About
Philip W. Johnston is a Principal and Managing Partner at Capitol Consulting Group and the owner of the healthcare public affairs consulting firm, Johnston Associates. Prior to entering the private sector in 1996, Phil had completed more than three decades of public service. Elected to the state legislature five times, and having served as a Cabinet member under Governor Michael Dukakis and Regional Administrator under President Bill Clinton, Phil brings with him a deep understanding of both the state and federal government and is considered an expert on healthcare reform and health policy.
In 1992, Phil Johnston was appointed by President William Jefferson Clinton to serve as the New England Administrator for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to joining the Clinton administration, Phil had served as Secretary of Human Services for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under Governor Michael Dukakis. He served as Secretary from 1984 to 1991. Phil was appointed by Governor Dukakis soon after he was elected to his fifth term as State Representative from the Fourth Plymouth District. Phil Johnston was also the Executive Director of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial in Washington, D.C., an institution dedicated to improving social justice and human rights throughout the world.
Phil Johnston served as Chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party from 2001-2007, during which time, he was the first state Party Chair to endorse then candidate Barack Obama. Phil is the current Chair of the Board of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum, and the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights. He also sits on the Boards of the University of Massachusetts, the Kenneth B. Schwartz Center, the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute, Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, and Stop Handgun Violence.
In addition to holding several honorary degrees, Phil received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Master of Arts Degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Principal
EDUCATION
Harvard University, M.A.
University of Massachusetts, B.A.
BOARDS
Massachusetts Health Policy Forum, Chair; Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation, Chair ; Robert F. Kennedy Memorial, Chair; University of Massachusetts; Kenneth B. Schwartz Center; Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute; Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute
ACCOLADES
Honorary doctorate, Curry College; Health Care for All Lifetime Achievement Award ; The Democratic Party Franklin Delano Roosevelt Award; Common Cause's John Gardner Award for Public Service
Roger Donoghue is a Principal of Capitol Consulting Group. He is also the co-founder and Senior Partner of Donoghue Barrett & Singal, P.C.. Roger has over 20 years experience in government relations, specializing in legislative and regulatory affairs, lobbying, and business strategies.
Roger counsels regional, national, and international clients in such industries as health care, education, real estate development, telecommunications, and insurance, as they interface with government. He advises clients on the strategic implications of developing and maintaining relationships with government, and represents such clients before regulatory agencies and public authorities.
Prior to founding Donoghue, Barrett and Singal, Roger served as the Director of Public Affairs for the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. He also served as the Massachusetts Director of Government Relations for the National Federation of Independent Businesses. Roger is on the Massachusetts Board of the Arthritis Foundation, and in 2006, Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) appointed Roger as the Chair of the Board of the Children's Trust Fund of Massachusetts. He graduated from Holy Cross College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree and has a J.D. from Suffolk Law School.
ROGER DONOGHUE, Esq.
Suffolk University, J.D.
Holy Cross University, B.A.
Children's Trust Fund, Chair; Rappaport Center for Law and Social Policy; Arthritis Foundation, Massachusetts Chapter
MEMBERSHIPS
Boston Bar Association, Legislative Policy Committee Member; Massachusetts Bar Association
Rosemary Baldacci is a community relations and new media marketing consultant for Capitol Consulting Group. Rosemary's clients include the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), Novo Nordisk and Maximus . Her political clients have included the Barack Obama for President campaign, Governor Deval Patrick, Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, and the Massachusetts Democratic Party. Rosemary has managed the Congressional campaigns of her brother, John Baldacci (D-ME), and Susan W. Longley. Rosemary also consults to Alipes CME , which specializes in creating online communities for corporate and political campaigns.
Rosemary created, owned and operated three small Maine businesses; established the first Maine Shared Kitchen Coalition and opened the Saco Shared Use Kitchen and Bakery ; co-founded Maine's Race for the Cure ; and served as a Founding board member of the Mabel Wadsworth Women's Health Clinic in Bangor.
ROSEMARY BALDACCI
Partner
Georgetown University, B.A.
Maine's Race for the Cure, Co-Founder ; Maine Shared Use Kitchen Coalition; Committee to Elect John Baldacci
Jane Lane is a Managing Partner at Capitol Consulting and the Director of the firm's public relations practice. Jane is a veteran communications specialist, having served as a journalist, an Editor, a Press Secretary for numerous political campaigns and the Communications Director for the Massachusetts Democratic Party.
Jane's career in the press has included positions as Reporter, Executive Editor, and General Manager for various newspapers throughout New England. Jane has also served as Press Secretary for the Congressional campaigns of Phil Johnston and Congressman John Tierney, as well as the gubernatorial campaign of former Congressman Brian Donnelly. In 2000, Jane was named Communications Director of the Massachusetts Democratic Party. In that capacity, she was responsible for implementing and overseeing media strategies for Democratic candidates from the state Legislature and the U.S. House and Senate.
In 2005, Jane joined Philip W. Johnston Associates as Director of Public Relations and later maintained that role at Capitol Consulting. At CCG, Jane built her client list to include major real estate developers, fortune 500 companies, local and national health care organizations, and community health centers from across the United States. Jane is a frequent spokesperson on Boston radio and television and interacts on a daily basis with statewide media outlets.
JANE LANE
Managing Partner
Northeastern University, B.A.
COMMITTEES
Massachusetts Democratic Party; Former DNC Delegate
AWARDS
2010 SMOC Speak Truth to Power Award
Tara O'Donnell is a Managing Partner with Capitol Consulting Group and a Partner at the Law Firm of Donoghue, Barrett & Singal, PC. With 20 years of experience in government affairs, Tara represents clients in the health care, high technology, pharmaceutical, insurance, real estate, and telecommunication industries.
Tara's professional experience includes serving the Manager of State Government Advocacy for the Massachusetts Hospital Association, and as Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs with the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority. Tara has also served as an Aide in both the Massachusetts State Senate and House of Representatives.
Tara is a member of the Boston Bar Association and the Women's Bar Association. She is a Board Member of the Bowdoin Club of Boston and is legal counsel to the Massachusetts Democratic Party. Tara graduated cum laude from Suffolk University Law School and also graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Bowdoin College.
TARA O'DONNELL, Esq.
Suffolk University, J.D.,
Bowdoin College, B.A.
Hospitality Homes, Bowdoin Club of Boston,
Massachusetts Democratic Party Judicary Committee
Boston Bar Association
Kevin O'Reilly is a Principal of Capitol Consulting Group, specializing in communications and public affairs. Kevin has over twenty years of senior public and corporate experience, including serving as Chief of Staff to State Senate President Therese Murray (D-Plymouth), during her tenure as Chair of the Committee on Ways and Means. Kevin has also served as Senator Murray's Campaign Manager since her first election in 1992. Kevin's extensive private sector experience includes starting, owning and operating the successful government and public relations firm, Creative Strategies & Communications.
Kevin specializes in creating and implementing a full range of services designed to meet the needs of corporations, political candidates, project developers, government agencies, labor organizations and nonprofit clients. These services include public approval strategies, marketing, media and corporate communications, and political and community organizing.
Kevin has designed and implemented strategies to win approvals for a number of projects including a large regional shopping mall, gas and coal fired power plants, recycling facilities, residential developments, a waterfront hotel and casino complex, and the Commonwealth's largest privately constructed prison facility. He was also instrumental in setting up the nation's first web-based system designed to help find missing and children and adults through the use of iris biometric recognition technology. Kevin and his family live in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
KEVIN O'REILLY
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, B.A.
Committee to Elect Terese Murray, Chair
Rebecca Pollard is a public affairs specialist with more than 10 years of experience in a number of leadership roles. She has served as a Press Secretary in the United States Senate, Communications Director for several political campaigns, and has experience as a journalist and public affairs manager in the health care industry.
Rebecca served as Press Secretary for United States Senator Byron L. Dorgan (D-ND) from 2003 to 2006, focusing on the Senator's key issues including energy, commerce, agriculture, transportation and appropriations. In addition to her senior role in the Senator's Congressional office, Rebecca served as Press Secretary for Senator Dorgan's re-election campaign in 2004. Her political experience also includes staffing the U.S. House campaign of Matt Matsunaga in Hawaii, and most recently serving as Communications Director for the Maine Democratic Party's 2008 Coordinated Campaign.
Rebecca's career also includes work in health care, serving as the Manager of Public Affairs and chief spokesperson for The Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, the state's largest hospital and trauma center. She has also worked as a journalist in Washington, D.C., covering the lobbying industry for Legal Times and Influence and writing for the environmental publication, Greenwire. Rebecca has a Bachelor's Degree in American Studies from Colby College and a Master's Degree in Education from the Harvard University, where she focused on education policy and access to higher education. In 2003, Rebecca was a Fellow at the Rappaport Institute for Public Policy at Harvard University. A native of Maine, Rebecca currently splits her time between Boston, Portland, ME and Washington, D.C..
REBECCA POLLARD
Harvard University, M.A.,
Colby College, B.A.
AFFILIATIONS
Rappaport Institute for Public Policy at Harvard University, Fellow ; Maine Democratic Party, Member
Louise Povall is currently a consultant focusing on strategic planning, operations, and the design of innovative financial solutions. A registered lobbyist, Louise is a strategic advisor to companies that conduct business with or are regulated by federal and state governments.
Prior to joining Capitol Consulting Group, Louise held many executive level positions within Massachusetts state government including the COO/CFO for the state Medicaid agency under Governor Michael Dukakis (D-MA), and the COO/CFO for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the umbrella agency with policy and financial oversight over all health, social services and disability agencies under Governor Bill Weld (R-MA). Throughout her public sector career, Louise has played a leadership role in identifying innovative ways to preserve and leverage scarce state dollars appropriated to HHS agencies with a focus on efficiency, cost effectiveness, revenue maximization and savings initiatives. She has provided leadership in identifying and collecting missed revenues due to the Commonwealth, primarily from the federal government, and has initiated and implemented hundreds of revenue and cost-avoidance initiatives which produced millions to EOHHS agencies, helping to offset the need for budget cuts.
Louise has been an invited speaker at national conferences on government health and human service financing issues, revenue maximization, and the value of data integration in savings states money, including a Microsoft Conference for State CIO's, a National Association of State Finance Directors Conference, and several conferences held across the country by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. She holds a Master's degree in Human Services Management from the Florence Heller School at Brandeis University.
LOUISE POVALL
Brandeis University, M.P.H.
State University of New York, B.A.
Merrill Warschoff Press is a Managing Partner with Capitol Consulting Group and the Director of the firm's Washington, D.C. office. Merrill has over 13 years experience in federal government relations and public policy advocacy. She works with both Congressional leaders and Federal Agencies to negotiate and resolve issues on behalf of her clients. These clients include healthcare providers, patient groups, municipalities, medical equipment manufacturers, real estate developers, information technology firms, and state and national associations.
Merrill is considered a national expert on federal legislation and policies regarding federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). Merrill also has significant experience and has achieved notable success in the increasingly competitive federal appropriations process, representing such clients as Holyoke Hospital, the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, Miami Beach Community Health Center and South Shore Tri-Town Corporation.
Prior to joining Capitol Consulting, Merrill was a successful fundraiser and program leader with the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial in Washington, D.C.. Merrill has a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a Masters Degree in Government from Johns Hopkins University. Merrill and her husband, Andrew Press, live in Alexandria, Virginia.
MERRILL PRESS
Johns Hopkins University, M.A., University of Wisconsin, B.A.
Services
The Government Relations team at Capitol Consulting consists of a team of highly qualified and experienced state and federal lobbyists who provide a full complement of legislative services. We develop, manage and implement comprehensive political and legislative strategies, enabling our clients to overcome public policy, legislative, regulatory, and procurement challenges.
Our experience, understanding of the political process, and relationships on Beacon Hill and Capitol Hill aid our clients in achieving their business objectives. We know the law, the process, the politics, the ethics, and the players. To this end, we identify issues, assess who needs to be contacted, and decide how and where to concentrate our resources.
Our Government Relations Services Include:
» Federal and State Lobbying
» Drafting and Reviewing Legislation
» Procurement and Public Sector Marketing
» Appropriations Representation
» Regulatory Affairs and Advocacy
» Grant / Proposal Writing and Advocacy
PUBLIC RELATIONS:
With extensive experience and expertise in dealing with state and national media, Capitol Consulting Group offers its clients a full range of communications services. Our staff of professionals, comprised of former Press Secretaries, reporters, journalists and editors, will work with you to make sure all of your public relations and communications goals are met.
We offer our clients a full range of communications and public relations services that include:
» Media relations, including local, state & national media campaigns
» Message and brand development
» Web 2.0 and "new media" strategy
» Litigation public relations
» Crisis communications and management
» B2B, B2C and B2G marketing
» Focus groups and market research
PUBLIC AFFAIRS & COMMUNITY RELATIONS:
Working with community leaders and local officials, we are able to engage and activate allies for your project. Promoting the positive impact while respectfully and thoughtfully addressing local concern, Capitol Consulting Group can help move a project from the concept phase to reality in a way that produces the most favorable outcome for all parties.
Our firm has led the community relations efforts for some of the largest and most complex projects in the state, including the Plymouth Rock Studios , the South Shore Plaza , South Middlesex Opportunity Council , and New England's largest real estate development, known as Southfield, on the site of the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station.
Our services include:
» Issues Management
» Permitting and Local Approval
» Community and Constituent Outreach
» Grassroots Organizing & Coalition Building
» Polling, Focus Groups and Market Research
MARKETING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT:
The team of marketing and communications professionals at Capitol Consulting Group utilizes their combined experience and contacts in both the public and private sectors to develop a strategy that will help drive interest and public attention in our clients' solutions, in order to open new business channels and deliver new sales.
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES CONSULTING:
Capitol Consulting Group's health and human services division includes consultants and attorneys offering a wide range of specialized services tailored for health and human services organizations. Our team has held leadership roles that include serving as Secretary of Human Services (EOHHS), Regional Administrator of Health and Human Services (HHS), CFO and COO of Medicaid, Government Relations manager for a hospital association, Public Affairs manager for a major hospital system, and the former Director of a behavioral health association. We are particularly well regarded in our comprehensive understanding of healthcare reform on the state and national level, as well as topics related to emerging trends in healthcare technology.
Our expertise includes:
» State & National Healthcare Reform
» Healthcare Information Technology
» Accountable Care Organizations
» Hospital and Provider Operations
» Government and Payor Relations
» Healthcare Financing and Revenue Maximization
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING:
Capitol Consulting Group is a market leader in offering public affairs and government relations consulting services to leading corporations and organizations in the information technology sector. CCG's Managing Partners are frequently featured at major technology conferences and in leading media outlets speaking on the topics of emerging trends in the information technology sector and the intersection of government and technology. Our firm has developed notable success working with associations, vendors, government agencies and elected officials to develop consortiums and secure funding and contracts for complex and diverse technology initiatives.
Our areas of expertise include:
» State and Federal Government Procurement
» Privacy and Security Regulations
» Public / Private Partnership Development
» Healthcare Information Exchange
» Electronic Medical Record Systems
» ARRA Funding and Meaningful Use
Clients
Clients | Some of the organizations we have served
November 24, 2010:
Philip W. Johnston introduces President Barack Obama at the 2009 Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights Awards at the White House.
February 22, 2010:
NECN: CCG Managing Partner, Rebeccca Pollard, discusses national health reform on NECN's NewsNight with Jim Braude.
January 21, 2010:
ABC News: Phil Johnston, on the Massachusetts Senate Race Special Election
Contact
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