We are a full-service government relations firm based in
Washington, D.C.
We specialize in understanding the needs of our clients and helping them achieve their legislative
and regulatory goals.
Our expertise is in helping clients navigate the inner workings of the federal government.
Paul brings more than two decades of government relations experience to clients in financial services, health care, food and nutrition, transportation and infrastructure, media and telecommunications, and the education and non-profit fields. With his extensive knowledge and high-level relationships, Paul has a proven track record of helping clients work with Members in the House and Senate, on both sides of the aisle.
Paul is a widely known and well-regarded fixture in the halls of Congress, both for his consummate professionalism and his ebullient spirit. He has received numerous awards including the 2014 Washington Government Relations Group "Lobbyist of the Year" award. He was named to The Hill's "Top Lobbyists: Hired Guns" list for the past six years, and was selected numerous times to Roll Call's “Fabulous Fifty” staffers on Capitol Hill.
Paul began his lobbying career after serving for six years as the executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) under three CBC chairs: Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Elijah Cummings (D-MD) and Melvin Watt (D-NC). As executive director, Paul worked for all 43 members of the CBC and coordinated both domestic and foreign policy legislative initiatives for the CBC. He also worked for Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), who was then a member of the House, Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) and Governor Mario Cuomo (D-NY).
During the Clinton administration, Paul served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Employment Standards Administration under Secretary Alexis Herman. Paul also worked in the Department of Transportation’s General Counsel’s Honors Program.
A Washington, D.C. native, Paul earned his bachelor’s degree from Delaware State University and earned both a law degree and a master’s degree in public policy from Duke University.
Andy has almost two decades of experience in law, government and politics, and has worked at the highest levels of Democratic politics—advising congressional leadership, collaborating with the staff of influential committees, and assisting the campaigns of Frontline members and challengers. His network extends beyond Members of Congress to include thought-leaders and political donors in Washington and beyond the beltway.
Before pursuing a career in the private sector, Andy served as Legislative Director and Counsel for Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and later as a consultant to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) during the record-setting 2018 election cycle. He began his career working for his hometown Congressman Ken Bentsen (D-TX) as well as Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX).
Throughout his career, Andy has represented a variety of clients ranging from Fortune 500 corporations to civil rights organizations and in industries as diverse as telecommunications, health care, technology, energy, financial services, manufacturing, and transportation.
Andy earned his undergraduate degree from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas and his law degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
Natalie has spent more than fifteen years in and around government at both the state and federal levels, working on issues ranging from defense and technology to health care policy. Natalie began her career on Capitol Hill working with former Congresswoman and Chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM), serving as Deputy Chief of Staff and then Chief of Staff. Most recently, she served as a Special Projects Lead for now Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico.
Prior to her professional experiences on Capitol Hill, Natalie worked for Sandia National Laboratories as a Program Communications Lead, managing multi-million dollar projects and small business contracts. She also worked with the Executive Office and Government Relations team in leading all communications efforts for high-profile visits by Members of Congress and Cabinet Secretaries.
A native of New Mexico, Natalie earned a dual degree in Spanish and Mass Communications & Journalism from the University of New Mexico (UNM). She went on to earn her MBA from the Anderson School of Business at UNM, as well.
Ven has spent more than twenty years in senior roles in both the legislative and executive branch, including the White House. Most recently, Ven served for four years as chief of staff for Congressman Andy Levin (D-MI) and previously served on the staff of three other members of Congress: Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) as deputy chief of staff, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) as legislative director, and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) as legislative assistant. Ven also helped reconstitute the bipartisan House Chiefs of Staff Association where he served as Vice Chair for professional development.
Ven served for eight years in the administration of President Barack Obama as Senior Advisor for House Appropriations and Global Health at USAID and as Director of Congressional Affairs in the science bureau at USDA, where he led the team that stood up the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR). At the beginning of the Obama administration, Ven handled congressional affairs in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. Prior to joining the White House, Ven was Associate Director for Congressional Affairs at the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
Before coming to Capitol Hill, Ven worked with the multilateral community at the United Nations Association in Canada on food security issues and at an international NGO following trade and economic policy in Asia, focusing on civil society engagement with the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Ven currently serves on the board of the International Career Advancement Program Fellows Association (ICAPFA). Affiliated with the University of Denver’s Korbel School for International Affairs and the Aspen Institute, ICAPFA supports mid-career professionals in foreign affairs from underrepresented communities.
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii to parents of south Indian origin, Ven grew up in Canada, graduating from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec.
Sonya runs the business operations of the firm, drawing on more than two decades of professional experience across a variety of fields. She started her career in advertising, first planning media campaigns and then moving on to account management where she directed the activities of all departments in the development and production of results-oriented marketing for technology, healthcare, financial services and non-profit clients.
Sonya then became Director of Diversity & U.S. Emerging Markets for the International Franchise Association (IFA) where her role was to increase the number of women and minorities in franchising. In this capacity, she spoke at business conferences around the country, advised and collaborated with governmental and non-profit organizations on ways to encourage more franchise development in their communities and helped IFA member companies attract and retain more minority franchisees, suppliers and employees.
With the birth of her children, education became Sonya’s next focus. She served in numerous volunteer roles over the years, ranging from her neighborhood’s education task force, to serving on the Board of Directors of a private school for grades Pre-K to grade 8. This educational volunteerism inspired her to go back to school to become an elementary school teacher, where she taught 5th grade for several years.
A native of Ohio, Sonya earned her bachelor’s degree from Duke University and a Master of Teaching degree from Loyola University Maryland.
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Federal Street Strategies is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We thrive on diversity -- it's what makes us great. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills for the benefit of our clients, employees and community.
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