6-10 years

Paul joined Drexwood Partners in 2019 bringing 10 years of professional experience with him, including a half decade handling multi-state government affairs and running a U.S. government affairs operation for a multi-national company.

Adept at handling complex public policy issues, Paul began his early professional days working as a litigation paralegal for multiple law firms and working as a field organizer on a national campaign. To begin his government affairs career, Paul spent a short time in Washington D.C. working for a child welfare non-profit conducting policy research and organizing advocacy days.

Prior to joining Drexwood as Vice President, Paul served as Director of Government Relations for a publicly-traded company where he led U.S. federal and state government affairs for multiple business segments. While there he executed federal and multi-state government affairs strategies to support organizational goals across six businesses. This included managing federal appropriation and jurisdictional committee advocacy, a fifty state legislative tracking operation, and direct and indirect lobbying in over half a dozen states across the country. In addition to traditional government affairs work, Paul led the first company-wide global political risk assessment due to international expansion and re-designed the internal government affairs approach to also focus on brand development for business segments that found more value in an elevated presence among government officials.

With a broad range of policy experience in agriculture, education (Pre-K through postsecondary), child welfare, healthcare, insurance, and tech fields, Paul is prepared to tackle new and complex issues quickly to deliver results. He is passionate about government affairs — from traditional lobbying and strategy development to advocacy, coalition building, and policy research.

A native of mid-Missouri, Paul holds a M.A. in Political Science from University of Missouri, Kansas City and a B.A. in Pre-Law/Legal Studies from William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri. He currently lives in Chicago, Illinois with his wife and two sons.

Tony Essalih joined Cornerstone in 2011 as a co-lead of the firm's flagship Texas office in Houston. He spent 12 years on Capitol Hill and came to Cornerstone from the office of Congressman John Culberson (R-Houston). Tony worked for Congressman Culberson for 10 years, the last five as his chief of staff. Prior to becoming chief of staff, Tony served in a variety of capacities including legislative assistant, legislative director, communications director, and deputy chief of staff. He spent eight years in Washington, D.C. before relocating to Houston in 2007.

As chief of staff, Tony was responsible for guiding the day-to-day operations of the Congressman's Washington and Houston offices, and oversaw a 15-member staff under a fixed budget. Outside of the office, he served as the principal liaison to the Congressman's campaign committee and provided strategic counsel and advice related to his re-election efforts. Tony's areas of policy expertise include transportation, energy, budget and appropriations. Tony also led outreach efforts and served as an emissary on behalf of the Congressman with state lawmakers in Austin and local elected officials in Houston.

Prior to Culberson's election in 2001, Tony worked as a legislative assistant for Congressman Culberson's predecessor, former House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Archer. Tony's began his tenure on Capitol Hill with former House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings.

Tony has advised and assisted numerous local, state, and federal campaigns. He serves on the board of the National InterFaith Foundation, the Advisory Board for the Houston Technology Center, spent two years on the Board of the Spring Branch Medical Center and was a member of Houston Mayor Annise Parker's transition team in 2010.

Tony was born and raised in Fredericksburg, VA and received his B.A. in Political Science from Mary Washington College. He was a member of Mary Washington's NCAA semifinalist men's soccer team. He lives in Houston and has two angelic daughters, Grace and Libby.

15-20 years

Mike founded Drexwood Partners LLC with the mission to merge government affairs with a business savvy approach. By drawing upon his nearly 15 years of experience in government and politics combined with 10 years of experience in finance and real estate, Mike is able to provide a unique perspective to his clients. As a registered lobbyist he works with government officials at the state, county and city level navigating the process to solve problems and achieve the desired results for his clients.

Prior to founding Drexwood, Mike served as executive vice president at All-Circo, Inc, a full service government affairs and lobbying firm. There he handled the needs of over 60 clients ranging from fortune 500 companies and small businesses to units of government, non-profits and associations across all sectors and issues. In addition to helping clients with their legislative and administrative goals, he provided counsel in regards to appropriations, regulation, procurement, and coalition development.

Mike was previously vice president at Chicago-based real estate development firm The Prime Group. Serving as a member of the capital markets group, he provided financial analysis, budgeting, and due diligence on real estate transactions as well as helped facilitate $400 million in financing for the JW Marriott mixed use development on LaSalle Street. He began his career in New York with Jefferies & Company on the institutional trading desk, providing sales trading coverage for corporate accounts and hedge funds.

Mike received a B.S. in Finance from Santa Clara University in 1998. He resides in Chicago with his wife, Liz, and two daughters.