11-15 years

By any yardstick, Aaron Read and Associates is recognized as one of the premier lobbying firms in Sacramento. Whether it's based on annual billings or word of mouth referrals, ARA is at the top of the list. In addition, ARA has been listed as one of the top-ranked lobby firms in Capitol Weekly, a well-known publication, since they started their rankings 10 years ago.

Aaron Read and Associates' (ARA) services run the gamut of all types and aspects of Governmental Representation including the Administration, the Legislature and each of its committees, and regulatory agencies. In addition, ARA provides consulting on government procurement issues. Our sister company, Marketplace Communications, provides a full range of public affairs services including social media, campaigns, video and audio productions, and strategy to achieve your goals. Marketplace Communications has won numerous Pollie Awards from the American Association of Political Consultants.

Jennifer Tannehill brings her decades of experience under the dome to Aaron Read & Associates. Beginning her career with an internship for then Governor Deukmejian, Jennifer served two governors and six legislators in several capacities. In addition to her experience in both houses of the legislature and the governor's office Jennifer has served candidates for office as an account manager for a prominent political fundraising team, giving her insider knowledge of Sacramento and a broad perspective of state government and politics. Jennifer has worked on several issues in her capacity as a legislative staffer. Some of these include: Business and Professions, Education and Budget. A Sacramento native, Jennifer holds a B.A. in Government from CSU Sacramento. When not working on legislative issues she enjoys time with her family, camping, road trips with her husband and walks with her rescue dog.

ARA is unique. We represent numerous firefighters, law enforcement and labor groups, as well as fortune 500 companies, corporations and large trade associations. As a result of our diverse client base, we build relationships with Democratic and Republican lawmakers during their campaigns, long before they are elected to office.

15-20 years

Mark Gaines Named to Alabama Today's 32 Powerful and Influential Alabamians to Know

"Mark Gaines has been around for decades, bringing a wealth of knowledge, decades-long relationships, and a positive attitude to the political arena in Alabama."


Southern Political Report - The South's Top Government Affairs Firms

"The law firm of Adams and Reese placed #1 in the states of Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee and also ranked in the top five in Mississippi and South Carolina.

Adams and Reese has a long-standing reputation as one of the region's most prominent Government Relations firms now with 16 offices in 15 markets across the Southern United States and Washington, D.C."

Mark Gaines lobbies at the local, state and federal level - in Alabama and Washington, D.C. - advising corporate clients on regulatory, legislative and economic development matters. His clients include companies in the telecommunications, road and bridge construction, infrastructure, financial, pharmaceutical, health care, alcohol, and defense industries as well as municipal governments and educational institutions. Having spent 15 years in state government and more than a decade providing government relations services, Mark has developed long-term personal and professional relationships with important decision makers at every level of government. He is skilled at building political coalitions to achieve client objectives.

Prior to joining Adams and Reese, Mark served as Probate Judge for Jefferson County and was elected to four terms in the Alabama House of Representatives. During his time in the legislature, he served on various legislative committees and commissions and served as the Republican Leader of the House and Chair of the House Republican Caucus. Mark has managed, consulted or counseled dozens of political campaigns, grassroots efforts and ballot initiatives, including races for Governor, U.S. Senate, judicial offices, and state legislative seats.

Prior to joining the firm, Mark was in private law practice concentrating in the areas of real estate, probate, wills, trusts and business entities. He tried many jury and non-jury cases to verdict in courts throughout Alabama.

Professional Affiliations & Memberships:
Alabama House of Representatives, Member, 1990-2005
Jefferson County Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee, Vice Chair, 2004-2005
Jefferson County Coroner and Medical Examiner's Board, Member, 1998-2005
National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, Commissioner, 1994-2005
Probate Judge of Jefferson County, 2005-2007

20+ years

Led a complex business, environmental and local government coalition and enacted industry sponsored legislation that created the largest recycling program in California in over a decade and saved client over $10 million annually in the process;

Enacted legislation allowing health facility expansion so that more beds could serve a critical needs population thus ensuring the maximum return on a multi-million dollar investment;

Led a procurement engagement that migrated tens of thousands of state employees into cloud e-mail services and that consolidated over 100 separate state e-mail systems into two primary choices thus maximizing success on a $50 million contract.

Governor Gavin Newsom's Cabinent Secretary Ana Matasantos, Director of Finance Keely Bosler, Legislative Secretary Anthony Williams.

Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins

Speaker Antony Rendon

Legislative Democrat Moderate Caucus

State Controller Betty Yee

State Treasurer Fiona Ma

As Principal and founder of Sheehy Strategy Group, Tom Sheehy is recognized as one of Sacramento's most experienced and influential lobbyists, as well as a fiscal expert. Known for his strength in developing lobbying strategy, planning and executing lobbying campaigns, Tom’s ability to shape and deliver messaging in a clear and convincing manner achieves superior results for legislative and regulatory clients on difficult issues. He leads teams in complex, competitive and high-pressure environments to secure the client's desired outcome. He has also helped clients develop state department customers and contract with state agencies, thereby securing $100s of millions of dollars in business over the years. His skill in navigating California's political landscape comes from over two decades of experience working at the most senior levels in both the state legislature as well as the Governor's office. He has mastered the intersection between public policy, politics and people in a lobbying career at both a Fortune 100 financial services company as well as an international law firm. Tom manages difficult policy issues by conducting thorough research and understanding the different variables that impact the client's success. He then develops tactics and strategies to craft messages that position the client to win, all while integrating and leveraging the client's resources to achieve effective public policy outcomes.


Our Experience
Tom has worked on some of the most challenging issues in California, including helping more than one Governor solve multi-billion-dollar budget deficits and making government operate more efficiently. He has advised clients on a number of sensitive policy issues in the areas of state finance, transportation infrastructure, privacy, consumer protection, business regulations, tax, environmental quality, natural resource conservation and land development regulations. Tom's unique skill set allows him to see the big picture while developing specific tactics and strategies necessary for each client's needs. Tom offers his clients a wide breadth of experience that is unique in Sacramento's corridors of power in the state capitol.

Over the years, Tom has built up an impressive universe of both public and private sector connections and relationships spanning blue chip corporate executives, local, state and federal elected officials and staff. Many state department directors and governor's appointees "came up through the ranks" with Tom as he started his career in Sacramento and state government in the early 1990s. Tom has worked as a Governor's appointee in the Department of Finance, Department of Transportation, and State and Consumer Services Agency. He was a principal consultant in both the California Senate and Assembly for 10 years, where he mastered the legislative process by developing tactics necessary to win tough policy battles. As Chief Deputy Director of the California Department of Finance, Tom not only helped shape and manage the state's $150 billion budget for more than one Governor, but he served on or was Chairman of some of the most influential state Boards and Commissions,including the State Lands Commission, Public Works Board, State Teacher Retirement System (Cal-STRS), State Infrastructure Bank, Building Standards Commission,Tax Credit Allocation Committee, and Pooled Money Investment Fund.


Our Size
SSG is a boutique firm, where client phone calls are returned promptly and emails receive a response within 24 hours so political threats and opportunities are communicated immediately, thus placing all the client's options --on the table -- before it is too late to act effectively. SSG always knows the client and their business without having to search through stacks files to answer basic questions. Tom Sheehy is a trusted advisor and confidant who is always available as a sounding board or to answer questions and provide effective options to every difficult situation and request. He understands the importance of protecting and enhancing the client's reputation while conducting lobbying, regulatory and state contract procurement work with the utmost integrity. SSG also partners with and directs public relations, legal and digital marketing firms to bring about desired outcomes depending on the requirements of the project and client's needs.

Tom received a Bachelor of Science Degree and an MBA in Finance from the University of California at Davis. He lives in Sacramento with his wife Brena and their two sons, Nicholas and Christopher.

0-5 years

Members of California State Senate and Assembly

Brena Sheehy brings over 15 years of experience in healthcare and insurance industry experience to the Sheehy Strategy Group (SSG). Brena holds a bachelor's degree in business administration - risk management and insurance from Fresno State University and worked for a number of years in property, casualty and health insurance in the Central Valley. She moved to the Sacramento region in the mid-1990's where she helped launch the innovative Health Insurance Plan of California (HIPC). Soon she was promoted to Sales Manager and finally took over running the HIPC sales program as Director of Sales. This groundbreaking state purchasing pool opened the doors to affordable group health insurance to many small and medium sized businesses in the state.

Later she joined CIBA Vision, a subsidiary of Novartis, where she became a distinguished territory sales representative for the western region. Most recently Brena has represented SingleCare in the Sacramento Valley and promoted pharmacy discount programs for those with and without health insurance. She has served as a strategic advisor to SSG since its inception, and her experience, communication and analytical skills make her a critical component to the success of the SSG.

20+ years

By any yardstick, Aaron Read and Associates is recognized as one of the premier lobbying firms in Sacramento. Whether it's based on annual billings or word of mouth referrals, ARA is at the top of the list. In addition, ARA has been listed as one of the top-ranked lobby firms in Capitol Weekly, a well-known publication, since they started their rankings 10 years ago.

Aaron Read and Associates' (ARA) services run the gamut of all types and aspects of Governmental Representation including the Administration, the Legislature and each of its committees, and regulatory agencies. In addition, ARA provides consulting on government procurement issues. Our sister company, Marketplace Communications, provides a full range of public affairs services including social media, campaigns, video and audio productions, and strategy to achieve your goals. Marketplace Communications has won numerous Pollie Awards from the American Association of Political Consultants.

Patrick Moran comes with over 20 years of lobbying and legislative experience. He served as Special Consultant to Speaker Herb Wesson and Speaker Fabian Nunez where he worked on public safety, retirement and labor issues.Prior to joining the Speakers office, Patrick was chief lobbyist for the California State Firefighters' Association (CSFA) where he was responsible for the governmental affairs of the organization, both legislative and political. Patrick also lobbied for the Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC), local governments, the State Association of County Retirement Systems (SACRS) and the California Treasurers and Tax Collectors Association.As a result of his diverse work experiences, Patrick has worked for Aaron Read & Associates on a variety of issues including, but not limited to; the state budget, labor, retirement, workers compensation, local government and public safety. He has also worked on a variety of candidate campaigns as well as on statewide ballot measures. While not at work, Patrick enjoys spending time with his wife and four kids.

ARA is unique. We represent numerous firefighters, law enforcement and labor groups, as well as fortune 500 companies, corporations and large trade associations. As a result of our diverse client base, we build relationships with Democratic and Republican lawmakers during their campaigns, long before they are elected to office

20+ years

By any yardstick, Aaron Read and Associates is recognized as one of the premier lobbying firms in Sacramento. Whether it's based on annual billings or word of mouth referrals, ARA is at the top of the list. In addition, ARA has been listed as one of the top-ranked lobby firms in Capitol Weekly, a well-known publication, since they started their rankings 10 years ago.

Aaron Read and Associates' (ARA) services run the gamut of all types and aspects of Governmental Representation including the Administration, the Legislature and each of its committees, and regulatory agencies. In addition, ARA provides consulting on government procurement issues. Our sister company, Marketplace Communications, provides a full range of public affairs services including social media, campaigns, video and audio productions, and strategy to achieve your goals. Marketplace Communications has won numerous Pollie Awards from the American Association of Political Consultants.

Terry has worked at Aaron Read & Associates for more than two decades. Prior to joining ARA, he served as the Director of the California Fire Foundation and Consultant to the California Assembly Committee on Fire, Police and Emergency Services. In 2009, he was awarded the Director's Achievement Award on behalf of CAL FIRE. He led the successful campaign to develop the CAL FIRE brand.

Terry McHale was the press liaison for the California Assembly Committee on Police, Fire and Disaster. There, he handled crisis management in the MTBE campaign, and has expertise in public policy and strategic communications. Terry is currently an officer at Aaron Read & Associates as well as Marketplace Communications. He also serves as the editor of California Conversations Magazine. He has interviewed and written stories about such interesting Californians as Clint Eastwood, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Harrison Ford, Gary Condit, Governor Pete Wilson and Governor Gray Davis. Terence graduated from UCLA. He lives his family in Elk Grove.

ARA is unique. We represent numerous firefighters, law enforcement and labor groups, as well as fortune 500 companies, corporations and large trade associations. As a result of our diverse client base, we build relationships with Democratic and Republican lawmakers during their campaigns, long before they are elected to office.