Rob Jones is the founder of Alliance Group. An attorney by training, Rob has also served at the senior level in administration of former Virginia Governor Gerald Baliles and served on the Richmond City Council. A hands-on manager, Rob stays involved with all aspects of client work at the firm. Rob is active with business, civic and volunteer groups including the American Council of Young Political Leaders, VA Free, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, and the YMCA Model General Assembly. Rob earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce and his J.D. from Lewis & Clark, Northwestern School of Law. Interesting facts about Rob 1. Has two awesome dogs that double as the firm's mascots. 2. Is always on the go - been to 48 of the 50 states and 25 plus countries. 3. Is addicted to technology and caffeine - he is always connected to the net via BlackBerry or laptop and iced or hot coffee is always within arm's reach. David Bass works primarily in Alliance Group's public relations sector, concentrating on PR, media relations, and event planning for some of our corporate clients. He also manages StatePulse, the firm's Virginia government and political news service as well as providing research for the firm. David is very active in the city of Richmond having held a leadership position with the City's award winning Neighborhood Team Process and serving as Vice-President of the Shockoe Neighborhood Committee. David is currently President of the Manchester Alliance and serves on the Marketing and Advocacy Committee of Venture Richmond. He is a graduate of the University of Richmond with a B.A. in International Studies with a minor concentration in German. Interesting facts about David 1. Has eaten at almost every restaurant within the Richmond city limits. 2. Is fascinated by all things mid-century modern. 3. Has been a die-hard Star Trek fan for more than 25 years. Matt Conrad, an Appomattox native, is another lawyer on staff at the Alliance Group. Matt represents Virginia vineyards and wineries as the director of the Virginia Wine Council, however, he also stands ready to assist with the government relations needs of other clients on federal, state and local government matters. Having served on the legislative team for the Virginia Office of the Attorney General, Matt has broad experience in developing and advocating for legislative issues in an array of subjects. He has served as counsel to Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, and later worked as a corporate and real estate attorney in Richmond. Matt is active in the community and currently serves on the board of directors of the Church Hill Association, the executive committee of the Richmond Republican party, and as president of the Union Hill Civic Association. Matt earned degrees from James Madison University (B.A. Political Science, French) and George Mason University School of Law. Interesting facts about Matt 1. Would one day like to own and operate his own farm. 2. Thinks ideal weekends involved projects around his house and yard. 3. Has made a New Year's resolution to visit all of Virginia's 150+ farm wineries. Peter DuMont wears several hats, working on grassroots and PR initiatives, as well as serving as the firm's IT specialist. Peter can "talk tech" with the best of them - a great skill to have on staff when some of the rest of us think "tech" is a foreign language akin to "Czech." Active in the community, Peter serves as an elder at Eternity Church in Richmond and is active in the local arts, serving as a volunteer usher at the Landmark Theater. A native Minnesotan, Peter is a graduate of the University of Richmond with a B.S. in English. Interesting facts about Peter 1. Is an avid cyclist. 2. Has twice participated in a 12-hour marathon reading of John Milton's Paradise Lost. 3. Doesn't think his favorite books should be made into movies. Matt Gray is Alliance Group's resident fundraising expert. He also has significant experience organizing at the grassroots level and working with members of the Virginia General Assembly, having served as Director of Development for the Republican Party of Virginia. In Washington, Matt worked as a fundraiser for Senators John McCain, Elizabeth Dole, George Allen, John Ensign and Jim Inhofe. Additionally, he worked as an event planner for the non-profit Prince of Wales Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting various charities in the fields of health, education, the built environment and the natural environment. Active in the community, Matt is involved with Benedictine High School Alumni Association, the Forest Hill Neighborhood Association, the Richmond SPCA, the Republican Party of Richmond and St. Benedict Catholic School. Matt earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from James Madison University. Interesting facts about Matt 1. Has five (5) four-legged children, three dogs and two cats: Madison, Myrt, Mimi, Duke and Duchess. 2. Is addicted to Home Shopping Network. 3. Is a barbeque fanatic, recommends Bennie's Barbeque in Stratford Hills. Don Harris works as the firm's government relations liaison in Northern Virginia. A former VP for Inova Health System, Don serves as an Inova representative on the Board of the Alliance for Advancing Non-Profit Health Care and the Hospital Advocacy Group of the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. In the community, Don is a board member of the Campbell-Hoffman Foundation. He is a founding member and past chairman of the Board of the Northern Virginia Area Health Education Center (AHEC). He served on the boards of the Health Systems Agency of Northern Virginia and the Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry (NOVAM). He participated in the inaugural Leadership Fairfax class as a former board member of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce. Don graduated from Indiana University and Yale University with masters' degrees and has an undergraduate degree from Franklin College of Indiana. Interesting facts about Don 1. Grew up on a farm in Indiana and is today an avid weekend gardener who specializes in bringing barely living things back to life. 2. Is a huge Indiana basketball fan. 3. Enjoys reading historical and international intrigue novels. Michael Phillips works primarily in the Public Relations sector of the firm. He is highly skilled in media relations, often being told that there isn't a story that he can't find an outlet for. He works and maintains relationships with mainstream and specialized media, including national print publications, broadcast and on-line media. Another aspect of Michael's work is event planning. He frequently plans and executes major events including media, government officials and business leaders throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Michael is a graduate of the University of Virginia where he earned a B.A. in History, led several student organizations and served as an undergraduate researcher. Interesting facts about Michael 1. Enjoys listening to Greek and Persian music. 2. Has a collection of early American antiques and can commonly be found at his desk listening to Se Pira Sovara while previewing the latest auction (on his lunch break, of course). 3. Takes advantage of the government relations aspect of the firm, Michael enjoys posing for photo ops with KIs (Key Influentials in PR lingo). Andy is a lawyer by training, with a corporate and transactional background at a large international law firm. Andy also has extensive experience in state government, having worked in senior positions for two Virginia Governors focusing on government administration and reform as well as technology issues. Andy assists our clients with crafting and implementing communications strategies to respond to a wide range of needs, drawing on his substantial experience with strategic planning for fast-paced, complex organizations. Andy's leadership roles in government included experience managing enterprise-wide projects, including many large-scale ventures involving multiple large and small organizations. Andy has valuable government relations and public policy experience in drafting and analyzing legislative and regulatory proposals. Andy has a track record as a consensus-builder, with an ability to build relationships through a balanced, collaborative approach. Andy earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia. Andy is active in civic and charitable organizations in the Richmond community, serving in leadership positions with the YMCA and his church and having served on the Board of Directors of Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Interesting facts about Andy 1. Andy spent his college summers working on jump crews at horse shows throughout the southeast....much like a "roadie" for rock bands. 2. Andy hopes to one day finish the ever-accumulating tower of books on his nightstand, and as a devoted "double Hoo" even aspires to add all of TJ's papers to that growing pile (has Volumes I and II thus far....). Nicole Pugar is a veteran at building and maintaining coalitions and skilled at navigating client interests through the legislative process. She focuses primarily on the firm's healthcare and non-profit initiatives. Prior to joining Alliance Group, Nicole was Director of Public Policy for the Virginia Dental Association where she was responsible for mobilizing the association's legislative grassroots campaigns. She also successfully worked to build the Association's PAC and ensured the interests of the association were represented throughout the regulatory bodies that govern health professions. Additionally, Nicole was part of the Washington staff of Congressman John Linder and the district staff of former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum. In the community, Nicole is a member of the Richmond Sports Backers Marathon Training Team, a volunteer judge for AIM USA Cheering Program competitions and is an active member of St. Bridget's Catholic Church. Nicole holds a Bachelor of Arts from Randolph-Macon College. Interesting facts about Nicole 1. Is an avid runner and has completed several marathons. 2. Loves nothing more than having her toes in the sand at any beach. 3. Loves entertaining and decorating for the holidays and can proudly can say that she knows of every spot in Richmond where you can find free greenery for holiday centerpieces. Meg Willett is a Louisiana native happily living in Virginia working on corporate and non-profit initiatives. She is a skilled writer and creative collaborator on projects. Prior to moving to Virginia, Meg served as an intern to the Lt. Governor of Louisiana. Here in the Commonwealth, she served as a Fellow in the Office of Governor Tim Kaine assisting the Senior Advisor to the Governor for Workforce Development. Meg is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of Richmond where she majored in Political Science with a minor in History. Interesting facts about Meg 1. Meg has danced her whole life and was a University Dancer while at UR. You may catch her doing pirouettes in the copy room while waiting for documents to print. 2. Growing up in south Louisiana, Meg's parents almost disowned her when at the age of 13, she decided to become a vegetarian. 3. For a client, Meg once had to dance on live television...in silence...at 6:15 a.m.