Husch Blackwell Strategies announced promotions in its DC and Annapolis offices today. John Assini and Cooper Ehrendreich are now Principals in the firm’s Federal Government Affairs practice group while Javon Knight is also a Principal and will serve a dual role on both the Federal team and the HBS Maryland Government Affairs team in Annapolis.
HBS Federal ranks as one of Washington’s top performing lobbying firms and part of the comprehensive approach the firm provides clients through its integrated services of state and federal lobbying, executive-level strategic counsel, and public affairs.
HBS CEO Andy Blunt said, “We are positioning HBS in a way that amplifies our commitment to delivering exceptional client service and these promotions are recognition of our team’s skill and success for our clients.”
Andy added, “These talented professionals, John, Cooper, and Javon, are part of a new generation of our firm that will help ensure we continue to grow and evolve in our offices across the country.”
John Assini: John provides clients key insights into the legislative process on Capitol Hill. He earlier served as a senior legislative assistant for U.S. Rep Jimmy Panetta where he was responsible for a policy portfolio covering health care, social security, immigration, judiciary, housing, transportation, and labor. During his tenure with Congressman Panetta, John worked with a bipartisan coalition of members and stakeholders in the House passage of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which provided a path to citizenship for the nation’s domestic undocumented farm workforce. John earned his bachelor’s from The George Washington University.
Cooper Ehrendreich: HBS clients benefit from Cooper’s background and experience with successfully managing issues through the complexities of the congressional legislative process. Cooper joined HBS from the Railway Engineering Maintenance-Suppliers Association (REMSA), the trade association representing more than 300 businesses in the railroad maintenance-of-way industry. He served as its Director of Government Affairs. Prior to REMSA, Cooper served as Press Assistant and Scheduler for U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins. He earned a bachelor’s in International Trade from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Javon Knight: Javon combines his background in state and local government with his congressional experience to provide clients a holistic perspective in developing winning legislative strategies. He most recently served on the staff of U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s D.C. office through a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Fellowship, serving as a Legislative Assistant responsible for a policy portfolio of transportation, economic development, education, criminal justice and judiciary. Prior to that, he served on the City of Jacksonville’s Intergovernmental Affairs Team and a similar role for the Jacksonville Transportation Authority. He earned a master’s in public policy from Jacksonville University and bachelor’s in economics from the University of North Florida.
ABOUT HBS
Husch Blackwell Strategies was established in 2018 with the merger of three government affairs practices of Husch Blackwell LLP, Statehouse Strategies LLC, and Cloakroom Advisors LLC, to form a multi-jurisdiction state and federal legislative government affairs firm. HBS Chief Executive Officer Andy Blunt and HBS Chief Operating Officer Gregg Hartley are co-founders of the firm. HBS moves the needle of public opinion and guides decisions of public officials through its integrated services of state and federal lobbying, executive-level strategic counsel, and public affairs. With one of the largest networks of state lobbyists in the country, HBS has twelve offices nationwide – in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin, a federal practice group that ranks as one of Washington’s top performing lobbying firms, and the HBS Public Affairs group based in St. Louis. U.S. Senator Roy Blunt chairs the firm’s Leadership Strategies Advisory Services group in Washington – a specialized executive team that provides a comprehensive whole-of-government advisory service that is tailored to the needs of a specific organization.
