The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) has further bolstered its government relations program by securing the services of Monument Policy Group, LLC. The firm is headed by…
The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) has further bolstered its government relations program by securing the services of Monument Policy Group, LLC. The firm is headed by C. Stewart Verdery, Jr., who will serve as NBTA Government Relations & Federal Strategies Consultant.
“NBTA has been working with Stewart and the Monument Policy Group team behind the scenes for some time, and we’ve seen how their efforts have helped NBTA gain visibility in Washington for the issues that are important to our members,” said NBTA Executive Director & COO, Bill Connors. “Their substantive expertise and connections in the administration and on the Hill will be invaluable in terms of addressing regulatory and legislative initiatives that impact the business travel industry.”
Verdery added, “During Monument Policy Group’s work for NBTA, we have seen significant positive response from both agency officials and Congressional offices interested in learning the perspective of the business travel industry on cutting edge public policy matters. With the backing of NBTA’s membership, and the more than seven million business travelers represented at those companies, I am confident we will be able to advance an agenda that improves passenger facilitation and travel security, while minimizing travel taxes and barriers to the free conduct of commerce.”
Verdery has more than a decade of high-level public and private sector experience delivering public policy results in fields including homeland security and law enforcement, international trade and commerce, technology and telecommunications, and intellectual property. He has played a key role in shaping legislation related to cargo security, immigration, international travel, technology, and copyright and telecommunication issues. From 2003 to 2005, he served as the first Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following his unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
At DHS’s Border and Transportation Security Directorate, Verdery led efforts to develop and implement policies related to immigration, visas, and travel facilitation; cargo security and international trade; transportation security; and law enforcement. Verdery supervised policy development at agencies such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Transportation Security Administration. Among the major DHS policy initiatives Verdery spearheaded were deployment of the U.S.-VISIT entry-exit program for foreign visitors, negotiation of an international data-sharing agreement with the European Union for airline passengers, and development of U.S. immigration enforcement and visa policy. Prior to his service at DHS, Verdery served as general counsel to Sen. Don Nickles (R-OK), Assistant Senate Majority Leader, from 1998 until 2002. Verdery also served as counsel to Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) on the Senate Judiciary Committee and worked for Chairman John Warner (R-VA) on the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.
Monument Policy Group’s team assisting NBTA will also include partners Andrew Howell and Timothy Punke.
Howell is a leading expert on homeland security and trade issues and joined the firm in February 2007 following service as Vice President of Homeland Security Policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He was the organization’s principal spokesman and strategist on a range of security and defense issues, including transportation and cargo security, cyber security, aviation security, critical infrastructure protection and liability protection for vendors of anti-terrorism technologies.
Punke joined the firm in January of 2007 after a decade of experience working in both the private and public sectors, including work in all three branches of government. Punke previously served as chief international trade counsel to the Senate Finance Committee, advising Chairman Max Baucus and other members of the committee on international trade and international tax issues, as well as international competitiveness policies.
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