Tim Schellberg, President, Governmental Affairs Services

Tim Schellberg is the President of Gordon Thomas Honeywell Governmental Affairs. As the firm’s managing partner, Tim maintains an active governmental affairs practice, oversees daily operations of the firm, and provides strategic direction to the firm’s governmental affairs divisions. Tim primarily represents clients in the Washington State Legislature and Congress on a variety of topic areas including local government, technology, biotechnology, public safety, utilities, transportation, and more. As founder of the governmental affairs practice group, Tim successfully oversaw the establishment of the multi-state and international divisions and has over ten years experience working in a majority of our state capitals and abroad. Tim received his undergraduate degree from Washington State University in 1988 and his Juris Doctorate from Seattle University in 1991. Upon graduating from law school, Tim served as an attorney and legislative liaison to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. From 1994-2006, Tim was a partner at the law and governmental affairs firm Smith Alling Lane, P.S. Tim now lives in Gig Harbor, Washington with his wife and two children.

Hallee Sanders, Executive Assistant

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 18 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.

Dale Learn, Vice-President, Federal Government Affairs

Dale Learn manages the firm's Washington, DC office. Dale has a wealth of high-level experience in federal legislative and administrative matters. His areas of expertise include: transportation and infrastructure; law and justice; technology and telecommunications; energy and natural resources; trade; and commerce.

Prior to joining the firm, Dale spent over 6 years as a senior staffer for U.S. Senator Patty Murray (WA) and 2 years working for U.S. Representative Adam Smith (WA-09). With numerous accomplishments on federal legislative and administrative matters, Dale offers our clients an extensive background and knowledge of the federal system. His contacts and experience with Capitol Hill and the Executive Branch provide access and unparalleled advice regarding federal governmental issues. Dale has been highly successful in the private sector at meeting and surpassing our clients’ goals. A native of the Pacific Northwest, Dale received his undergraduate degree from the University of Washington and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland School of Law. He is an active member of the Washington State Bar Association. Dale now lives in the District of Columbia.

.

Cindy Zehnder, Vice-President

Cindy Zehnder manages the firm's Washington State Governmental Affairs Division. Cindy’s in-depth knowledge of Washington State policy and politics has 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. She was recently appointed by Governor Gregoire to chair Washington State’s Workforce Board. 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, Vice-President

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, Vice-President, International Public Affairs

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, Senior Governmental Affairs Consultant

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, Senior Governmental Affairs Consultant

Noah Reandeau has been a consultant at Gordon Thomas Honeywell Governmental Affairs for nine years, where he specializes in opening and protecting local, state, federal and international markets for a diverse array of clients. Among his accomplishments with the firm, Noah has secured over $100 million dollars in appropriations for various clients, stifled onerous regulations and proposals before Congress and coordinated the legislative efforts to pass Washington’s most significant piece of water legislation in decades. Appointed to lead a coalition of 43 lobbyists in Washington’s 2010 Legislative Session, Noah’s signature accomplishment is his successful work in coordinating the passage of a $505 million “jobs” bill.

In addition to his activities with the firm, Noah also enjoys starting and running corporations. Having owned four businesses in Washington State, Noah is most proud of his acquisition of a distressed gymnastics facility, which he and a business partner saved from bankruptcy and built into a Northwest icon. In recently taking over as the Executive Director of the Washington Economic Development Association, Noah hopes to parlay this success into improving Washington’s jobs outlook and the state’s competitive landscape.

Noah has presented to international audiences in ten different countries and has been quoted as an expert in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Prior to joining the firm, Noah worked for the Washington State Senate and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he received Top Secret security clearance.

A summa cum laude graduate of Saint Martin’s University, Noah enjoys giving back to his alma mater and has served both as president of the university’s alumni association and as a representative to the Board of Trustees. Recently named to the Business Examiner's 40 Under Forty, he lives in Tacoma, Washington.

Nate Potter, Governmental Affairs Consultant

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.

Briahna Taylor, Senior Governmental Affairs Consultant

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.

Megan Schrader, Governmental Affairs Consultant

Megan Schrader joined Gordon Thomas Honeywell in 2008 and has since 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 open markets to clients through the introduction of legislation in targeted states. In Washington, she has worked on critical public safety legislation and issues regarding regional water and sewer utilities. Prior to joining the Governmental Affairs team, Megan worked on the successful 2006 Troy Kelley Campaign for State Representative in the 28th Legislative District. Megan holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Political Economy from the University of Puget Sound and currently resides in Tacoma.

Carly Golden, Governmental Affairs Consultant

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 graduated 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.

James Evans, Governmental Affairs Consultant

James Evans joined Gordon Thomas Honeywell in 2005 and has worked across several business units, including the Federal, Multi-State, and Washington State Governmental Affairs Groups. Now working primarily with multi-state clients, James regularly consults with members of state legislatures, legislative staff, state agency officials, and a variety of interest groups throughout the country. He actively represents clients in matters relating to legislative appropriations and authorizations, as well as state agency budgets and regulations. Prior to joining the firm, James served as the President of the Washington Student Lobby and oversaw the legislative efforts of Washington’s six public baccalaureate institutions, where he was a successful capital budget and policy advocate. He now implements complex multi-state and international legislative strategies for clients, and currently manages the firm’s web-based resources. Although James has lived throughout the country and abroad, he currently resides in the Seattle area.

Scott Knackstedt, Governmental Affairs Consultant

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.

Bridgette Cooper, Governmental Affairs Consultant

Bridgette Cooper joined Gordon Thomas Honeywell Governmental Affairs as an intern in early 2011, and quickly advanced to the Consultant position. Bridgette works primarily in the Washington State Governmental Affairs Group, and provides support to the firm’s other governmental affairs groups. Prior to joining the firm, Bridgette worked in the Washington State Senate as a legislative intern. While working for the Senate, she developed a strong understanding of the legislative process, and a familiarity with the development of the Capital Budget. In addition to her professional endeavors, Bridgette volunteers with an American Legion Auxiliary youth government program. Bridgette graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Languages and Political Science from Pacific Lutheran University. She currently resides in Gig Harbor, Washington.