Hallee Sanders serves as the Executive Assistant to Tim Schellberg. She provides general support to the Governmental Affairs practice group and is the primary point of contact for staff and clients. Additionally, Hallee is in charge of firm scheduling and events, including organizing political fundraisers. Hallee has 13 years of experience working as a business professional. Prior to joining the firm, Hallee worked as a paralegal and as a human resource consultant for the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services in addition to working for the Washington State Department of Corrections. Hallee now lives with her husband in Spanaway, Washington.

Cindy Zehnder manages the firm's Washington State Governmental Affairs Division. Cindy’s large network of relationships and her in-depth knowledge of Washington State policy and politics have been built over her 30-year career in public affairs. She has extensive negotiation experience in public and private sectors and is adept at managing public relations, stakeholder outreach, and communications strategies for organizations.

Prior to joining the firm, Cindy served as Chief of Staff to Governor Chris Gregoire where she provided leadership to the senior staff and managed the Governor's Office operations, including legislative relations, policy development, budget, communications, crisis management, and constituent relations. She was directly responsible for the twenty-seven executive cabinet agencies and chaired the Natural Resources and Economic Recovery Subcabinets as well as the senior transportation policy group. From 2003 to 2007, Cindy was the CEO of Washington State's public affairs network, TVW, which televises all major legislative, executive branch, and Supreme Court proceedings. For five sessions prior to that, Cindy served as Chief Clerk of the Washington State House of Representatives where she was responsible for all legislative operations.

Cindy began her career as a truck driver and dockworker followed by a number of leadership positions within the Teamsters union, including International Representative, Coordinator of the Washington Joint Council of Teamsters; and Secretary-Treasurer and Principle Officer of the Freight, Tanker, and Carhaul Drivers in King County. Cindy has a long history of community involvement including participation in the University of Washington Board of Regents, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the Ruckelshaus Center, the Evans School of Public Affairs, WSU Tri Cities, and UW Tacoma. She has served on the executive board of the National Caucus of State Legislatures, the Trust for Representative Democracy, the NCSL Foundation Board, the National Association of Clerks and Secretaries, and the National Association of Public Affairs Networks. Cindy received a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in educational psychology from the University of Washington. She lives in Olympia with her partner, Mike Branstetter.

Al Ralston is a Vice President in the firm. He joins the firm after serving two years as President of the Washington Research Council, Washington State’s premier public policy research organization. With nearly 40 years of lobbying and public policy experience at the federal, state, and local government level, Al’s network of relationships and knowledge base on issues is unprecedented.

Al’s career is best defined by his 21 successful years as the Senior Political Strategist, Corporate Leader, and Lead Lobbyist for the Boeing Company. Between 1986 and 2007, Al organized and implemented winning government relations strategies for Boeing. In this role, Al worked at all levels of government: local, state, federal and foreign. His accomplishments are many, including being the lead lobbyist on the aerospace incentive legislation, which resulted in having the 787 “Dreamliner” program located in Washington State.

Prior to working for Boeing, Al served as the Senior Representative for Government Relations of Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska, the Director of Intergovernmental Relations for the City of Seattle, the Program Development Director for the National Indian Activities Association and a Research Analyst for the Washington State House of Representatives. In these positions, Al has gained an in-depth understanding of transportation infrastructure, banking and finance, the general business climate, aerospace, trade, and more.

Active in Civic and Community Affairs, Al has served on the Boards of the Association of Washington Business, Washington Research Council, Washington Council on International Trade, Associated Oregon Industries, Pacific Northwest International Trade Alliance, Highline Community College Foundation, the Youth and Government program of the YMCA, and the Western Washington University Alumni Association and Foundation. Al received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Western Washington University. Al lives with his wife and two daughters in Renton.

Chris Asplen works in the international public affairs division of the firm. In this capacity, Chris has consulted with the governments of China, Turkey, the Netherlands, India, Italy, South African, and Kenya the Philippines and many more. His expertise in forensic technologies, particularly DNA, makes him a sought after speaker and consultant as well as valuable asset to clients seeking to do business abroad.

Prior to joining the firm, Chris was an Assistant United States Attorney and was appointed as the Executive Director of the United States Attorney General’s National Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence. As Executive Director of the Commission, Chris worked closely with Attorney Generals Reno and Ashcroft. He has testified before numerous state and city legislative bodies, presented at over 100 national and international conferences, appeared on various national and international news and information broadcasts such as CNN and 60 Minutes and has also been cited in official court opinions, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and numerous other publications. In August 2001, Chris received the United States Attorney General’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Public Safety. He now lives with his wife and daughter near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Lisa Hurst primarily represents clients in the multi-state division of the firm. She regularly consults with members of state legislatures, legislative staff, state agency officials, and a variety of interest groups throughout the country. She actively represents clients in matters relating to legislative appropriations and authorizations, as well as state agency budgets and regulations. In addition to her governmental affairs activities, Lisa has become well known for her ability to organize and administer significant government research projects. In 2003 Lisa was the project manager when the firm received a Department of Justice grant to study forensic DNA backlogs and has subsequently been selected to run other government research projects.

Working in governmental affairs since 1998, Lisa has experience working on Capitol Hill for a member of Congress and as an Associate with a large Washington, D.C. lobbying firm. Her federal background and experience working with state legislative and regulatory bodies, gives her a unique perspective in working with a wide variety of client interests. A native of Kentucky, Lisa received her undergraduate degree from Miami University of Ohio. She currently resides in the Washington, D.C. area with her husband, daughter, and son.

Noah Reandeau works in the multi-state and international divisions and specializes in opening and protecting American markets for both national and international clients. Well-versed in state and federal regulations and congressional affairs, Noah has represented a diverse array of clients in fields ranging from international entertainment to public safety. Among his many strengths, Noah is particularly adept at developing, implementing and managing comprehensive governmental affairs programs designed to expand clients’ markets throughout the 50 states. In addition to his experience with the firm, Noah has worked for the Washington State Senate and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A summa cum laude graduate of Saint Martin’s University, he holds an undergraduate degree in political science. Noah resides in Tacoma, Washington.

Nate Potter works in the federal governmental affairs division. With over a decade of experience in the public policy arena and an extensive background in all levels of government, Nate provides clients with expertise on federal issues. Nate’s long history in our nation’s capital began in 1989 when he served as a page in the House of Representatives for former Congressman Al Swift (WA-02). In 1994, Nate served as an intern to Senator Patty Murray (WA) in her Washington, DC office.

After working on Jay Inslee’s successful 1998 campaign, Nate once again returned to the District of Columbia to work as a Legislative Aide for both Jay Inslee (WA-01) and Senator Patty Murray. Born and raised in the Seattle area, Nate received his undergraduate degree from the University of Washington, and left Washington, DC to earn a master’s degree in public administration from the Daniel J. Evans’ School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, with a particular focus in the areas of transportation, urban planning and housing. Most recently, Nate served as an aide to San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob working on such diverse issues as Indian affairs and community revitalization. Nate now lives in the District of Columbia.

With a strong understanding of state politics, Briahna currently serves multiple local government clients. To complement her expertise in Washington State government, Briahna is currently enrolled in Seattle University’s School of Law part-time evening program. Joining Gordon Thomas Honeywell Governmental Affairs as an assistant in 2006, Briahna has worked in every division, gaining knowledge and experience at all levels of government. Briahna successfully handled multiple clients in the multi-state division before switching her focus to Washington State politics. Prior to joining Gordon Thomas Honeywell Governmental Affairs, Briahna served as legislative staff and in 2005 was commissioned by the State Auditor to research and author a monograph entitled A Citizens Advocate: History of the Washington State Auditor’s Office. Briahna graduated summa cum laude from Pacific Lutheran University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and English-Writing. She now lives in Tacoma, Washington.

Bryce Yadon came to the Washington State Governmental Affairs division with a strong background in Washington State politics. Prior to joining GTH-GA, Bryce served as legislative staff in the State Senate and the State House of Representatives for three years. As a staffer, he gained experience with the legislative process and developed substantial policy expertise in housing, government accountability, and transportation. During this time, Bryce also developed key relationships with committee staff and elected officials. Prior to working for the State Legislature, Bryce held campaign positions on Congressman Norm Dicks’ 2006 Congressional campaign and Tacoma City Councilmember Jake Fey’s 2005 campaign. These campaigns provide Bryce with a strong understanding of the community, issues, and people of Pierce County. In addition to his growing experience in Washington State politics, Bryce worked with the federal government when he interned for Senator Maria Cantwell as an immigration caseworker. Bryce graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Seattle University and currently resides in Tacoma.

Megan Schrader is the most recent consultant to join the Gordon Thomas Honeywell Governmental Affairs team. Upon joining the firm’s intern program in 2008, Megan worked across several business units, including the Multi-State and Washington State Governmental Affairs Groups. This experience lends Megan an intricate understanding of the strategies necessary to create success for clients at multiple levels of government. In the Multi-State Governmental Affairs Group, Megan has undertaken several projects to aid in opening markets to clients through the introduction of legislation in targeted states. Prior to joining the Governmental Affairs team, Megan worked on the successful 2006 Troy Kelley Campaign for State Representative in the 28th Legislative District. A graduate of the University of Puget Sound, Megan holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Political Economy and actively competed in Speech and Debate. She currently resides in Tacoma.

Carly Golden joined the Gordon Thomas Honeywell Governmental Affairs team as an intern in 2008. While participating in the intern program, Carly worked primarily with the Washington State Governmental Affairs Team, assisting with local government clients as well as association management. Her experiences with the Washington State Governmental Affairs Team have allowed Carly a well-rounded understanding of Washington state politics and the political climate. Recently, Carly has transitioned to work with the International Public Affairs Team, focusing on international legislative research concerning DNA databasing. In addition, she is working to further develop information and research that will be included in a comprehensive collection of international forensic DNA policy and legislative information available online. Carly will graduate in May 2010, with a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Language and International Affairs and a minor in Politics and Government from the University of Puget Sound. She currently resides in Tacoma, WA.

Scott Knackstedt was brought on to the GTH-Governmental Affairs team in the summer of 2009 and specializes in international and foreign laws and legislation. After completing a BS and BA from the University of Portland in 2006, Scott studied at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna as a Fulbright scholar before moving to England and completing a masters from the University of Cambridge. With extensive experience abroad, Scott holds internationally recognized language certification in three additional languages. Currently he focuses on foreign DNA-related policy for the firm, tracking, finding, translating and evaluating legislation.

A Pacific Northwest native, Ian Morrison is currently a first-year student at the University of Washington School of Law. Before enrolling at UW, Ian spent over two years as South Sound Outreach Director for Washington Governor Chris Gregoire. He served as the Governor’s lead liaison with local government, business, labor, environmental, and civic stakeholders on policy challenges – especially economic & community development and transportation – throughout the populous South Puget Sound. Prior to joining the Governor’s Office, Ian was a governmental affairs consultant with Gordon Thomas Honeywell Governmental Affairs, where he represented several Puget Sound municipalities before the Washington State Legislature. Additionally, Ian managed the highly-competitive, open-seat campaign of now-State Rep. Troy Kelley and served as a policy intern for Washington State Senator Jim Kastama. Recognized by the Business Examiner as one of the Puget Sound’s 2009 “40 Under Forty” as an emerging civic leader, Ian is especially proud of his community service on the boards of the City Club of Tacoma, the New Tacoma Neighborhood Council, and the Washington Conservation Voters Pierce County Chapter. Ian graduated from Washington State University with Bachelor of Arts in both Political Science and History in 2006. He currently lives in downtown Tacoma.