Husch Blackwell Strategies welcomes U.S. Senator Roy Blunt to the firm’s Washington, DC office where he will lead a new Leadership Strategies Advisory Services group that includes his longtime Senate Chief of Staff Stacy McBride and Deputy Chief of Staff Richard Eddings. The team will provide policy advice, evaluate a client’s government risk as well as ensure clients receive insightful support to navigate Washington toward positive outcomes. Senator Blunt will serve as Chairman of the group.
HBS Leadership Strategies addresses a gap in federal government consulting – the growing need for a comprehensive whole-of-government advisory service that is tailored to the needs of a specific organization and not limited to a specific set of issues or expertise.
Throughout his career, Senator Blunt has developed long-standing, bipartisan partnerships that resulted in major legislative advancements for the country in health care, infrastructure, trade, and national security. Senator Blunt has advised Presidents and represented the United States government in key regions of the world with foreign leaders. He served on the Intelligence Committee in both the House and Senate and developed a deep understanding of global national security interests and international trade issues.
Senator Blunt will continue to maintain his full security clearance and will be involved in projects advising the United States government intelligence community separate from his work at HBS.
Leaders of America’s for-profit and not-for-profit sectors know Senator Blunt’s diligent work and record of success to help pass most of the consequential legislation in Congress for the last two and a half decades. He will use that perspective and his team’s extensive legislative and political experience to determine a client’s opportunities and exposure in an everchanging landscape in Washington.
With a career of public service spanning more than four decades as an elected official, government executive, university president, and legislator, Senator Blunt has earned the respect and praise of Washington and world leaders alike. He served as Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and led the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration as well as the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services, Education & Related Agencies. He also served as Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee. While serving in elected leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives, he led the voting operation as the Majority Whip.
Stacy McBride joined HBS in mid-March as a Principal and will put her 20 years of Legislative and Executive Branch experience to work for clients by providing high value, targeted and mission-centric direct advocacy. Stacy is an experienced public policy strategist who has earned the respect and friendship of leading elected officials of both parties on Capitol Hill.
Stacy is an authority on how Congress operates and as a former Senate Chief of Staff to leadership and Staff Director to Senate committees, she has successfully counseled lawmakers through some of the most recent critical and lasting legislative achievements of Congress. Stacy served eight years as Senator Blunt’s Chief of Staff and Committee Staff Director and was responsible for managing a staff of more than 60 professionals while working alongside the Senator in developing significant public policy; responding to national crises; facilitating the legislative process among senate offices and committees; liaising with House leadership and Administration officials; and the planning and implementation of the Inauguration of the 45th President of the United States.
Richard Eddings is a skilled navigator of the inner workings of Congress and its Member offices and for the past 25 years in Washington has established a network of trusted bipartisan relationships with lawmakers on both sides of Capitol Hill. Richard’s work has earned him the reputation as an accomplished resource and steady hand to House and Senate leadership offices. As Chief of Staff to the HBS Leadership Strategies group, he will work closely with Senator Blunt to help clients capitalize on strategic business opportunities while protecting their interests.
Senator Blunt said of today’s announcement, “I am looking forward to getting to work and launching this new advisory service where I can stay involved in the critical issues of the day. I have watched firsthand the phenomenal growth of HBS through its team of bipartisan professionals who hold great respect among their colleagues for their work and success. I am proud to now be a part of it.”
HBS CEO Gregg Hartley added, “When Roy Blunt walks in the door people immediately take notice. He brings a respected career of national public service and a straightforward reputation for making things happen to accomplish significant goals. That is a distinct advantage we can now provide our clients and a certain assuredness of advice you only get from a national leader.”
The decision to add the Leadership Strategies advisory service to an organization’s structure is not the “average” advocacy engagement. It reflects a recognition that the public affairs team can benefit from the advice and counsel of a nationally recognized leader and an experienced staff that has lived and breathed Capitol Hill for decades.
The launch of the new consulting practice is regarded by colleagues in and outside of government as a transformative move by HBS. Neil Bradley, who leads public policy advocacy for the United States Chamber of Commerce as its Executive Vice President and served as Policy Director to Senator Blunt in his position as House Republican Whip, said, “There is not a stronger, more effective advocate in Washington than Senator Roy Blunt. He can instinctively analyze all sides of an issue and develop practical solutions resulting in meaningful public policy. When Senator Blunt gets people in a room together, great things happen, and I look forward to seeing those results.”
Senator Blunt is also President of the State Historical Society of Missouri and plans to serve on for-profit boards and advise a venture capital group.
ABOUT HUSCH BLACKWELL STRATEGIES
Husch Blackwell Strategies is a bipartisan advocacy firm and has quickly become a nationally recognized power player in government affairs since launching in 2018. A trusted national brand for federal and state lobbying, HBS has one of the largest networks of state lobbyists in the country with a prominent federal practice in Washington, DC. The firm’s multi-state legislative practices with statehouse-focused advocates are located in offices of the state capitals of Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin. The combined expertise of the firm’s sixty-five professionals in our offices nationwide advance the goals of corporations, associations, governments, and other organizations. The national home office of Husch Blackwell Strategies is proudly located in Jefferson City, Missouri, a decision that reinforces our firm’s commitment to providing clients practical and achievable solutions to their challenges.
