Sam Geduldig brings unrivaled passion to his work on clients’ behalf, investing personally in their success. That energy and enthusiasm is a big reason Geduldig is a regular in The Hill newspaper’s list of top lobbyists and why National Journal turns to him for its elite Political Insiders Poll. As the Washingtonian noted, his “experiences allow him to offer his clients an exceptionally well-rounded view of the legislative process.” In addition to his work with CGCN Group, Geduldig is also a partner at United By Interest, Washington’s first bipartisan majority minority-owned lobbying firm.

Before joining CGCN in 2007, Geduldig served in multiple roles for John Boehner before the Ohio Republican became speaker. He also worked as a top aide on the House Financial Services Committee to then-Chairman Mike Oxley. Geduldig spent four years as the top liaison between House GOP leaders and the business community as a senior advisor to then-House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, now in the U.S. Senate. Geduldig began his career as a research analyst at Public Opinion Strategies, a polling firm, and worked on the press team for then-Sen. Bob Dole’s 1996 presidential campaign.

Throughout his career, Michael Catanzaro has served in several senior energy and environmental policy positions in the federal government, including the House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, the EPA, and the White House.

Before joining CGCN, Catanzaro served as Special Assistant to President Trump for Domestic Energy and Environmental Policy at the White House National Economic Council. In that role, he helped craft energy and environmental policy at multiple agencies and advised the president on the administration’s major policy decisions in that space. He previously served on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and on the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign as a top adviser on energy and environmental policy. Catanzaro was Associate Director for Policy in the White House Council on Environmental Quality and Associate Deputy Administrator of the EPA under former President George W. Bush. He also served as a senior adviser to then-Speaker John Boehner on energy and environmental policy.

Veteran communications strategist, Tracey Schmitt founded Matador after nearly two decades of developing winning strategies for high profile leaders in the public, private and political sectors; including the White House, and three presidential campaigns.

On the front lines of Republican politics, she advised candidates and campaigns at the forefront of the national political and policy debates as the National Press Secretary for the Republican National Committee, a Spokeswoman for President George W. Bush’s re-election campaign, National Press Secretary for the 2005 Presidential Inaugural Committee, and the Deputy Communications Director and Spokeswoman for the McCain-Palin Presidential Campaign, in the fall of 2008.

​In the private sector, Tracey has counseled numerous business leaders and CEOs at the intersection of policy, government relations, and public relations. As Senior Vice President of Global Public Affairs at Emergent BioSolutions, a global biodefense and biopharmaceutical company, Schmitt led an award-winning team whose portfolio included Public Affairs, Global Public Relations, Investor Communications, Branding, and Corporate Social Responsibility.

She has been published in the New York Times and has appeared on network and cable television as a political analyst. Her work has taken her to over thirty countries across Europe, Asia, Middle East, Australasia, Africa, and Central America.

A graduate of the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Journalism, her graduate studies have included Executive Education programs at both the Harvard School of Business and Oxford University.

Mike Nielsen is a highly regarded expert on financial-services issues who had a hand in crafting every major piece of legislation that moved through the Senate Banking Committee from the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 through the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010. Nielsen served as the top banking aide to former Utah Sen. Robert Bennett in his capacity as a senior member of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. In that post, he dealt with banking, taxes, international trade and other financial-services matters.

Nielsen began his career in Sen. Bennett’s office. He left Capitol Hill in 2010 to help the senator form The Bennett Group, where he represented financial sector clients with issues before Congress and helped them understand existing regulations. He joined CGCN in 2013 and continues to specialize in matters before the Senate and, more specifically, the powerful Senate Banking Committee.

John Stipicevic understands the inner-workings of the House floor – and what it takes to pass or stop legislation – as well as anyone in Washington. He spent nearly a dozen years in the Capitol, most recently as a top aide to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. He helped party leaders and chairmen craft legislative strategies and count votes, as well as playing key roles in a number of contested leadership races.

Recognized as a “Top Lobbyist” by The Hill newspaper, Stipicevic spent a decade at the center of every major issue before the House of Representatives. He was a member of the whip operations under Rep. McCarthy and his predecessors, former Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor and former Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt. During Stipicevic’s time in the House, few aides developed such close ties to members of Congress. “He knows the make-up of each member,” McCarthy said. In a testament to his goodwill on both sides of the aisle, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer also praised Stipicevic on the floor.

Jay Cranford has deep expertise in moving legislation through Congress. In the words of a top communications executive, “You would be hard-pressed to find an individual who is more knowledgeable and widely respected by members and staff on both sides of the aisle.” He served as a top adviser to former House Speaker John Boehner on all energy and environmental issues. During his time with Boehner, Cranford oversaw work on six committees, including Energy & Commerce, Natural Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure. In that role, he helped coordinate legislative strategy with party leaders, rank-and-file lawmakers and the White House.

Cranford is widely regarded as one of Washington’s foremost experts on energy and environmental issues. On Capitol Hill, he played a central role crafting all major energy legislation that moved through Congress. He helped write the 2005 energy bill that accelerated domestic energy production, including the ongoing surge in natural gas. He also oversaw additional legislation governing pipelines, liquified natural gas and international energy issues. Cranford got his start with then-Representative, and future Senator, Saxby Chambliss. He gained private-sector experience as the director of government affairs at the National Ocean Industries Association and the El Paso Corporation, a natural gas exploration and transportation company.

Steve Clark “set the standard for what a small lobby shop can be,” in the words of The Hill newspaper. As the firm he launched in 2000 continues to grow, Clark has never lost the personal touch that has made him one of the most experienced, reliable and knowledgeable corporate advocates in Washington. That is why The Hill consistently ranks him as one of the top lobbyists in town and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce named him the state’s “most effective corporate lobbyist.”

During his three decades in government affairs, Clark has represented a diverse mix of clients in a broad range of industries, including banking, insurance, telecommunications, energy, aviation and health care. Before he formed what is now CGCN Group, Clark served as the vice president for government affairs at Ameritech, the telecommunications giant that is now part of AT&T. At Ameritech, he oversaw the company’s government relations at the federal, state and local level.

Katherine Coughlin’s diverse and distinguished public policy, legal and legislative career has placed her at ground zero of some of the most critical debates of our time.

Upon passing the Texas Bar, following her graduation from the University of Texas School of Law, she began her Washington career as a Presidential appointee in the Office of the Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division at the US Department of Justice. Six days into her tenure there, the attacks of 9/11 forever changed our country, and became the primary focus of her work at DOJ. She received a Special Commendation award for her role in the development of the 9/11 Victim Compensation fund. Additionally, she worked closely with the State Department on the issue of terrorism financing, and later filed a brief on a critical deportation case in the Eleventh Circuit.

As counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Katherine advised US Senator Chairman Orrin Hatch on Judicial nominees, including the confirmations of several sitting federal judges.  A long-time advisor to United States Senator John Cornyn, Katherine served as his lead counsel for immigration and health care, intimately involved in all aspects of those key policy areas. In this capacity, she provided legislative counsel, drafting critical policy and speeches, and led the dialogue with critical stakeholders including leaders of PhRMA, hospitals, patients, insurance, and physician groups.

Katherine graduated cum laude with a Bachelors in Business Administration from Southern Methodist University, and she received her law degree from the University of Texas School of Law.

A veteran of Capitol Hill, Mike Danylak has been the lead Republican communications staffer for three separate Senate Committees, all under the leadership of Senator John Barrasso (R-WY). He has helped lead communications efforts to pass major energy, infrastructure, and environmental legislation as well as help shape national policy debates.

Mike served as communications director for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Before that, he spent four years as communications director of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and two years as press secretary for the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Prior to his time on Capitol Hill, Mike was the press secretary of the American Action Forum and as the director of the Republican National Committee’s war room.

Janelle Gardner comes to CGCN with over a decade of experience inside the federal government, serving in roles both in Congress and the Executive branch. Most recently, Gardner was one of the few key members of the President’s beachhead team facilitating the transition at the Department of Labor, laying the groundwork for the President-elect’s agenda before being tapped as the Director of Scheduling for Secretary Acosta, managing a team and the secretary’s daily logistics.

Prior to her service in the Trump Administration, Gardner directed Coalitions and Member Services for the House Education and Workforce Committee under Chairman John Kline, where she was the first point of contact for congressional offices and outside organizations. There she contributed to the success of a number of legislative initiatives, organized congressional delegation trips, worked closely with congressional leadership, and developed crucial partnerships inside and outside the beltway.

Before joining the committee, Gardner led scheduling and administrative operations for three prominent Members of Congress.  She started her career on Capitol Hill in 2005 and scheduled for two other Congressmen before joining Chairman Kline’s office in 2010 as the Director of Scheduling.

Tim Killeen has years of experience as a strategic communications professional with a demonstrated history of working with the private sector, nonprofit, and political clients. He has advised Fortune 500 companies on policy issues, including healthcare, energy, and financial services.  

Prior to consulting, he spent years working at the highest levels of Republican political campaigns. Killeen served as Deputy Campaign Manager for Rep. Liz Cheney’s 2014 Senate campaign. Before joining the Cheney campaign, Killeen helped launch the Washington Free Beacon as Director of Research for both the Washington Free Beacon and the Center for American Freedom. Previously, Killeen was Executive Director for Keep America Safe, a national security non-profit. From 2007 to 2010, Killeen worked in the Research Department at the Republican National Committee as a Research Analyst, Senior Research Analyst, and acting Research Director. Killeen also served as Senior Policy Analyst for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s successful 2006 reelection campaign. He is a graduate of Claremont McKenna College with a Bachelor of Arts in Government.

Amber Kirchhoefer is the former deputy chief of staff to U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), chairman of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, and a 25-year veteran of the U.S. Senate. As deputy chief of staff, she was responsible for overseeing Senator Roberts’ legislative and political agenda. Prior to serving as deputy chief of staff, Amber spent nine years as Senator Roberts’ legislative director, working issues before nine Senate committees, serving as chief liaison to the Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committees. Her experience includes passing the 2018 farm bill and biosecurity legislation. From appropriations to health care to tax and trade, Amber is well-versed in U.S. Senate rules and procedures and committee processes.

Prior to joining Senator Roberts’ staff, Amber worked for U.S. Senator Bob Bennett (R-UT), serving as a legislative assistant with responsibility for healthcare. In addition to working in Sen. Bennett’s personal office, she also served as professional staff on the Joint Economic Committee and the Senate Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem.

• Joined CGCN in 2022
• Graduated from Northwestern University with a political science major
• Summer 2020: Intern at DiamondStream Parnters
• Summer 2019: Intern at NextMile Consulting

Tom McLaughlin is the digital director at CGCN Group, where his expertise is developing innovative and successful strategies across a multitude of digital mediums to ensure that the right message reaches the right audience at the right time.

Tom draws upon his experience working in the policy communications space as well as his time at public affairs agencies. He started his DC career at the American Legislative Exchange Council, building out their digital communications capabilities before moving to the Conservative Energy Network and Engage before joining CGCN in 2022. He is a graduate of Boston University, and got his start in politics as an intern on Chris Christie’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Lauren O’Donnell handles new client and new hire responsibilities as well as compliance matters for the firm, including all disclosure filings. She also works with the CGCN Strategic Communications team on firm marketing initiatives.

Lauren joined the CGCN bringing nearly a decade of experience in advertising, online marketing and design.

She has worked with a wide range of corporate clients from a diverse set of industries, including automotive, retail and commercial real estate. Lauren graduated from Penn State University and the Chicago Portfolio School. She spent much of her career in Chicago but now resides in Columbus, Ohio, with her family.

Katie O’Neil leads the digital communication capability at CGCN Group, including both paid and organic strategies. With ten years of experience, her areas of expertise include highly-targeted advertising, messaging tailored for a wide variety of digital channels, and assembling full-scale digital advocacy campaigns.

Katie has held a number of digital strategy roles in non-profits and public affairs firms in the D.C. area. She is a graduate of the Koch Associate Program and worked within the Koch Network for five years before joining Definers Public Affairs and then CGCN Group. She received a master’s degree in Advertising from the University of Florida and a bachelor’s in Communication Studies from Palm Beach Atlantic University.

Tim Pataki has held senior positions in Congress and the White House for over a decade. 

Before joining CGCN, Pataki served as Assistant to the President and the Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison. Among other duties, he served as the White House’s top liaison to the business community, he worked with an array of stakeholders, from Fortune 500 executives, small & medium sized businesses, and a range of diverse trade associations across the country.

In that role, Pataki created and led the “President’s Great Economic Revival Industry Committee” to advise the federal government on COVID-related issues facing the nation’s economy. He also spearheaded the coalition and passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act, which stands as one of the largest bipartisan trade votes in recent history.

Pataki also served as Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs, serving as the President’s representative in Congress, working with members of the House Energy & Commerce, Ways & Means, Transportation and Infrastructure, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Committees. Among other legislative accomplishments, he was instrumental in the planning, execution, and ultimately successful passage of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Prior to the White House, Pataki began his career working in the House of Representatives for then Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as staff assistant.  He then served as floor assistant to Eric Cantor (R-VA), then Majority Leader, focusing on the day-to-day operations of the House floor and member services for the House Republican Conference.  Pataki closed out his congressional career as Senior Advisor and Director of Coalitions & Member Services for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where he coordinated activities with the communications, energy, and healthcare industries.

Pataki currently serves as a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Smithsonian Institution.

Alex brings over a decade of experience working in infrastructure in both the public and private sector. He started his career for Jim Inhofe, then Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, where he helped create and pass the transportation authorization, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21). Alex most recently spent four years in the private sector working for a global infrastructure developer where he helped the team initiate investments and develop strategic partnerships with private and public stakeholders to develop infrastructure projects.

Alex brings a proven track record of aligning the incentives of different parties to create multi-stakeholder partnerships. This includes bringing together corporate strategy, third party investors, and multiple government bodies to deliver solutions.

The native of Maryland earned a B.S. in physics and math from Roanoke College, and an MBA from University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business.

Scott Riplinger is dedicated to helping clients develop and execute the strategies needed to succeed in Washington, DC. Having served on Capitol Hill for 15 years in leadership roles for two members of the Senate Finance Committee and Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, he successfully crafted and advanced tax and financial services legislation while cultivating extensive knowledge and expertise in housing, commerce, trade, energy and appropriations policy.

Riplinger served as Legislative Director for Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo and Senator Dean Heller, including serving as a liaison for the Senate Chief Deputy Whip where he worked hand-in-hand with Senate leadership. He was also Majority Staff Director for the Securities, Insurance, and Investment Subcommittee where he worked on policy connected to the U.S. Treasury Department and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Riplinger began his career with House Small Business Committee Chairman, Don Manzullo.

Courtney is a jack-of-all trades at CGCN. She oversees CGCN’s finances and accounting process, schedules and coordinates meetings for partners and clients, conducts Hill outreach, and manages the CGCN PAC. Prior to joining the team, Courtney was a brokerage investment professional for Vanguard, where she worked directly with clients to discuss their asset allocation and help meet their investment goals.

Courtney also brings extensive congressional and political experience to the CGCN team, having interned for Congressman Randy Neugebauer (R-TX) and volunteered on the Virginia State Senate campaign of Hal Parish. Courtney is a dean’s list graduate of Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science in International Business Management with a minor in Global Politics.

Merrill Smith’s career in public affairs and politics began when she nixed the idea of law school and took leave from her job as a real estate paralegal at Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, to volunteer on then-Governor George W. Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign. Following him to the White House in January 2001, she held various positions, ultimately serving as Deputy Director for Public Affairs in the Office of The Vice President, where she was engaged in strategic communications planning and execution for foreign, domestic, and political affairs.

Later, as a spokesperson for the Bush-Cheney 2004 re-election campaign, she developed and led the campaign’s strategic communications for the critical Midwest region, which included Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois. In this role, she served as the primary on-the-record liaison with key state reporters and national media covering the region and led a team of state-based communicators. Following the President’s re-election, she was tapped to be the Deputy Director on the 55th Presidential Inaugural Committee where she was responsible for the development of the inauguration’s official commemorative book, George W. Bush: Portrait of a Leader.

In the private sector, Smith has provided legislative, public affairs, media and development counsel for clients ranging from Fortune 50 corporations to grassroots coalitions and some of the nation’s leading philanthropic organizations, both as a Director at Public Strategies, Inc. and as an independent consultant. Her smart and substantive approach has earned her a reputation as a trusted advisor for public policy, political and business leaders alike.

Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Virginia.

Aaron Szabo brings more than a decade of government experience to CGCN in federal energy and environmental policy. He worked under the Trump, Obama and Bush administrations on energy and environmental issues, including the development, repeal and replacement of the Clean Power Plan, the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Ozone and Particulate Matter, the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles rule and New Source Performance Standards.

Prior to joining CGCN, Szabo was senior counsel for the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). In that role, he provided interpretations of environmental, energy and natural resources statutes and regulations for the administration. Before working at CEQ, Szabo served as a senior policy advisor and policy analyst for the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB)’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), where he worked on domestic energy and environmental regulatory policy, as well as international regulatory cooperation and coherence with representatives from Mexico, El Salvador, Colombia, Indonesia and Korea. Before working at the White House, he began his government career as an analyst for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Pete Ventimiglia has more than twenty years of experience as an advisor to both political candidates and major corporations, and his areas of expertise include corporate communications strategies, advertising development and public policy issue analysis/management.

Prior to joining CGCN, he oversaw external communications at Koch Industries, which included corporate communications and media relations.  In that role, he was also responsible for helping to create the company’s first-ever corporate reputation campaign, which repositioned the company and significantly improved public opinion toward Koch.  Pete also created the company’s research and analytics function and helped to establish its internal communications function.

Prior to joining Koch, Pete held senior leadership positions at Edelman and Hill+Knowlton Strategies, two leading Washington, DC communications firms, where he oversaw corporate communications efforts for numerous Fortune 50 clients and associations.  He began his career as a political campaign pollster for Market Strategies, Inc., where he was a part of the research team that conducted and analyzed public opinion data for the George W. Bush campaign.

Pete lives in Chevy Chase, MD with his wife and three children.