The Husch Blackwell Strategies office in Denver is expanding its advocacy team as Kevin Neimond, Chief Policy and Communications Officer for the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS), joins the firm as a Principal. Kevin brings in-depth knowledge of the state budget and legislative process through more than 15 years working in key roles in the state capitol where he was responsible for leading teams for one the state’s largest agencies and as a chief policy analyst for one of the legislature’s most consequential committees.

HBS Chairman Andy Blunt said at today’s announcement, “Clients have come to expect best-in-class services from each of our ten offices across the country and having talented professionals like Kevin ensures we keep that commitment. We are looking forward to having him join our team of power players in Denver.”

As Chief Policy and Communications Officer for CDHS, Kevin led the strategic and operational direction for the agency’s legislative, regulatory and communications agendas. In that role, he developed and deployed strategies to increase the visibility and influence of the Department while guiding sensitive policy, programmatic, and budget issues that were top priority for the Department and the Governor’s office. Additionally, Kevin served as one of the Department’s executive directors and as the agency’s representative on the Governor’s Cabinet.

Micki Hackenberger, HBS Colorado Managing Principal, said, “Our team knows first-hand Kevin’s success in engineering complex legislative challenges into winning opportunities as we have worked with him on a number of issues on behalf of clients. There is no doubt he will be an asset to our team, and we are thrilled to have him on board.”

Prior to CDHS, Kevin served in senior positions in the legislature including tenure as Chief Legislative Analyst for the Joint Budget Committee and Reading and Docket Clerk for the Colorado House. He began his career in Washington, D.C. as a policy analyst for the National Association of Counties and as an account manager for ESRI, Inc.

HBS is a trusted national brand for federal and state lobbying. With one of the largest networks of state lobbyists in the country, the firm has capital offices in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin, and a prominent federal practice in Washington, DC.