20+ years

Recently helped a client make a change in state law that cleared up a logistic regulatory burden that will bring back more than $500,000 to the State of Indiana.

19th Star State Solutions is also affiliated with Dentons Law Firm and a proud member of Dentons 50. As part of the Dentons 50 team. Dentons 50 is a full-service, 50-state public policy and advocacy network with unrivaled reach and depth in state capitols across the nation for clients in all industry sectors. Dentons 50 is a comprehensive, centralized resource for groups and businesses with complex, multistate policy matters.

John Willey is principal of 19th Star State Solutions, LLC, a full-service governmental affairs firm. John assists clients in their legislative, regulatory and executive branch lobbying needs. Mr. Willey has over 25 years' experience in lobbying, state and federal relations, crisis management, grassroots advocacy, campaign/political strategy and development of political action committees.
Prior to forming 19th Star State Solutions, he worked for Anthem, Inc. for over 18 years, managing public affairs for the State of Indiana as well as interests at the local, federal and regulatory level. In addition to his work on the lobbying side, he was also tasked with designing and implementing simultaneous PAC and Grassroots programs for associates in all Anthem states (which, at that time, included Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Colorado, and Nevada). Under his leadership, Grassroots Membership rose from just fewer than 300 to nearly 1,400, and Anthem's Political Action Committee tripled its PAC receipts as well as its membership to over 700 participants.
Before joining Anthem, John spent over two years as Executive Director of the Indiana Republican Party, running the day to day operations of a 10-person state party staff and managing the political budget for the 1996 elections.
Prior to his work at the state party, he spent over two years at the Indiana House of Representatives' Republican Caucus, serving as a Legislative Assistant and managing the caseloads of 5 State Representatives.
John has consulted on numerous state and federal political campaigns over the years and served as the Hancock County Republican Party Chairman for eight years. In the summer of 2002, John worked for Conservative David Willetts, MP (Member of Parliament) in the British House of Commons, assisting with the day to day duties of his office.
John has served on the Board of Directors of the Public Affairs Council in Washington D.C., the Indiana Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society and the American Lung Association. John a past Chairman of the Board of the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP), and
John also serves on the Indiana Chamber of Commerce's Health Care Subcommittee and is a former member of its Indiana Business for Responsive Government Committee. He is a member of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce's Political Action Committee, and a past Legislative Chair and former Vice President of the Indiana Association of Health Plans and is a member of the Government Affairs Society of Indiana.
John is a graduate of the 33rd class of the Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership Series, and is also a graduate of the Public Affairs Council's 3 year Public Affairs Institute program.

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.