6-10 years

Capitol Strategy Group has been listed as one of the top 5 small government affairs firms by James Magazine.

Georgia Departments of Community, Behavioral, and Public Health.

Close working relationships with the Health, Insurance, and Appropriations chairs in both chambers.

Devin Krecl joined Capitol Strategy Group in 2014. Mr. Krecl's experience brings insider expertise in public and government affairs, lobbying, PAC management, grassroots and grass-tops. Further, Krecl's knowledge and proficiency in marketing and event planning, oversight of human resources, and firm operations gives his clients and teams all the resources necessary for success.

He specializes in advancing development initiatives with his team and implementing comprehensive strategies to promote the priorities of the clients. His leadership has allowed him to adapt to any task and effectively lead his team when working on a project.

In 2015, Mr. Krecl began working with the firm's leadership as a government affairs associate. He currently consults the Medical Association of Georgia, Georgia Society of Ophthalmology, Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association, Georgia College of Emergency Physicians, Georgia Society of Ambulatory Surgery Centers, American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Georgia AIDS Coalition, Georgia Association of Community Service Boards, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Resurgens Orthopaedics, Strategic Health Partners, GlaxoSmith Kline, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Quest Diagnostics.

Mr. Krecl is a graduate of Kennesaw State University, where he received a B.S. in Political Science with a specialization in Government and Professional Politics. He also received a Minor in the area of Business Management.

Devin resides in Canton with his wife, Leah, 2 sons Brooks and Chace, and 2 Labrador Retrievers, Calvin and Gunner. They enjoy traveling as much as possible and all things outdoors.

James H. "Jay" Roberts is the most recent member of our team. Prior to joining GeorgiaLink, Mr. Roberts served in the Georgia State House of Representatives (2003-2015) while in the House, Jay was elected as both Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the House Majority Caucus by his peers. Former Gov. Sonny Perdue asked him to serve as his Administration Floor Leader in his second term. He served in that capacity for 2 years. Jay was named the Chairman of the House Transportation Committee by the Speaker of the House in 2010. He served as Chairman of the House Transportation Committee for 6 years. During his tenure in the House, Jay served on the Agriculture & Consumer Affairs, Ethics, Economic Development & Tourism, Ways & Means, Appropriations, Rules, Game & Fish and Transportation Committees. Jay has served several communities during his 13 years in the House. He served Irwin, Ben Hill, Tift, Turner, Coffee, Telfair, Wheeler, Wilcox and Jeff Davis counties. Governor Nathan Deal appointed Jay to the distinguish position of Director of Planning for the State of Georgia at the Georgia Department of Transportation. He was tasked with the planning of the State's Transportation projects including developing and implementing the STIP. Governor Kemp asked Jay to serve on his Transition Team. He was then asked by Governor Brian Kemp to continue to serve him as the Director of Planning. In September, 2019 Mr. Roberts joined GeorgiaLink Public Affairs Group. He and his wife Sarah have two children, and they reside in Irwin County.

Sally Kilpatrick advises a diverse set of clients on state legislative and regulatory issues with a focus on healthcare, energy, education and economic development policy. Sally joined Cornerstone's Atlanta, Georgia office in September 2015 and has more than 10 years of experience providing strategic advice to the private sector.

Prior to joining Cornerstone, Sally served as vice president of government affairs at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the state's largest business advocacy organization. Through her seven-year tenure at the Chamber, Sally developed an extensive background managing legislative and regulatory issues in the policy areas of water, energy, education, economic development and health care. While at the Chamber, Sally served on the Technology Association of Georgia's Government Affairs Taskforce and the Georgia Water Alliance. She managed the Georgia Chamber's Local Chamber Legislative Ad Hoc Committee and legislative affairs for Chamber's Small Business Advisory Council.

She has established strong, bipartisan working relationships with House and Senate members of the Georgia General Assembly and state agency officials. Her industry specific knowledge and key relationships have been valuable in assisting clients to successfully achieve their legislative and regulatory objectives at the state Capitol.

Sally is a current board member of Atlanta Moms Making A Difference and serves on the executive committee of the Georgia Chamber's Government Affairs Council.

Sally earned her B.S. in Journalism at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. She and her husband Trey reside in Atlanta with their daughter, Phen, and son, Clark.

Charlene Puchalla serves as an Assistant Vice President in Cornerstone's Atlanta, GA office, assisting the firm's government relations team with client service activities including conducting research and providing updates on state legislative matters and diverse regulatory issues.

Charlene joins Cornerstone following her time at Wellstar Health System, where she held multiple positions, most recently serving as a Government Relations Specialist. In this role, she developed and managed relationships with elected officials and key staff in Georgia at the local, state and federal levels, while assisting in developing and recommending legislative priorities and goals. Charlene gained invaluable experience summarizing and interpreting the impact of legislation and preparing legislative summaries, regular communications and presentations. She also served as a Legal Assistant of Government Relations at Wellstar.

Prior to Wellstar, Charlene served as a scheduler and field representative for Representative Tom Price (R-GA) for more than seven years. She began her career as a legislative and research aid in the Pennsylvania State Senate.

Charlene earned her bachelor's with a concentration in public administration from Shippensburg University.

0-5 years

James Magazine Rising Star 2015, 2016, 2017

Stuart Wilkinson is a vice president with McGuireWoods Consulting in Atlanta. Over the past decade, he has earned extensive experience working with both the Executive and Legislative branches in Georgia.

Prior to joining McGuireWoods Consulting, Stuart served as a top advisor to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, most recently as his Deputy Director of External Affairs. In this role, Stuart helped craft and advance the Governor's legislative agenda. Additionally, he has held a number of other key positions with Governor Kemp including Deputy Director of the Gubernatorial transition team, as well as managing then Secretary of State Brian Kemp's legislative and external affairs team.

Stuart began his career in Governor Nathan Deal's administration for six years where he managed the Governor's local government relations program before joining the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities government relations team.

Stuart has been recognized as a Rising Star lobbyist in James magazine. An avid runner, Stuart currently serves as a Board Member of the Atlanta Track Club. Previously, he was appointed to the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism by Governor Deal. He is a native of Sandy Springs, Georgia and a graduate of Georgia College. Stuart currently lives in Atlanta with his wife Kathleen.

John S. "Trip" Martin, III is the founder of GeorgiaLink Public Affairs Group. GeorgiaLink is a governmental affairs consulting firm which has been recognized by James magazine seventeen years in a row as the top lobbying firm in the state of Georgia. Mr. Martin began his Government Affairs career in 1981 as the Director of State Government Affairs in Georgia for Southern Bell. In 1986, he was promoted to the position of Director of Legislative Affairs for BellSouth in Washington, D.C. where his major responsibilities included the development and implementation of strategies for dealing with Congress on national telecommunications policy issues. He has served as the Vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Southeastern Public Affairs Council and was a participant in the Leadership Georgia Class of 1983. He is the former Vice President of the University of Georgia National Alumni Association. Mr. Martin currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Advocacy Group, an international network of lobbying firms with offices in forty-eight states. Trip is married to Julie Brown, a native of Atlanta and President & CEO of Georgia Foreign-Trade Zone. Trip and Julie split their time between residences in Atlanta and Blue Ridge, Georgia, where he is a licensed realtor with the Blue Ridge office of Premier Mountain & Lake Property, Inc., and owns and operates Big Creek Alpaca Farms. Trip has three grown children and five granddaughters.

6-10 years

Served on the Georgia Department of Revenue Local Government Advisory Group. As a member of this group, Joel provided the Revenue Commissioner with feedback and suggestions on the impact of important tax issues on local governments.

Joel has developed extensive relationships with elected and appointed officials at the state and local level. Many of these relationships are concentrated in revenue and finance with strong relationships with finance directors all across Georgia's 538 cities and 159 counties. In addition to these local relationships, Joel has done extensive work with the Georgia Department of Revenue.

Joel began his career in local government by providing planning, zoning, and land use support with over 63 cities and 17 counties for one of Georgia's Regional Commissions. Joel then moved to Talladega, AL where he assisted the city manager in all planning and community development projects. It was in this capacity that Joel first started learning municipal budgeting and operations. Joel's work in Talladega caught the eye of a state trade association, and Joel got his introduction to lobbying with the Alabama Manufactured Housing Association (AMHA) in 2013.

As AMHA's Deputy Director, Joel learned the business operations of one of Alabama's major industries and lobbied on their behalf both locally and on the state level. After nearly four years with AMHA, Joel decided to combine his local government and lobbying experience by taking a job with Georgia Municipal Association (GMA). While at GMA, Joel specialized in a wide array of tax issues and lobbied on behalf of Georgia's 538 cities. Joel's knowledge of local government operations, business operations, and public policy development allowed him to develop a broad array of relationships at the General Assembly, while effectively advocating for all of Georgia's cities.

Joel graduated from Georgia College and State University with a BA in political science and Masters of Public Administration. Joel grew up in Byron, Georgia and currently resides in Atlanta with his wife Lucy and daughter Willow.

20+ years

Jerry Usry joined the firm in 2015, establishing the firm's Atlanta, Georgia office. Prior to joining Cornerstone, Jerry was the principal and founder of a successful, full-service, public affairs consulting firm headquartered in Albany, Georgia

Under retainer with a number of corporate, governmental and association clients, the firm established a strong track record of accomplishments with both the Georgia General Assembly and the U.S. Congress. From securing multi-million dollar appropriations projects, to drafting and implementing complex legislative strategies, Jerry has consistently achieved client goals and enjoys long-term business relationships as a result. He has played a major role in the reform of the Georgia Tax Code, a rewrite of state health and water planning laws, new food safety reporting statutes and the establishment and funding of a variety of university based institutes.

Democrat and Republican governors have appointed him to a variety of government policy posts, including the Georgia Rural Development Council and the ACT-ACF Water Compacts Advisory Committee. Jerry has also been recognized by prestigious organizations for professional accomplishments: Georgia Trend's 40 Under 40, Rising Star in Business and Politics; American Society of Association Executives, National Award for Excellence in Government Relations; James Magazine, Top Ten Independent Lobbyists in Georgia; and Zpolitics, 16 power players under the Gold Dome. Jerry is an original member of Governor Nathan Deal's (R-GA) Finance Committee and was appointed to his Inaugural Executive Committee.

Prior to the establishment of his consulting practice, Jerry was a staff director of a major commodity organization and a regional administrator for a state agency. He is a member of the Georgia Professional Lobbyist Association, Georgia Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and the Georgia Agribusiness Council.

A lifelong Georgian and a native of Athens, Jerry has a B.S.A. and a Master's degree in Public Administration.

David Pratt began his career in politics in 1998 as Legislative Aide to Representative Ben Harbin, Chairman Emeritus of House Appropriations. After serving as Legislative Aide, David was hired as a lobbyist for the Georgia Society of Ophthalmology (GSO) and was named the GSO's Deputy Director before the end of his first year. In 2002, David became a contract lobbyist and has since then successfully lobbied on behalf of corporations in the areas of pharmaceutical manufacturing, medical devices, physician advocacy, information technology, private prisons, mental health facilities, construction, transportation, telecommunications, and real estate development. David enjoys very strong relationships at the Capitol across the ideological spectrum.

David served in the enlisted ranks of the United States Army from 1991 to 1993. After receiving a commission in 1996, David served as an Army Reserve officer until honorably discharged in May of 2003. David graduated Valedictorian at Marion Military Institute (1993-1996) after which he transferred to the University of Georgia majoring in Political Science (1996-1998).

Civically, David is a member of the following organizations: the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and University of Georgia Rugby Alumni Association.

David is from Saint Marys, GA, and resides with his wife, Jessica, in Atlanta.

Jeff Hamling joined Cornerstone in 2017, bringing a wealth of experience and relationships in Atlanta, Georgia. Jeff came to the firm after two years as a lobbyist in Dentons' Atlanta and Washington offices where he represented a number of corporate, governmental, and non-profit clients.

Prior to Dentons, Jeff worked at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce as vice president for state and federal affairs. Jeff joined the Chamber after serving then-Congressman Tom Price for over five years. Starting as a staff assistant, Jeff was quickly promoted to deputy chief of staff, overseeing the Atlanta office and various aspects of the federal legislative staff.

Jeff has also been recognized by prestigious organizations for professional accomplishments: profiled in Capitol Impact Magazine's People on the Move, "Rookie of the Year" award voted on by his peers in the Georgia lobbying community, and James Magazine's Georgia's Political Influencers in Washington, D.C.

20+ years

Capitol Strategy Group has been listed as one of the top 5 small government affairs firms by James Magazine.

Travis Lindley is a founding partner of Capitol Strategy Group with a history of success that has earned him recognition as a respected healthcare government affairs consultant and grassroots/grass-tops advisor in Georgia. Lindley offers insider expertise by way of an extensive background in the areas of government affairs, public affairs, political action committee fundraising and management, executive services and association management, and grassroots/grass-tops advocacy projects.

Lindley has proven himself an instrumental advocate on behalf of healthcare professionals and organizations through his achievements regarding patient choice and safety, scope of practice, insurance reform, regulatory issues, and matters concerning budget and appropriations. The firm is proud to represent top organizations and healthcare leaders in the patient and physician arenas in Georgia.

Lindley also works with a number of Georgia political action committees in raising funds and managing the physician PACs; among them are the Georgia Medical PAC, Georgia Medical Eye PAC, Ambulatory Surgery Center-Georgia PAC, Georgia Psychiatry PAC, and Georgia Emergency Medicine PAC.

Lindley has managed grassroots campaigns in Georgia, Alabama, and Texas, impacting issues and legislation at the state and federal levels. Lindley has successfully executed regional components of a national public affairs campaign plan that included Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Lindley has also led and executed legislative grassroots public affairs campaigns pushing patient prescription drug safety legislation into law.

Lindley and the clients he represents were heavily involved in the four-year legislative process around Certificate of Need reform in Georgia, which began during the 2005 Georgia legislative session and culminated during the landmark 2008 legislative session. From the beginning, Lindley helped pull like-minded stakeholders together to form a working coalition to achieve legislative reform. In 2008, Lindley began working with a group practice of radiation and medical oncologists in South Georgia as part of their government affairs team; he also helped them establish a non-profit foundation.

During the 2015 legislative session, Georgia joined a growing number of states to pass legislation allowing for biosimilar drugs and treatments. Lindley was the grassroots coalition coordinator for a coalition consisting of patient advocacy groups, physician groups, manufactures, and key stakeholders. The legislation, which passed with overwhelming support and became law in July 2015, ensured that Georgia's biosimilars law is among the strongest in terms of patient safety and patient/physician communication. In recent years, Lindley has worked toward the successful passage of legislation allowing biosimilars, step therapy reform, bariatric surgery, testing and treatment for Hepatitis C, access to HIV/AIDS drugs and care, and other innovative patient care legislation.

Lindley serves as the executive director to the Georgia Society of Ophthalmology (GSO) and the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association (GPPA). Under his leadership, the associations have led their respective medical specialties in meaningful legislative changes on patient safety, insurance reform and access. Georgia was the first in the nation to pass several laws ensuring access to medication and testing.

After achieving the Eagle Scout rank and obtaining a degree in Communications with a minor in Political Science from the University of West Georgia, Lindley began his career working for several Georgia Members of Congress. Subsequently, Lindley worked on Senator Saxby Chambliss' historic United States Senate campaign, and played a lead role in Congressman Tom Price's hotly contested 6th District runoff.

Lindley resides in Smyrna and enjoys traveling, landscape photography, and spending time with his dachshunds, Zeus and Maggie. He is also an avid collector of political memorabilia and over the years has amassed an impressive collection. Lindley serves in several leadership roles in his community and his church.

0-5 years

Led record-breaking candidate recruitment efforts in 2018 and 2020 for State House races; in 2018, the Georgia House Democratic Caucus challenged 56 Republican held seats. In 2020, the Georgia House Democratic Caucus challenged 66 Republican held seats. This was an exponential increase from previous years when Democrats only challenged 25 Republican held seats in 2014 and 21 Republican held seats in 2016.

Assumed the position of Executive Director with 62 Georgia House Democratic Caucus members, and in three short years, expanded the Caucus to 77 members.

Managed the 2018 Georgia House Democratic Caucus campaign operation for the most successful election night for Georgia Democrats since 1998.

Managed the 2020 Georgia House Democratic Caucus campaign operation where Georgia had the second-best election results for State House campaigns for Democrats in the nation.

Served as the Executive Director of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus.
Served on the Arab Americans for Biden Committee.
Served as the Co-Coordinator of the Georgia Victory Leadership Council for Georgia.

Falak Sabbak is an assistant vice president with McGuireWoods Consulting. With a decade of experience at the Georgia General Assembly, she maintains an incredibly diverse network of elected officials, political staff, and lobbyists throughout the state of Georgia.

Prior to joining McGuireWoods Consulting, Falak served as the Executive Director of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus. She managed the internal and external communications of the Caucus, prepared talking points on pending legislation, and counseled members during their decision-making process. Falak also managed the 2018 Caucus campaign operation that resulted in the most successful election night for Georgia Democrats since 1998. In three short years, Falak grew the House Democratic Caucus from 62 members to 77.

Falak began her career as a legislative aide, and later served as the Executive Assistant to the Minority Leader. From fielding constituent questions, to tracking and summarizing legislation, Falak gained a thorough understanding of the legislative process.

A native of Marietta, Georgia, Falak earned her Juris Doctorate from Georgia State University College of Law, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Georgia.

Lawrence Bell joined Cornerstone in February 2023 from Sen. Warnock's (D-GA) office where he served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor. Lawrence joined the Senator's office after serving as an Advisor and Chief of Staff for the Warnock for Georgia Senatorial campaign in the 2020 special election. His leadership role on that campaign led to a historic victory electing the state's first Black United States senator.

Prior to joining the Warnock campaign, Lawrence worked in the Atlanta office of a large law and lobbying firm. There, he represented some of the country's largest corporations, working with state and local elected officials to help shape public policy and regulations across a variety of industries. His role at the firm also included community engagement, helping the organization develop and implement its philanthropic strategy to maximize the firm's impact in the community.

Lawrence has volunteered with numerous organizations including Big Brother Big Sister, Yes Atlanta and Urban League of Greater Atlanta-Young Professionals, among others. He has served on the advisory board for the Young Adult Guidance Center, and the Atlanta Chapter of National Black MBA. He also served on the board for Groundwork Atlanta, a non-profit focused on environmental sustainability and was a Trustee at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he is still a member. Lawrence was recognized in Southern Journal Magazine as one of their 14 under 40. He received his master's from Georgia State University and his bachelor's from Clark Atlanta University.

H. Boyd Pettit, III is Partner and General Counsel for GeorgiaLink Public Affairs Group, LLC Pettit, a practicing Attorney since 1979, served as a Democratic member to the Georgia General Assembly for five consecutive terms beginning in January, 1983. Elected to the House of Representatives, succeeding newly elected Governor Joe Frank Harris, he was named a member of the House Appropriations, Judiciary, and Industry Committees. Pettit became Secretary to the Judiciary Committee and Chairman of the Public Services and Utilities Subcommittee of House Industry. During his membership in the House, Pettit served as Georgia's representative to the Southern States Energy Board and was selected as a participant in the Leadership Georgia Class of 1987. In 1993, he joined GeorgiaLink Public Affairs Group while remaining active on behalf of local governments, local education entities, public bond finance issues, and local industrial recruitment and development. In September 2000, Pettit was selected to the Georgia State Board of Transportation. He was re-elected in January, 2001 to a full five-year term. Pettit currently serves on the State Board of the Georgia Youth Science and Technology Centers and is an active member of Sam Jones Memorial United Methodist Church in Cartersville. Previously serving on Board of Directors of the North Metro Technical Institute Foundation, Pettit was a part of the effort to secure property, utilities, and funding for the state adult technical school. Boyd has two daughters, Dana and Bray. They reside in Cartersville, Georgia.

6-10 years

Callie Michael joined The Southern Group in 2010 with over eight years of valuable experience in both the budget and policy areas for state and federal government. Callie maintained a top-secret security clearance from the United States Department of Defense and worked in the U.S. House of Representatives' Appropriations Committee on the Defense Subcommittee. In this capacity, Callie gained rare insight into the federal appropriations and committee process as well as the role and interplay of government relations in the legislative arena.Following Callie's work in Washington, DC, which provided valuable experience and contacts at the federal level, Callie returned to the South where she joined the Georgia Senate Budget and Evaluation Office as the Program Analyst for the Criminal Justice, Public Safety, and Judicial Subcommittees on Appropriations. Callie was soon promoted to the position of Principal Analyst, to assume the duties and responsibilities of the departing Deputy Director. As Principal Analyst, Callie oversaw the day-to-day operations of the office and the budget development process, briefed the director and Senators on budget and policy issues, supervised and assisted other budget staff members, and served as the main contact to the 56 Senators.Callie served as Senate President Pro Tem Tommie Williams' Policy Director during the 2010 legislative session. In this capacity, Callie provided key policy analysis and recommendations to Senate Leadership.Callie is a graduate of the University of Alabama.

Arthur B. "Skin" Edge, IV is engaged in Governmental Relations and Consulting. Prior to joining GeorgiaLink, Mr. Edge served in the Georgia State Senate (1986-1996) and was Minority Leader of the Senate from 1992-1996. Mr. Edge served on the Appropriations, Special Judiciary (Chairman), Public Utilities and Health committees in the Senate. He also served on the Legislative Fiscal Affairs Committee and the Code Revisions Committee. Georgia Trend Magazine named Edge as one of "The 100 Most Influential People in Georgia." He was voted "The Top Registered Lobbyist in Georgia in 2018" in a poll of legislators, state officials and lobbyists. He was also named by Business to Business Magazine as one of "The Ten Most Influential People under the Gold Dome." He is a graduate of the University of Georgia (BBA 1977) and the University of Georgia School of Law (J.D. 1980). He was a participant in the Leadership Georgia Class of 1988. Skin and his wife, Bambi, have three children and six grandchildren. They reside in Newnan, Georgia.

20+ years

In 2017, Governor-elect Phil Murphy selected Eric to serve on the Human Services Committee for his transition team. During that same year, he was nominated by Kentucky State Senator Jimmy Higdon and commissioned by Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin to become a Kentucky Colonel.

In 2004, Eric was nominated by New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey to serve on the South Jersey Port Corporation's Board of Directors, which is responsible for the development of port facilities in South New Jersey. Eric was reappointed in 2008 by Governor Corzine and again in 2017 by Governor Chris Christie.

In 2018, Eric was appointed to the Advisory Board of the Burbank International Film Festival.

Eric is also a founding member of the Board of Directors for the NYC Fashion Manufactures Alliance of Design Educators and Save the Garment Center in New York City; a position he's held since 2008.

In 2007, Eric was selected by the American Council of Young Political Leaders, a bi-partisan not-for-profit international exchange organization, as a delegate to Vietnam for a two-week political exchange program. Eric joined six other young political leaders from the U.S. to study Vietnam's political system, engage in dialogue on international issues, and forge professional relationships. He's also participated in international trade missions, including trips to the Netherlands, China and the United Arab Emirates.

Eric was appointed in 2007 by New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine to serve as a member of the Economic Growth Council to assist with statewide economic development policies.

Eric is a former Committee Chairman for the Mercer County College Board of Trustees Advisory Committee and a former member of the Board of Trustees for the Arts & Business Partnership of Southern New Jersey. He's served on the boards of the Mercer County Workforce Investment Board, the Mercer County Economic Development Committee and Junior Achievement. Eric was appointed by Assembly Majority Leader Paul DiGaetano in 2002 to the New Jersey Council of Local Mandates and served as Vice Chairman until 2004.