RICH FEUER ANDERSON - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Principal at RFA
Alex Teel serves as Principal at RFA, where he lobbies Capitol Hill, independent regulatory agencies, and the Executive Branch on behalf of clients.
He gained diverse policy and legislative experience from his service as the Designee for Chairman Emeritus Spencer Bachus (R-AL) to the House Committee on Financial Services and as a Professional Staff Member on the Committee. In his capacity as Designee, Alex managed the activities of Chairman Emeritus Bachus before the Financial Services Committee, including the development of legislation and participation in Committee proceedings. He provided counsel on a wide range of policy and regulatory proposals affecting all aspects of financial markets and institutions.
As a Professional Staff Member serving both the Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology Subcommittee and the International Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee, Alex worked on a range of issues affecting domestic and international financial institutions. His portfolio included the Federal Reserve, international financial institutions, money laundering, cybercrime, emerging payments, the Export-Import Bank and other trade agencies, the Defense Production Act, and coins and currency. He helped steward the passage of the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization of 2012, capital increases for several multilateral development banks, and staffed the Speaker's Cyber Security Task Force on behalf of the Financial Services Committee.
In addition, Alex served as the Financial Services Legislative Assistant for Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R- SC), providing strategic counsel on financial markets, cyber security, intelligence, transportation, science and technology and economic policy.
Andrew has especially deep relationships with Republican Members and senior staff on the House Financial Services and Senate Banking Committees. He understands how each member views complex policy and political issues and uses that knowledge to help clients shape their advocacy efforts.
Andrew Palmer is a Principal at Rich Feuer Anderson (RFA). He joined the firm in 2017 and provides clients with counsel on how to navigate complex issues in front of Congress and the federal financial regulators. His guidance helps financial services companies including banks, asset managers, innovative fintech and digital asset companies, private equity firms, and insurance companies accomplish their goals in Washington.
Andrew has especially deep relationships with Republican Members and senior staff on the House Financial Services and Senate Banking Committees. He understands how each member views complex policy and political issues and uses that knowledge to help clients shape their advocacy efforts. He is particularly adept at assisting clients with issues at the cross-section of financial and national security policy, including sanctions, foreign investment, and anti-money laundering issues.
Andrew joined RFA from Capitol Hill, where he worked in legislative roles for Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-TN), a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. While advising Rep. Fincher Andrew played a vital role in the 2015 re-authorization and reform of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, a process which required a discharge petition to become law and was only the fourth successful use of the parliamentary procedure since 1985. For Rep. Fleishmann, Andrew advised on appropriations issues and developed a deep understanding of the crafting and consideration of the annual appropriations bills.
Andrew began his career in the office of former Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH) and is politically active in support of Republican congressional candidates.
Prior to joining the firm, Ben was the Deputy Staff Director for the House Oversight Committee, where he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of one of the largest and most active committees in Congress. In this role, he oversaw the committee's legislative strategy, litigation portfolio, and several high-profile investigations.
Before joining the Oversight Committee, Ben worked on the House Financial Services Committee, where he managed and directed the operations of the Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship, and Capital Markets as former Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney's (D-NY) counsel and designee. In this role, he successfully secured bipartisan support for a number of financial services bills that were signed into law, including a range of securities bills, the reauthorization of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, and bills addressing bank capital requirements. Ben also led the conference committee negotiations on the Corporate Transparency Act, which became law in 2021. He interacted and negotiated extensively with financial regulatory agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Treasury Department, and the Federal Reserve.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Vice President
- Assistant Vice President at RFA
Brian Montesinos is an Assistant Vice President at RFA, where he assists in developing advisory services and advises clients on all matters relating to public policy.
Brian joined RFA with multiple years of Capitol Hill experience. He served as a Legislative Correspondent and Staff Assistant for a Senator on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. Brian helped manage the Senator's financial services portfolio, where he developed an understanding of banking regulation, housing finance reform, and other policies related to financial services.
As a Legislative Correspondent, Brian helped oversee a diverse policy portfolio, including financial services, housing, trade, immigration, tax, small business, and foreign affairs. Brian also has campaign experience, speaks fluent Spanish, and is proficient in French.
Brian came to Washington D.C. after receiving a Bachelor's degree in Economics and International Studies at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Brian is also a part-time law school student at the American University Washington College of Law.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Vice President
- Analyst at RFA
Connor McWilton is an Analyst at RFA, where he assists in developing advisory services and advises clients on all matters relating to public policy.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Financial Services Policy Expert
Jared Sawyer is widely regarded as a financial services policy expert on issues related to prudential banking regulation, consumer financial protection, insurance, cybersecurity and FinTech.
Prior to joining RFA, he was the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions Policy at the U.S. Department of Treasury. At Treasury, he managed and directed the operations of the Office of Financial Institutions, the Federal Insurance Office, and the Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection. He served on the leadership team for Treasury's public policy reports and served as a senior member of Treasury's housing finance working group. Further, he was the project and policy lead in the drafting and publication of the 2017 Treasury Executive Order Report on Asset Management and Insurance, and led Treasury's work to complete and sign the U.S. - E.U. Covered Agreement for Insurance and Reinsurance.
Before joining Treasury, Jared served in senior policy roles on the Senate Banking Committee and House Financial Services Committee. At the Senate Banking Committee, he served Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) on two separate occasions as counsel and senior counsel managing an issues portfolio of prudential regulation, consumer credit, and FinTech. In the House, he managed and directed the operations of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit as former Chairman Randy Neugebauer's (R-TX) designee and lead policy advisor.
Prior to government service, Jared worked for Citigroup as Vice President, Legislative Analyst for Citi's government affairs team based in Washington, D.C. There he focused his work on state legislatures, state attorneys general and governors.
John Anderson brings over 20 years of high-level experience in federal government affairs to RFA.
Prior to joining the firm, John was Managing Director of Credit Suisse in the Public Policy Americas division, where he was responsible for managing external advocacy and working with Congress and federal financial regulators on legislative and regulatory matters impacting the bank and its clients. He helped formulate Credit Suisse's government affairs strategy and managed the firm's Dodd-Frank implementation plan.
John previously served as Managing Director of government affairs at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA). He also served as Vice President of the Securities Industry Association, which merged with the Bond Market Association in 2006 to form SIFMA. In 2003, he was named Head of Government Affairs for the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) and opened the organization's first Washington, DC-based office.
Earlier in his career, John was a senior policy advisor to U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), a senior member serving on the Senate Banking, Budget and Finance Committees. He acted as staff liaison to the Senate Banking Committee and was Senator Crapo's top advisor for budget, energy, tax, transportation and trade issues. Among other issues, he worked on major financial services legislation, regulatory policy matters, and nominations. John also worked in the House of Representatives for the Honorable Jack Metcalf (R-WA), and began his career on Capitol Hill working for the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
Prior to joining the firm, Justin was the Managing Director at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA). At SIFMA, Justin was responsible for a range of advocacy issues including tax, retirement, congressional oversight, and ESG policy. He managed the SIFMA Federal Tax Committee, which is comprised of senior corporate tax officers of Fortune 500 financials institutions. He also led the advocacy efforts of Alliance for Savings and Investment, a coalition of companies and trade associations committed to a competitive capital gains and dividend rate.
Justin joined SIFMA from the U.S. Department of the Treasury where he was responsible for the development and execution of policy positions including tax, and trade as a senior advisor in the Office of Legislative Affairs. He was a key liaison to Capitol Hill and the stakeholder community on the implementation of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act oof 2017; the Administration's engagement with the OECD on BEPS 2.0 and many other issues.
Prior to Treasury, Justin previously served as a policy advisor for several members of the U.S. House of Representatives including legislative director and lead policy advisor to Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO), the current Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee. During his time on the Hill, he was involved in the development and passage of legislation like the Preventing Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015; the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
Mr. Sok is a graduate of the University of Kentucky with a B.A. in history.
Matthew B. Kellogg (Matt) is a Principal at RFA.
Prior to joining the firm, Matt was the Vice President of Government Affairs and Communications for MoneyLion, a leading publicly traded financial technology company. At MoneyLion he was responsible for developing the company's policy priorities and executing the company's legislative and regulatory advocacy strategies. Additionally, he developed the company's corporate communications strategy and managed its day-to-day execution. Previously, Matt was Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at HSBC Bank, N.A where he was responsible for all federal legislative and regulatory advocacy related to prudential and capital markets issues.
His experience also includes senior roles at the U.S. Department of Treasury and Republican leadership of the House of Representatives. At the Treasury Department, Matt served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Banking and Finance in the Treasury Office of Legislative Affairs. In that role, he was the principal liaison between Treasury and Congress on matters of financial services policy, culminating in the enactment of The Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act in 2018.
On Capitol Hill, Matt served as a Senior Policy Advisor and Counsel to the then-House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) managing several portfolios, including financial services, energy, environmental, technology, data privacy, consumer issues, among others. His position in House leadership afforded Matt a front row seat to annual appropriations negotiations with the White House and Senate. During his tenure, he advised on many legislative matters that became law, including revisions to environmental and California water laws, capital formation and securities laws amendments, as well as the first significant usage of the Congressional Review Act to overturn regulations administered by federal agencies.
Earlier in his career, Matt was the General Counsel for the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA). He was responsible for the Association's legal, regulatory and federal affairs activities, relating to environmental and tax issues affecting member companies. He was a frequent speaker on topics of interest to industry participants at numerous state and industry association conferences.
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner
- Senior Advisor
Peter D. Rich is a founding partner of Rich Feuer Anderson.
Prior to starting the firm, Peter spent eight years at Reuters America and Instinet Corporation, an electronic agency broker and Reuters subsidiary. He opened the Washington Government Affairs Office for Reuters/Instinet and led the team that served as the company's primary representative before the U.S. Congress and the relevant regulatory and executive branch agencies, including the SEC, CFTC, U.S. Treasury Department, Federal Reserve Board and U.S. Trade Representative. On behalf of Instinet, Peter also worked with the company's key regulators in Europe (UK Financial Services Authority, European Commission, CESR) and Hong Kong. He was a Senior Vice President at Reuters America and Instinet and a member of Instinet's management committee.
Before joining Reuters and Instinet, Peter served as the financial services counsel to the Republican members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Before his time in government service, he was a transactions attorney in the Washington, DC office of Sidley & Austin.
Strategist and advocate RaShawn Mitchell brings more than a decade of policy expertise and political savvy with a proven track record as a lead Democratic lobbyist for a trade association.
Prior to joining RFA, RaShawn was Senior Director, Government Relations at the American Gaming Association (AGA), where he helped advocate for casino operators, manufacturers, suppliers, and employees, speaking for the industry on a range of business, legislative, and regulatory issues, including financial services, tax, travel/tourism, and tribal governments.
Before joining the AGA, RaShawn served as former Congressman Joe Cunningham's (D-SC) Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director. In this capacity, RaShawn managed an ambitious legislative team directing the congressman's policy agenda before the House Natural Resources and Veteran's Affairs Committees. RaShawn also managed the congressman's transportation, energy, healthcare, and commerce portfolio during USMCA negotiations.
RaShawn also served in key roles within the Obama Administration, in NASA's Office of Congressional Affairs and as a Special Assistant and Advisor to the Associate Director for Natural Resources, Energy, and Science at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), responsible for overseeing a wide array of policy, budget, and management issues across a nearly $100 billion portfolio and several federal agencies, including the Departments of Energy, Agriculture, and the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Army Corps of Engineers civil works, the National Science Foundation, and the Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation's largest public utility.
RaShawn also spent time at national non-profit associations, lobbying for the Natural Resources Defense Council and the National Wildlife Federation. He focused on clean energy, environmental justice, and flood mitigation. In 2018, he was recognized in The Hill's list of Top Lobbyists.
RaShawn got his start in town working for former Congressman Kendrick B. Meek (D-FL), who served on the House Ways & Means Committee and was chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.
RaShawn is from Clearwater, FL, and received his B.A. in Political Science from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, FL.
Job Titles:
- Legislative Correspondent
Job Titles:
- Assistant Vice President
- Executive
Tiana Lyew has extensive experience in executive communications and policy analysis across the public and private sectors.
Tiana joined RFA after working with multiple communications teams on Capitol Hill, including for then-U.S. Senator Kamala Harris and U.S. Senator Jon Tester, a member of the Senate Appropriations and Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committees.
Tiana continued her passion for synthesizing complex policies by most recently serving as the Deputy Press Secretary for U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia, where she helped analyze a wide range of policy issues and coordinated the Senator's external communications in Georgia and nationwide.
Tiana also worked on Bain & Company's Global Public Relations team as one of the firm's Americas representatives. In this position, she worked across the global firm's 32 practice areas to advance its client development goals, maintain its brand recognition, and develop media campaigns for its top research reports, such as its leading Global Private Equity report. Prior to this position, Tiana worked on the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Before moving to Washington, D.C., Tiana worked with the Annenberg Foundation and the Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti to strengthen the venture capital landscape in Los Angeles. During this time, she helped the organizations select and identify dozens of startup founders to receive nearly $900,000 in non-dilutive funding.
Tiana graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Public Relations and Practical Politics.
Tom Koonce has over 15 years experience in federal government affairs.
Prior to joining RFA, Tom was an Executive Director, Federal Government Relations and Public Policy, for JPMorgan Chase where he managed and developed federal legislative and regulatory strategy for a portfolio of diverse issues important to the firm. In that capacity, he focused on consumer and retail matters, as well as issues affecting the firm's Asset Management and Corporate & Investment Bank business lines.
Before working for JPMorgan, Tom served as Vice President of Legislative Affairs for the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). In this position, he managed the day-to-day operations of MBA's legislative team, including federal and state lobbying efforts, the association's PAC and grassroots advocacy.
Tom also worked with the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (IIABA) as Assistant Vice President, Federal Government Affairs. At IIABA, he not only briefed and communicated with IIABA leadership and general members on federal legislative and regulatory issues, but also ran coalitions and committees for the association. Before joining IIABA, Tom was a Manager in Accenture's Government Relations office.
Earlier in his career, he served as the Legislative Director for Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC), where he oversaw Rep. Miller's legislative agenda and served as the congressman's top aide on House Financial Services Committee matters. This was his second stint on Capitol Hill, where he previously was a legislative assistant for Rep. Stephen Neal (D-NC). He also worked as a corporate antitrust associate for four years at the law firm of Clifford Chance in Washington, DC.