JENKINS HILL CONSULTING - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- of Counsel
- Counsel to
- Member of the Florida Bar
Andrew Asher serves Of Counsel to Jenkins Hill Consulting, LLC. and is founder to the law firm of Andrew L. Asher, P.L., with offices in Orlando, Florida and Washington, D.C. Prior to the establishment of his practice, Andrew was General Counsel for the lobbying firm of Barbour Griffith & Rogers, LLC, in Washington, D.C.
Andrew's practice is substantially devoted to providing clients with specialized assistance complying with federal and state campaign finance/election laws, lobbying laws and ethics regulation as well as routinely working with clients who seek to position themselves as vendors to federal and state government. Additionally, his firm furnishes a comprehensive suite of business counsel, real property development and asset protection services to domestic and international clientele.
Preceding his legal career, Andrew worked in the U.S. Congress serving as a Legislative Assistant to then-U.S. Representative Charles T. Canady from Central Florida and a staff-member to then - U.S. Senator, Connie Mack, III. In his role as an advisor to Rep. Canady, Andrew helped coordinate the bipartisan efforts of the Florida delegation to secure new markets for the State's citrus and fresh vegetable producers during the formulation and passage of the landmark 1996 Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act. Furthermore, Andrew worked with policymakers in the House and Senate on legislative efforts to fund the environmental restoration of the Florida Everglades.
Andrew is a member of the Florida Bar, the District of Columbia Bar and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. He received his Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of Delaware and his Juris Doctorate from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California. Andrew lives with his wife and son in Winter Park, Florida.
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Campaign Manager for Senator Mel Martinez
Scott Barnhart most recently served as the Campaign Manager for Senator Mel Martinez's successful Senate campaign in Florida. Mr. Barnhart assembled and directed a campaign team which set fundraising records for a Florida Senate race (raising over $13 million in a 9 month period) and helping lead Martinez to victory in a competitive Republican primary and tough general election. He directed all aspects of the campaign with a primary focus on message development and media strategy.
Previously, Mr. Barnhart served for 5 years as a registered lobbyist for the powerful Washington lobbying firm, Barbour Griffith & Rogers (BG&R). At BG&R, Mr. Barnhart was part of a 10 person lobbying team which was identified as the #1 lobbying firm in Washington DC by Fortune Magazine in 2001. As part of the BG&R team, Mr. Barnhart focused primarily on strategic lobbying activities, including the development and implementation of effective legislative strategies.
Prior to his lobbying career, Mr. Barnhart worked for former Senator Connie Mack of Florida for approximately 10 years. Mr. Barnhart served in many positions within the Mack organization before becoming the Deputy Chief of Staff. As Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr. Barnhart was part of a management team that developed and implemented both short and long-term political and legislative strategies. In addition to his management duties, Mr. Barnhart handled several legislative issues including Agriculture, Energy, Indian Affairs and Environmental matters. He also headed up Senator Mack's Projects Department focusing on the Appropriations Committee, staffing 9 of the 13 Appropriations Subcommittees for the Senator during Mack's tenure on the Appropriations Committee.
For many years, Mr. Barnhart played a major role in helping to insure Florida received its "fair share" of federal discretionary funding. In addition, he has been an important player in the development and implementation of the multi-billion dollar Everglades restoration effort.
During the 1994 election cycle, Mr. Barnhart worked as the Assistant Finance Director to the Republican Party of Florida and played a key role as a member of Senator Mack's reelection team. Over the years, Barnhart was an important part of fundraising efforts for Senator Mack's Campaign Committee and for the Adam Smith PAC, Senator Mack's Leadership Political Action Committee. Mr. Barnhart has and continues to represent a diverse clientele in all aspects of the Legislative and Executive branches of the federal government. He brings 15 years of political and policy experience to the table. He has been involved in every facet of the political process and brings hands on experience in the legislative arena.
Mr. Barnhart received his Bachelors Degree from the University of Florida. He and his wife, Elizabeth, and their two children currently reside in Washington, DC and Orlando, Florida.
Brad Edwards has over 16 years of experience in executive level management in corporate, government, association and political environments. Mr. Edwards specializes in federal and state legislative regulatory, and public policy advocacy with a special emphasis on financial services, tax, telecommunications, commerce, agriculture and trade issues. He has represented corporate and trade associations before U.S. Congress, the Executive Branch, federal agencies, and local governments.
Mr. Edwards experience on Capitol Hill included four years as legislative assistant to former U.S. Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC). Since his departure from Capitol Hill in 1996, he has worked extensively with Members of Congress and staff from the Senate and House leadership, committee chairman and their staffs, including the House Ways and Means, Senate Finance, House Energy and Commerce, Senate Commerce, House Financial Services, Senate Banking, House and Senate Judiciary, House and Senate Agriculture, and House and Senate Appropriations Committees.
Mr. Edwards worked for UST Public Affairs, Inc. from 1996-2000, as Director of Government Affairs representing the smokeless tobacco and wine company on legislative matters. In 2000, Mr. Edwards joined the American Council of Life Insurers as Director of Federal Relations and Political Affairs, representing its 600 members companies on financial services and political issues before Congress. In 2002, Edwards joined United States Telecom Association as Vice President of Government Affairs. He managed their lobbying team on various telecommunications legislative issues before Congress and the FCC.
In 2004, Mr. Edwards helped form the Jenkins Hill Group, LLC and currently serves as a principal in the Jenkins Hill Consulting, LLC.
He is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina and received his Bachelor of Arts in History from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina in 1990. He and his wife and their three children currently reside in Alexandria, VA.
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Principal of the Edgewater Group
With over 20 years of political experience in government affairs, campaign management, lobbying, trade association relations and issue management, Joe has a comprehensive approach to supporting our clients.
Prior to joining Jenkins Hill Consulting, Joe was Vice President of Public Affairs for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. where he oversaw all state and local government matters for the world's largest corporation. In his capacity there, Joe was responsible for prioritizing and developing the company's legislative and political agenda, their interaction with Governors, Attorneys General, Mayors and legislative leaders, as well as executing the company's aggressive store expansion program. Additionally, Joe played a leadership role in many of the company's major strategic initiatives such as environmental sustainability and expansion of healthcare programs and led a team of 50 professionals.
Joe also served as the Director of Government Affairs for Darden Restaurants, Inc. based in Orlando, Florida. At Darden, Joe oversaw the company's federal and state government relations programs as well as their political involvement including managing their Political Action Committee.
In addition to his work for Jenkins Hill Consulting, LLC, Joe also serves as a Principal of the Edgewater Group, LLC, a corporate consulting, advocacy and strategic planning firm based in Orlando, FL specializing in assisting their clients execute national government affairs strategies at the state and local level.
Joe is an alumnus of the University of Maryland and received his graduate degree from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
Job Titles:
- of Counsel
- Founder of the Lexington Strategy Group
Robert Arensberg, Founder of the Lexington Strategy Group has an extensive background in politics and policy in both the private and public sectors. His 20 years of experience, including five years as the President and co-founder of a renowned business consulting and government affairs firm brings a wide knowledge base in various aspects of private sector development and successfully representing many diverse clients and industries before Congress and the Executive Branch. He has built a solid reputation for achieving superior results for a diverse range of clients from start-up companies to non-profit and large multi-national corporations and he is widely respected among Members of Congress, Congressional staff, and his industry peers.
He has served two United States Senators in senior policy and advisory positions on legislative and political strategies. In the private sector, he served as Director of External Affairs for SBC Communications, a Fortune 30 company and leading provider of high-speed DSL Internet Access services. There he spearheaded strategy and directed the advocacy efforts with Senate leadership related to the firm's telecommunications policy. He also served as Vice President of Political Affairs for the financial services giant Citigroup. In that capacity he developed the political contribution strategy to effectively target key members in both the House and Senate. He also held the position of Director of Political Affairs for the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) where he engaged directly with Members of Congress in their fundraising activities.
Throughout his career he has gained a unique insight into the workings of both major corporations and start-up companies and his hands-on approach with Members of Congress has given him working knowledge of how to succeed in Washington.
He graduated from the University of Kansas and as part of the University's Study Abroad Program he studied intensified Italian at the Scuola di Lingua e Cultura Italiana per Stranieri di Siena in Siena, Italy.
The Honorable Robin Tallon is a Principal with Jenkins Hill Consulting and is based out of its Washington, DC headquarters.
Robin brings nearly three decades of Capitol Hill experience to Jenkins Hill Consulting. As a Democratic member of Congress, Robin represented the Sixth District of South Carolina for a decade. Following his tenure in Congress, Robin worked for various Fortune 500 companies and started his own consulting firm, Robin Tallon & Associates.
Robin spent many years during his tenure in Congress and in the private sector working to expand US trade exports. As a congressman, he was an active participant in GATT negotiations in Geneva and took part in several agricultural trade missions to Asia and Latin America. More recently, Robin has devoted a considerable amount of time working on regulatory issues with various federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, Department of Agriculture and Department of Energy.
In 2008, Robin brought his decades of experience to Jenkins Hill. His time as a Member of Congress and federal lobbyist have earned him a reputation as a strong and effective advocate for his clients. He aggressively works on a wide range of issue that includes taxes, trade, financial services, energy, healthcare, defense, appropriations, transportation and agriculture.
Robin currently serves on the Medical University of South Carolina's Board of Trustees and is an alumnus of the American University in Washington, DC. He resides in Florence, SC and the nation's capital.