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.

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, 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.

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.

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.

Antonia Ferrier has built a reputation as a well-respected communications professional having worked on the front lines of some of the most significant policy debates and legislative battles of the last two decades. The Washington Post described her as “one of the top Republican message gurus on Capitol Hill.”

Ferrier has spearheaded communications and strategic planning on a wide range of issues, including tax reform, health care, trade, national security, the financial crisis, and judicial nominations. She built her reputation working for some of the most high-profile members of the House and Senate, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, former Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, former House Speaker John Boehner, then-House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, and then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

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.

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.

Juliane Sullivan is a versatile advocate who brings a rare mix of policy expertise and political acumen to her work helping clients navigate Congress and the administration. Having served as policy director to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, she spearheaded the budget and appropriations process for the majority leader, mastering the art of the appropriations and earmark process. She also managed his policy team and worked with committees to develop legislation and drive it through the House.

Most recently, Sullivan served as staff director of the House Education and the Workforce Committee. During her tenure, she helped shepherd 30 bills through the House. Fourteen were signed into law, including MEPRA – a major pension reform law – and ESSA – the rewrite of the “No Child Left Behind” education law. Sullivan first gained significant private-sector experience during her eight-year stint in the public law and policy practice at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, where she represented a diverse mix of clients on a wide range of issues, including intellectual property, financial services, appropriations, agriculture, environmental, defense, and space policy.

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.

Tatum Martinez works with both the advocacy and communications practices of the firm. In her communications role, Martinez pitches stories to journalists, monitors news coverage and develops written collateral for clients, including talking points, press lists and press releases. Additionally, Martinez helps with administrative duties, finances and scheduling requests for the CGCN Group’s advocacy practice.

Martinez also oversees the administration, finances and procedures of CGCN’s partner firm, United by Interest—the first bipartisan, majority-minority owned government-relations and public-affairs firm in Washington. She conducts research, develops internal and external documents, and manages the firm’s social media accounts.

Martinez started as an intern at CGCN in June 2017 and continued her work for the firm as a consultant throughout her senior year at the University of South Carolina. Martinez joined the firm full-time in 2018 after graduating with a B.S. in Marketing and minor in Public Relations.

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.

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 Chairman 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.

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.

Courtney is a jack-of-all trades at CGCN. She schedules and coordinates meetings for partners and clients, manages the office, conducts Hill outreach, and prepares and compiles vital documents. 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

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.

Amy Lorenzini Wren offers more than two decades of solid political experience in Washington, DC.  Herexpertise spans Capitol Hill, presidential administrations and public affairs with special niche skills creating and implementing dynamic client meetings, fly-ins and special events tailored to achieve specific legislative and policy results.

Under President George W. Bush, Wren served at the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) Administration, as a key liaison to members of Congress.  She successfully helped advance the agency’s mission of providing foreign assistance through the export of American goods and services to development projects in emerging economies.

Upon first arriving in Washington, Wren launched her career with Representative Todd Tiahrt of Kansas, before going on to serve two members of House Republican Leadership including Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas, and Representative J.C. Watts, Jr. of Oklahoma, where she first honed her skills managing and coordinating meetings and events.  She has dedicated more than ten years of service to the U.S. House of Representatives and has solidified her reputation throughout the industry as a Washington insider with a relentless work-ethic and a disposition as bright as Arizona’s Valley of the Sun, from which she hails. 

She studied at Wichita State University where she was awarded a golf scholarship.  Amy and her husband, Chris, have two children.