Brian Hackler joined Cornerstone in November 2020 as lead of the firm's flagship office in Oklahoma City. He spent over a decade working for Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK). The last five years he served as his Deputy Chief of Staff and State Director. In this role, Brian managed and directed staff in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Enid, and McAlester. Prior to this role, Brian served as a field representative for Sen. Inhofe covering Southwest Oklahoma. As a field representative, Brian gave legislative updates to local communities and helped constituents navigate federal issues.

Before joining Sen. Inhofe's office, Brian served in the United States Marine Corps from 2003 to 2007, where he played a key role in developing and carrying out daily strategic operations, including combat patrols, safeguarding government facilities and gathering intelligence. Brian was deployed to Iraq in 2004 and 2005, where he successfully contributed to the training and organization of Coalition Iraqi forces.

Brian also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. He currently resides in Edmond, Oklahoma with his wife and four children. He received a Juris Doctorate from the Oklahoma City University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from the University of Central Oklahoma.

11-15 years

Served 8 years as Member of Oklahoma House of Representatives

Before founding A&A Advocates, Inc. in 2008, Mr. Adkins served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives for eight years. He is the past Chairman of the Energy, Utility, Aerospace, and Technology Committee for the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Mr. Adkins' responsibilities included jurisdiction and oversight of Oklahoma's oil and gas industry, telecommunications and technology, mining, aerospace industry, as well as, all electric and water utilities. He was either the principal author or had direct responsibility for almost every major initiative that fell within his jurisdiction and became law in Oklahoma during his four years as chairman.

Adkins' respect, from both sides of the aisle, enabled him to carry dozens of pieces of legislation and never lose a bill either in committee or on the floor during his eight years in the House of Representatives.

Regarded as one of Oklahoma's leaders on energy policy, Mr. Adkins has testified before the Environment and Public Works Committee of the United States Senate with respect to the energy industry and its relation to carbon emissions and climate change.

Mr. Adkins' legislative career was highlighted by being twice named Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association legislator of the year. He was also named the Higher Education legislative newcomer of the year, American Royalty Council legislator of the year, and Industrial Electric Consumers legislator of the year. He was selected to participate in Leadership Oklahoma and is now a lifetime member of the organization.

In addition, Dennis served on the powerful Appropriations and Budget Committee, as well as, the Revenue and Tax, Environment and Natural Resources, and Public Health committees in the House of Representatives. Prior to the legislature, Mr. Adkins served the State of Oklahoma in professional positions within the Department of Corrections, Department of Human Services and Department of Rehabilitative Services.

He graduated from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.

15-20 years

Mark Yates joined Cornerstone in July 2021 as a principal in the firm's Oklahoma City office. His experience in public policy includes working with various industries through statewide campaigns, legislative engagement, media relations, and public speaking. Mark has been successful navigating complex and challenging initiatives on behalf of the clean energy and agriculture industries.

Mark previously served as vice president at Advanced Power Alliance (APA) where he represented leading domestic and international companies in the renewable energy sector. While in this role, he managed the association's regional public policy strategy, communications strategy, and membership recruitment efforts. Mark served a major role in shaping legislative and regulatory policy within the most important energy region in the country.

Prior to APA, Mark worked at the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, where he led membership recruitment initiatives, mobilized a statewide grassroots campaign, and lobbied for rural issues on behalf of the nearly 90,000 farmers and ranchers.

Before his time with the Farm Bureau, Mark was a professional educator in the Oklahoma public school system for 11 years. Along with his teaching experience, Mark also had administrative experience serving as a federal programs director for Plainview Public Schools in Ardmore, OK.

Mark is a graduate of East Central University in Ada, OK and holds a bachelor's degree in History and master's in Secondary Administration. Mark and his wife Stacy reside in Edmond, OK where they are active in their community and have two children, Londyn and Steele.

Julia's achievements in her field have earned her recognition from the Oklahoma's 30 under 30, alumni status for OKC's LOYAL Program and Leadership Exchange Academy.

Julia Jernigan is Executive Director of Oklahoma Behavioral Health Association, which is a trade association made up of private mental health and addiction treatment providers. She also works with the Oklahoma House and Senate to fundraise for various PACs as well as individual members. Her involvement with clients includes assisting them with everything from marketing, issues management, media relations, strategic planning, public policy training and fundraising.

She earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Central Oklahoma and a Master's in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma. Prior to her current position, she was the Program Director at the National Alliance for Mental Illness and worked in various advocacy capacities.

Julia is a member of Junior League of Oklahoma City. She is also on the Board of Directors for the Care Center, serves as the Vice Chair and Co-Founder for the Young Professional Board of ReMerge, and volunteers in various organizations in her community.

15-20 years

Steve Edwards worked at the White House for President George H.W. Bush, was Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator James Inhofe, and was Chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party. He currently works in Oklahoma and with the state Attorneys General. Edwards is a lawyer with almost 35 years of experience at the Capitol and in Washington, D.C.

11-15 years

Led efforts to effectively advocate legislators on behalf of corporations, organizations and various industries in a professional and successful manner.

Managed a highly successful grass-roots campaign for Governor Brad Henry by directing a strategic plan to generate tremendous community support.

Awarded the Achievers Under 40 designation by The Journal Record in 2009.

Leadership Oklahoma: Selected as one of 50 of the state's most accomplished leaders in 2008. We were brought together to positively influence change, address critical challenges for state-wide communities, and represent the professional, geographical, and cultural diversity of the state.

At a young age, Luke Martin learned the value of hard work. Having grown up on a farm in southwestern Oklahoma, Luke grew accustomed to long work hours, often in adverse weather conditions. He continues to uphold his committed work ethic, running a family cattle business at a farm in Sentinel, but Luke's primary energies are applied in the political realm.



Luke Martin attended Oklahoma State University where he earned a B.S. in Business Administration. He began his career with five years on the staff of Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry, serving as a personal assistant, cabinet liaison, and deputy legislative liaison. During this time, Luke worked on a variety of issues including education, early childhood development, economic development and public safety.



Luke left the Governor's office in 2007 to join The Benham Companies, the largest architectural and engineering services firm in the state. At Benham, Luke served as the client relations manager developing new business and managing existing accounts. While he thoroughly enjoyed his time in sales, Luke missed the excitement and action of politics and government.



In 2009, Luke became an associate with Oklahoma Political Strategies and The Capital Group. As an associate with OPS, a campaign management firm, Luke manages numerous campaigns including statewide races, ballot initiatives, municipal elections, and legislative races. As an associate with The Capital Group, Luke lobbies for a number of issues and clients including healthcare, energy, and higher education.



In 2010, Luke established his own lobbying and consulting firm - Capital Plus. Capital Plus, a government relations consulting firm, specializes in legislative strategy and aiding clients in understanding the complexities of legislation and political realities. Luke assists in developing legislative strategies and effectively advocates legislators on behalf of clients.



In addition to his many professional pursuits, Luke is active in public service and community duties. He serves on the Advisory Board for the Sigma Nu Fraternity at Oklahoma State University. Luke is also very active with several other civic organizations, including Allied Arts and the United Way. He is a graduate of Leadership Oklahoma, Class XXII, and was awarded the "Achiever Under 40" designation by the Journal Record in 2009. Luke is married to Kylie; they have three sons, Gamble, Oxley and Grady, and live in Choctaw.

RYAN KILPATRICK is a founding partner at AI. Prior to helping launch AI, Ryan was a partner at FKG Consulting. In his role at AI, Ryan Kilpatrick develops and implements public affairs strategies for clients at the state and municipal levels. Past projects include helping to pass a statewide cigarette tax increase, working to facilitate agreement between auto insurers and transportation network companies in Oklahoma, and efforts to modernize Oklahoma's alcohol laws. He also co-chairs the policy committee for the Oklahoma Turning Point Council, a group that seeks to improve health outcomes through community partnerships.

Ryan previously worked on legislative and statewide campaigns and worked in Washington, DC for Congressman Tom Cole. Ryan graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio. His community involvement includes Leadership Oklahoma City's LOYAL Class X, the Downtown Club of OKC, Big Brothers Big Sisters and coaching volleyball for the Oklahoma City Police Athletic League. Ryan is a sports fanatic; you can catch him and his wife Mary Ellen at an OKC Thunder or Energy FC game.