15-20 years

Dr. Baker was named an Alumni Fellow at the Penn State University and delivered the commencement address at the College of Agricultural Sciences spring graduation. She also received the prestigious Medal of Honor Award from the Philadelphia Society for the Promotion of Agriculture (PSPA), the oldest (1785) continuously operating agricultural society in the country. PSPA was involved in establishing the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. In addition, Baker was honored with the esteemed Jefferson Award by the Penn Ag Democrats.

Baker was appointed during the Rendell administration to work in the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture . While there, she directed the educational outreach for the Department.

Dr. Baker owns Versant Strategies, a premier governmental affairs firm focused on agricultural, education, environmental, and rural issues. Versant has represented dozens of clients in the Harrisburg and DC marketplace ranging from small farms and businesses to Fortune 500 companies.

Previously, Baker served in the executive office of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. While there, she directed the educational outreach for the Department using the knowledge, skills, and traits she perfected during her 20 years behind a teacher’s desk at secondary and post-secondary institutions. Baker served as a faculty member at Penn State, an adjunct professor at North Carolina State University, and was the first woman elected as president of the National Association of Agricultural Educators. She is known across the nation as a published author and columnist with frequent engagements as a motivational keynote speaker and workshop presenter.

MeeCee, husband Jim Garofalo, a retired PA State Police Major who now works with USDA Investigation and Enforcement, and daughter Libby, a former state FFA president (Future Farmers' of America) and current Penn State student, live on the Baker homestead farm in Juniata County.

Prior to joining Jones Walker, Paul worked for Congressman Bob Livingston for more than 20 years, serving as legislative director and associate appropriations committee staffer. In this capacity, Paul was a primary advisor on all federal appropriations and related congressional authorization committees as well as federal agency and executive branch policy matters. Through this involvement, Paul has developed a vast network of contacts in the federal, congressional, and private sectors. He also has acquired extensive experience in the development and implementation of the 12 annual appropriations measures, related authorization bills, and federal agency and executive branch programmatic, jurisdictional, and policy issues.

Paul is a founding partner of the Livingston Group, which has had a strategic alliance with Jones Walker since 1999. Drawing on his knowledge and experience, he has helped a variety of clients attain policy, regulatory, and legislative goals with key members of various congressional committees, the White House, and executive branch agencies.

Paul has advocated issues, prepared appropriations and authorization bills, and developed report language for clients in a variety of industries, including financial services, national security, information technology, education, corps of engineers, transportation and infrastructure, maritime, energy, social services, and other sectors.

Since early 1999, Paul has provided ongoing volunteer services and support to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

Mary Burke Baker is a government affairs counselor in the Washington, D.C. office where she leads the tax policy practice. Ms. Baker focuses on federal tax matters affecting businesses, including domestic and multinational corporations and all types of pass-through entities, and individuals. Her practice covers tax policy, tax reform, regulatory and other guidance, tax administration, and technical tax issues, with particular emphasis on corporate and pass-through issues, accounting methods, information reporting, Reports of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) compliance, and emerging cryptocurrency issues. Since enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in December, 2017, Ms. Baker has particularly focused on the Opportunity Zone program and is a frequent speaker on the topic throughout the United States.

Ms. Baker advocates on behalf of clients and consults with and advises Congressional, U.S. Treasury, and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) staff on numerous domestic and international tax and tax policy issues, including the new Opportunity Zone program, implementation of business and individual provisions in the TCJA, and emerging cryptocurrency tax compliance concerns. She stays abreast of current tax policy developments on Capitol Hill and around the world and keeps clients informed with timely, relevant, and informative updates, including political insights and analysis regarding the significance of these developments. She helps clients identify and assess risks and opportunities in the ever-changing legislative and regulatory environment and develops and executes strategies to achieve desired legislative and administrative outcomes. She offers technical analysis and drafts comment letters in response to regulatory projects, working groups, and other tax policy initiatives. During the multi-year tax reform debate, Ms. Baker leads the Cash to Accrual Coalition and the Like-kind Exchange Coalition. She serves on the steering committee of the LIFO Coalition. She assists individual taxpayers who are participating in the IRS Offshore Voluntary Compliance Program to comply with FBAR and Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) filing requirements.

Ms. Baker serves on the Board of Directors of the Real Tax Policy Group, which features biweekly sessions with top Administration and Congressional tax officials. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Time of Grace, an international media ministry.

He is nationally ranked for government relations by Chambers USA (2015-2019)

Mr. Crowley represents financial services providers, institutional investors and trade associations on a broad range of policy issues including accounting & financial reporting, broker-dealer & securities trading, commodities & futures, consumer finance & mortgage banking, corporate governance, cyber security, data privacy, debt collection, depository institutions, derivatives & securitization, financial technology, hedge funds, insurance, international trade, investment management, and retirement security & pensions. He leads the firm's global financial services policy practice and facilitates coordination among these practice areas on behalf of the firm's policy clients in Brussels, London, Washington, DC, and other financial policy centers. He also advise clients on campaign finance, government ethics and congressional investigations

Prior to joining K&L Gates as partner in September 2008, for five years Mr. Crowley was chief government affairs officer at the Investment Company Institute, the national association of the mutual fund industry. Previously, Mr. Crowley was vice president and managing director, Office of Government Relations, the Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. (NASDAQ). He joined NASDAQ after managing government relations during the spin-off of NASDAQ from its former parent, the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD, n/k/a FINRA). Before joining NASD as vice president, Governmental Affairs, Mr. Crowley served as general counsel, Office of Speaker Newt Gingrich; general counsel, Committee on House Oversight (Bill Thomas, Chairman); and minority counsel, Committee on House Administration (Bill Thomas, Ranking Member). From 1995 to 2001, he also was general counsel to the Young Republican National Federation, Inc. Following the historic 1994 election, he served as counsel to the House Republican Transition Team for personnel and restructuring issues. Crowley began his career as counsel to the Montgomery County delegation to the Maryland State Senate.

Prior to joining K&L Gates, Mr. Brazier spent three years as an attorney advisor in the Division of Corporation Finance at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. At the SEC, he examined filings under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to ensure compliance with federal securities laws, rules, and regulations. While at the SEC, Mr. Brazier reviewed investment fund applications for compliance with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and examined requests for no-action relief under Exchange Act Rule 14a-8 relating to shareholder proposals.

Before attending law school, Mr. Brazier worked for the Financial Services Office of Ernst & Young LLP in New York. For more than three years, he provided auditing and consulting services focused on major national and international clients in the Banking & Capital Markets and Asset Management industry segments.

Prior to joining K&L Gates, Ms. Flynn worked for a senior member of the U.S. House of Representatives as a Legislative Assistant and Legislative Correspondent. During this time, she advised the Congressman on a number of issue areas, including defense, veterans affairs, homeland security, education, foreign policy, arts and humanities, housing, postal and transportation. Additionally, she worked on a variety of appropriations and authorization related issues.

Ms. Flynn earned her Master of Public Policy degree with an emphasis in National Security and Public Policy from George Mason University, and was inducted into Pi Alpha Alpha, the Global Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame

Based in Washington, D.C., Karishma Shah Page is a member of K&L Gates' Public Policy and Law Practice. Ms. Page concentrates her practice on federal legislative and regulatory policy, focusing on tax, financial services, health care, retirement, and employee benefits issues. Ms. Page has extensive experience working on a variety of legislation, such as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and the Affordable Care Act. She also works on related rulemaking and regulatory activity.
Ms. Page develops and implements a variety of advocacy strategies to advance client objectives, both from a Congressional and administrative perspective. In particular, she leads complex, multi-faceted policy campaigns incorporating lobbying, coalitions and third-party advocates, grassroots/grasstops strategies, and traditional and new media. Additionally, she has experience building, managing, and working with coalitions.

Ms. Page counsels clients with respect to the key legislative and regulatory developments that impact their operations. Ms. Page's clients include Fortune 500 companies, trade and member associations, and tax-exempt entities. Ms. Page also advises clients on the intersection between social responsibility initiatives and the policy debate.

Ms. Page works closely on issues involving the House Ways and Means Committee, Senate Finance Committee, House Financial Services Committee, Senate Banking Committee, House Education and the Workforce Committee, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Senate Aging Committee, as well as the Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Department of Labor, and financial regulators.