HEATH CLARKSTON has more than two decades working for a variety of clients as a registered lobbyist in Missouri with state government relations and public relations experience. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration and Political Science in 1997 from Missouri State University in Springfield. He began his career as a legislative intern for the Taxpayers Research Institute, a division of Associated Industries of Missouri. After joining Gallagher Consultants Inc. in 2006, Heath quickly earned a reputation as a tenacious, hard-working voice in the Missouri State Capitol for his clients. An active member in many civic and professional organizations, Heath is the benchmark of hard work in the State Capitol.

DOUG NELSON spent five years as Missouri's State Commissioner of Administration working with all branches of government and every executive branch department on contracting and procurement matters. As Commissioner, he oversaw more than 2,000 active procurement contracts, information technology and cybersecurity issues, bond issuances and budget matters. Along with Doug's unmatched experience in all types of government contract issues, his extensive network of national and state contacts makes him a great resource to clients. Doug also spent more than 18 years as an Assistant Missouri Attorney General focusing on consumer and contract litigation and administrative/regulatory matters. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1987 from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and Law degree in 1990 from the University of Missouri, Kansas City.

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

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.

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.

0-5 years

Logan Spence is a Partner at the Austin office of Hance Scarborough, LLP where he represents trade associations, corporations and interest groups before the state legislature and agencies. Logan began his career in state government in 1999 as an intern for State Senator Robert Duncan. In 2001, he worked as the legislative assistant to State Rep. Warren Chisum. While attending law school in Houston, Logan worked for Harris County Judge Robert Eckels, District Judge Harvey Brown and the government affairs office of El Paso Energy.

Upon graduating from law school, he spent five years as a Policy Director in Gov. Rick Perry's Office of Budget, Planning and Policy covering a wide variety of issues and agencies. Logan moved to the Texas State Senate in 2007 where he served as Sen. Dan Patrick's Chief of Staff.

In 2013, Logan served as the manager for Dan Patrick's campaign for lieutenant governor. This ultimately successful effort, against three established statewide incumbents, gave Logan first-hand experience in political communications, grassroots management and campaign strategy. After leading the transition team, Logan was named Chief of Staff to the Lieutenant Governor in 2015.

Logan's broad experience in the Texas House, Texas Senate as well as the Office's of Governor and Lt. Governor, give him a unique ability to advocate for his clients in Texas government. Logan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Texas Tech University and a Juris Doctorate degree from South Texas College of Law. He has been married to his wife Cynthia for over 20 years and they have four children.

11-15 years

DAVID A. SMITH is a partner in the Princeton Public Affairs Group, is a veteran of the public affairs arena and has successfully managed public affairs campaigns impacting auto insurance, life insurance, tort reform and environmental legislative initiatives. Mr. Smith received national acclaim when he was honored with a ""Pollie Award"" by the American Association of Political Consultants and named to their United States ""Public Affairs Team of the Year." Mr. Smith was also named one of the most influential players in New Jersey's Healthcare arena by the Annual HealthSense Listing. Since 2005, Mr. Smith has been a Commissioner on the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission (nominated by the Governor for two separate four year terms and confirmed by the NJ Senate) and currently serves as an Officer on the Commission (Secretary). Mr. Smith serves on the National Board of Directors of the Public Affairs Council, and was one of the few contract lobbyists in the Country to be appointed to a National Task Force charged with creating ethical standard for lobbyists throughout the United States. Mr. Smith is a founder and member of the Board of Directors of ProtectingAmerica.org, an advocacy organization Co-chaired by James Lee Witt, former Cabinet member under President Clinton and Admiral James Loy, Deputy Director of Homeland Security under President Bush. Mr. Smith also serves as an Officer (1st Vice President) of the New Jersey Hall of Fame Foundation Board of Directors and also serves on the Executive Committee (Secretary) of The Advocacy Group (TAG). Finally, Mr. Smith serves on the Board of Directors as an officer (Treasurer) of the State Capitol Insurance Company RRG, the first professional liability company for lobbyists headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mr. Smith has appeared on television and radio stations representing clients' interests, authored dozens of articles on politics/policy issues in New Jersey and is a frequent guest speaker/lecturer at national and state conferences, legislative hearings, meetings and seminars. He has been a consultant to statewide and legislative political campaigns and is a member of the Executive Finance Committee of the Assembly Democratic Leadership Committee as well as the New Jersey State Democratic Committee. Prior to joining the firm in 1995, Mr. Smith served as Director of Policy and Planning for the New Jersey General Assembly Democratic Office. In that capacity, Mr. Smith supervised the partisan staff of all Assembly Committees and Task Forces while serving as senior staff aide to the insurance and commerce legislative committees. He was a Director with the New Jersey Dental Association from 1985 to 1990 and served on several national and state health care and insurance advisory committees.

Mr. Smith was awarded a Master of Science in Financial Services (MSFS) Degree from the Richard D. Irwin Graduate School of The American College. He is a Graduate Fellow of the Public Affairs Institute, a three year educational program of the Public Affairs Council located in Washington, DC. Mr. Smith also graduated with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Political Science from Gettysburg College.

20+ years

City Council Member, Windsor Heights

Leadership Iowa

Licensed Foster Parent

As President and CEO of Advocacy Strategies, Threase is responsible for the firm's overall business operations and strategy for delivering results. She has been serving clients before the Iowa Legislature for nearly 30 years. This experience has provided her with intimate knowledge of the legislative process and long-standing solid relationships with policymakers, staff, and key opinion leaders across the state. This allows her to tailor a strategy to meet the individual needs of our clients that deliver the best value to you. Advocacy Strategies' clients realize results when working with our team whether with a controversial legislative issue, securing and maintaining state appropriations, or working to find compromise to move issues forward.

In addition to lobbying, Threase has spent more than two decades developing and implementing successful public affairs and grassroots campaigns of all sizes from national campaigns across the country to smaller campaigns in Iowa communities. Her wealth of expertise in this area affords Advocacy Strategies a strong network of relationships with legislative and community leaders and a unique skill set in developing successful and innovative strategies to achieve policy goals that few firms can offer.

Threase started her lobbying career at the University of Northern Iowa as a student, then went on to work in the Iowa Senate on education issues before her employment with the American Cancer Society. From there, she took the position of Director of the Tobacco Use Prevention and Control division within the Iowa Department of Public Health, giving her the opportunity to use her passion to protect families from the hardships of illness and death from tobacco use. With multiple successes in the non-profit sector, Pfizer recruited her to be part of the Worldwide Alliance Development team. She has been an independent government relations contractor for 20 years helping organizations of all types and sizes.

Threase earned a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Iowa State University but remains loyal to her undergraduate alma mater the University of Northern Iowa where she received her Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies while serving as Student Body President. She also serves as an elected member of the Windsor Heights City Council and on many advisory committees and community organizations.

Threase and her husband, Rick live in Windsor Heights. They have four children and are avid cyclists and licensed foster parents.

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.

15-20 years

Recognized by the Central Penn Business Journal, Forty Under 40

Recognized by Susquehanna Style, Women in Leadership

Pennsylvania Association for Government Relations
Women in Pennsylvania Government Relations
Anne B. Anstine Excellence in Public Service Series, Class of 2008
Past Chair, Board of Directors, American Red Cross, Central PA Chapter
Leadership Harrisburg Area Executive Program, Class of 2016
Founder and Former Co-Chair, Dickinson College Alumni Association for Central Pennsylvania
Board member, Keystone Human Services Partnership Board
Board member, D.R.E.A.M. Partnership,
Associate Board member, Members 1st FCU

Angela Leopold is a Senior Partner of Novak Strategic Advisors. A savvy businesswoman and an accomplished community leader, Angela knows people and gets results. At NSA, Angela directs top to bottom grassroots campaigns, earned and social media strategies, and coalition building activities. For the past 15 years, she has worked on state and national issues such as healthcare, taxation, and energy. Angela co-leads the Issue Advocacy division at Novak and oversees several of Novak’s government affairs clients as well.

Early in her career as a political fundraiser, Angela developed creative, direct approaches to navigating grassroots campaigns that included issue-based forums, consensus building, and reputation management. Today, she utilizes this experience and continues to cultivate her well-established relationships and strong, broad-based coalition networks. Angela has successfully managed several local races drawing on her impressive organizational skills and ability to mobilize grassroots armies at the local level. From circulating petitions to building relationships with local business and community leaders, Angela leveraged her connections in creative ways, which ultimately led her candidates to victory in these local elections.

Angela is the past board chair of the Central PA Chapter of the American Red Cross, and in 2016 graduated from the Leadership Harrisburg Area Executive program. When Angela is not pulling it all together at work, she is pulling together ways to support nonprofits, including the Midwest Food Bank, D.R.E.A.M. Partnership, and Keystone Human Services (Partnership Board). In 2021, Angela was recognized as a 40 Under 40 Leader by the Central Penn Business Journal as well as Women in Business 2021 issue in Susquehanna Style.

Angela is a graduate of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Angela lives in Mechanicsburg with her husband, Joe, and son, Mark.

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.

6-10 years

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.

0-5 years

Leadership Iowa Graduate

Nick is an experienced government relations, public affairs, and public relations professional with a successful history of executing lobbying and issue campaigns. He began his journey in the political arena at a young age and has had the opportunity to work a number of political campaigns at the local, state, congressional, and even presidential level.

Nick's career has included leading extensive public affairs issue campaigns, communications and public relations efforts, and marketing campaigns across the Midwest and country influencing state and federal policymakers and garnering media attention. He also spent a couple of sessions being fully immersed in the legislative process while working for a committee chairman in the Iowa House.

These diverse experiences have all culminated in Nick's successful ability to execute strategic plans to introduce, pass, block, or amend legislation at the Iowa Statehouse for clients and build strong relationships with lawmakers and stakeholders. From legislative agenda development and interim planning to PAC management and issue campaigns, Nick specializes in elevating a client's message and executing legislative strategies. Nick also leads Advocacy Strategies' administrative rulemaking engagement and media relations efforts on behalf of our clients.

Nick grew up in Byron, MN and made his way to Iowa through Simpson College's John C. Culver Public Policy Center where he was selected as a Fellow. He graduated Simpson with the highest academic honor with majors in Political Science and International Relations and a minor in Religious Studies and also received his Master's Degree in Public Policy and a Graduate Certificate in Public Administration from the University of Northern Iowa.

Outside of work, Nick is actively involved in his church community, local political activism, the Simpson College Alumni Association Board, and serves as the President of the John C. Culver Public Policy Center Alumni Association. He graduated from Leadership Iowa, the state's premier professional leadership development program, in June of 2022.

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.