20+ years

Effectively lobbied on behalf of school/parental choice organizations to create virtual public charter school options; give high performing public charter schools greater regulatory flexibility, including accelerating the fast track replication process for successful charters; provide local public education authorities with the opportunity to purchase online and digital learning products and services directly from qualified vendors; and establish education savings accounts for children with special needs, who require educational options that traditional public schools may not be able to provide.

Led the lobbying team that passed landmark health care legislation integrating behavioral and physical health care benefits and services for North Carolina Medicaid patients and providing for the licensure and regulation of health plans that will provide these services via a Medicaid managed care transformation program in the state.

Secured a two-year four-county pilot project for an organization that uses an interactive cinematic, evidence-based approach to teach students about the negative impacts of bullying and violence, risky driving, and alcohol and drugs, and in place, strives to teach students about entrepreneurship and healthy behaviors overall.

Lobbied successfully to update state insurance laws that will improve the financial stability of domestic insurance companies by providing them with greater, and timelier, access to capital.

Lobbied, pro bono, with North Carolina and national Jewish organizations to add North Carolina as the 22nd state to enact HB 161: Divestment from Companies that Boycott Israel. HB 161 ensures that the people and the government of the state do not unknowingly become a party to discriminatory business practices or boycotts against the State of Israel.

A lobbyist at the North Carolina General Assembly for over 30 years, Harry is a senior advisor with McGuireWoods Consulting's state government relations group and is a partner with McGuireWoods LLP. Through his extensive work in state government relations, Harry has been at the forefront on many crucial public policy issues, particularly in the areas of education and health care.

His role in shaping and influencing public policy was recognized in 2017, when Harry was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest honor that the Governor of North Carolina can bestow to persons who have a record of service to the State.

Since beginning his government relations and legal career in 1988, Harry has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential lobbyists in Raleigh.

Harry represents public and private companies, as well as associations and nonprofit organizations, on a range of issues including education, health care and health insurance, pharmacy, economic development, finance and tax, property and casualty insurance, and the environment. He has extensive experience representing clients at the legislature and before state agencies, boards and commissions, and local governments.

Prior to joining McGuireWoods, Harry ran his own legal and lobbying practice for more than a decade and also served as director of government relations and counsel for the North Carolina Region of Kaiser Permanente.

20+ years

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

Strong working relationship on a bipartisan basis, focusing on Transportation, Commerce and Finance Committees. Strong working relationship with Department of Transportation.

Kerri serves as a senior vice president in the State Government Relations group in the firm's Raleigh office. In addition to her government relations experience, she possesses extensive communcations and grassroots experience from her time with the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce.

Kerri was most recently communications director for the North Carolina Chamber. In that capacity she managed media relations, events marketing and electronic communications; oversaw development and management of the group's website; produced collateral materials; and assisted the vice president of Government Affairs with the Chamber's branding, communications and public relations efforts to support its advocacy mission and policy goals. Prior to joining the Chamber, Kerri worked as a registered lobbyist and legislative intern.

A leader within Florida's government relations arena, Mercer Fearington, Jr. has been representing clients before the executive and legislative branches of Florida government since the mid-1990's. Mercer is the past Chairman of the Florida Agricultural Coalition and is a graduate of the Wedgworth Leadership Institute for Agriculture -- an affiliate of the Institute of Food and Agriculture and Sciences at the University of Florida. Mercer is a graduate of Mercer University.

Mercer lives in Tallahassee with his wife, Lindsey, and their three daughters.

Rachel Cone joins Southern Strategy Group after more than a decade of service in the highest levels of local and state governments. Rachel served as the Interim Secretary for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), where she successfully shepherded the department's policy agenda and $11 billion budget across the finish line of the 2017 legislative session.

During her time at FDOT she also served as the Assistant Secretary for Finance and Administration, overseeing the offices of work program and budget, finance, procurement, technology, human resources, performance management and other administrative functions. She managed three of the largest transportation work programs in state history and represented the department in front of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Treasury, Fitch and Moody's rating agencies.

Rachel also directed changes to how the department finances the work program, and successfully advocated for statutory changes that resulted in a new financing vehicle for the department. This allows the department to fund additional, major transportation projects at a lower cost. She also oversaw the reorganization of the department's technology offices, which resulted in a culture shift for the department in how it prioritizes, spends and manages transportation-specific and traditional technologies.

In 2012, Governor Rick Scott appointed Rachel to serve as his Deputy Chief of Staff, where she was responsible for advising him on statewide issues, appointments to boards and commissions and providing guidance and direction to 14 state and quasi-governmental agencies on operational and management issues, including policy, budget, communication, legislative strategy and agency priorities. Those agencies were the Departments of Business and Professional Regulation, Citrus, Emergency Management, Economic Opportunity, Environmental Protection (and Water Management Districts) and Transportation. Also included under her purview were Florida Wildlife Commission, Space Florida, Visit Florida, Volunteer Florida and CareerSource Florida.

Rachel previously served as the External Affairs Director for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection where she directed planning and statewide communications strategies for the department, and coordinated communications efforts with Florida's five water management districts. This included topics such as renewed water management district oversight, various departmental restructuring, the health of Florida's springs, Governor Scott's Everglades Restoration Strategies plan and Florida's ongoing recovery after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Prior to her family's move to Tallahassee, Rachel served on the executive leadership team in the Mayor John Peyton administration in Jacksonville. Rachel began her career as a military reporter at the Florida Times-Union.

Rachel is a proud graduate of Auburn University. She and her family are active members of Trinity United Methodist Church, and Rachel serves as a member of the Board of Trustees at Holy Comforter Episcopal School in Tallahassee.

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.

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.

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.