Expertise in agricultural, natural resource, and nutrition policy is a foundational strength of Cornerstone.

We help commodity and conservation groups, trade associations, coalitions, companies, universities, and other organizations pursue public policy objectives and achieve legislative and regulatory solutions.

This well-earned expertise comes from hands-on experience inside and outside of government and industry. In addition to former senior professional staff from both the agriculture authorization and appropriations committees, many of our professionals have farm and ranch backgrounds, including current, active management of family-operated land and ranches. As a result, whether they work in production agriculture or cutting-edge technology, our clients turn to us in every step of the process to assist with relationship building, strategy development, policy implementation, and legislative drafting for their local, state, and federal needs.

Cornerstone’s experience in education and workforce policy ranges from cradle to career.

We represent top-tier research universities, higher education associations, public and private institutes of higher education, community colleges, job training groups, P-12 education associations, providers of student support, and other organizations in the education space and work to advance their priorities in Washington, D.C. and in the states.

In recent years, our clients have turned to us for assistance with passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act and its subsequent implementation, higher education policy, Department of Education regulations and guidance, K-12 education funding, student financial aid and research dollars, and workforce development strategies. Our group of professionals maintain strong ties with the federal authorizers and appropriators who oversee education policy and funding, and therefore are very well positioned to assist clients with their legislative and regulatory agendas.

Cornerstone’s Energy and Environment Practice Group helps many companies, trade associations, and coalitions pursue public policy objectives and influence legislative and administrative decisions.

Our team comprises former congressional federal and state agency staff with years of public and private sector experience who continue to maintain strong relationships and work closely with Congress and all the federal agencies with jurisdiction over energy and environment policy.

We have successfully assisted our clients in securing and defending hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for energy programs and research and development. We also assist our clients in supporting project approvals and introducing new technologies into the marketplace.

Similarly, our team has worked with Congress and federal and state agencies on environmental legislation, policy, and regulation. Our team led the development of the fee-for-service program, which gives pesticide manufacturers greater certainty on registration decision timeframes – enabling them to plan their R&D investments more predictably. Since its first enactment, we have successfully managed a multi-association coalition that advocates for funding and two program reauthorizations. We routinely assist clients in their interactions with federal and state regulators on products.

Cornerstone provides our financial industry clients with strategic counsel and assistance with federal and state decision-makers to develop solutions for today’s financial regulatory environment.

Our professionals maintain relationships with key financial regulatory bodies, including the Federal Reserve, the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). We also have strong bipartisan relationships with the congressional oversight committees, including the House Ways and Means Committee, House Financial Services Committee, Senate Finance Committee, Senate Banking Committee, and the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.

Our client base includes multinational investment banking and financial services corporations and financial, retirement, investment, and insurance companies.

The Cornerstone Health Team represents a broad and diverse base of clients that includes hospitals and healthcare delivery providers, public health organizations, universities, coalitions, manufacturing and information technology companies, philanthropic organizations and patient advocacy groups, and medical and professional health associations.

Our professionals’ knowledge and experience covers many policy and budget issues, including appropriations and authorizations for public health programs, biomedical research, early childhood development and other human social services, and Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement issues.

Cornerstone has significant expertise in the international affairs sphere.

We represent a broad array of clients, including non-governmental organizations, foreign governments, major foundations, advocacy groups, implementing non-governmental organizations, corporations, and international organizations.

Our team’s work is augmented by other areas of expertise, including our agriculture, health, defense, energy and environment, and health groups.

Cornerstone’s Defense and Intelligence Practice Group works aggressively across the government marketplace to help our clients further their public policy interests.

Our client base spans from small to large companies, including defense-focused firms as well as those primarily oriented in the commercial sector. We also work with a number of colleges and universities, hospitals and health systems, nonprofits, and biomedical companies on a range of defense and defense health issues.

Our team complements the efforts of companies already doing business with the Department of Defense (DOD) or those seeking an initial entrée to the DOD, the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, the House and Senate Defense Appropriations Committees, and the individual military services and many operating agencies.

Our Technology and Telecom Practice Group designs comprehensive government relations programs for businesses of all sizes and scopes.

Cornerstone professionals represent technology and telecommunications clients in a variety of areas, including assisting with public policy development and budget priorities to achieve their marketing, regulatory, and legislative goals. We also design and implement successful marketing and procurement strategies at the federal, state, and local level.

Cornerstone has diverse expertise on transportation and infrastructure issues, and our practice group is active in ground, rail and air.

Our professionals have experience working in both the transportation appropriations process as well as the transportation authorizing process.

We represent small to large companies on issues ranging from drive technology for subway trains and automobiles to implementing NextGen to make our nation’s air traffic control system more efficient. Cornerstone represents the world’s largest maker of private jets and the leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and defense, space and security systems. We also work with the world’s largest business travel and meetings organization, consisting of more than 2,000 providers of pre-arranged ground transportation services at airports, ports and other transportation terminals.

We have established ourselves as one of D.C.’s top federal government relations firms due to our bipartisan team’s significant experience, expertise, and working relationships.

For more than 20 years, organizations of all shapes and sizes have turned to Cornerstone for assistance with the formation, implementation and advancement of their federal government relations strategies. With senior-level experience and a fully bipartisan approach, we specialize in assisting our clients navigate the ever-changing and complicated federal landscape. Across many of our practice groups, we bring together congressional, executive, technical and operational perspectives.

Cornerstone Public Affairs offers strategic counsel from experienced, senior-level professionals to develop and deploy your message with clarity in an ever-changing media environment.

Our firm specializes in developing and implementing public affairs strategies that complement government affairs initiatives and amplify communications efforts with local audiences; garner national media attention; advance an organization’s public policy goals; train leaders for press engagement; and organize and execute public events.

Cornerstone offers public relations services that can be targeted for priority audiences or engineered for wider reach with efficiency and impact.

Cornerstone has one of our industry's largest state government relations footprints, with over 60 professionals across 12 states.

Our offices are located in Annapolis, Maryland; Atlanta, Georgia; Augusta, Maine; Austin, Texas; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Chicago, Illinois; Concord, New Hampshire; Denver, Colorado; Des Moines, Iowa; Frankfort, KY; Houston, Texas; Jackson, Mississippi; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Springfield, Illinois. Utilizing the same philosophy and approach across all of our offices, we provide clients with a broad and diverse range of government relations and lobbying services that are based on our professionals’ significant experience, broad expertise, and solid working relationships throughout state and local governments. Our state teams also support clients in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and Montana.

We provide a range of advisory services to organizations across public, private, and social sectors to drive value and capture opportunity.

We bring together years of experience in advising clients on matters ranging from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to Environmental, Social, and governance (ESG), as well as providing association and coalition management and political action committee (PAC) services.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 

Now, more than ever, organizations recognize the importance of incorporating DEI initiatives into their overall strategy. Effective diversity and inclusion training do much more than mitigate long-term risk; they bolster ongoing recruitment and retention efforts and contribute to an overall more productive workplace, which benefits an organization’s return on investment in the long run.

Environmental, Social & Governance 

Our team develops integrated ESG and sustainability strategies that strengthen performance and market position while managing risk. As companies and boards embrace strategies to meet stakeholder expectations and demand transparency, we work closely with our clients to provide strategic advice and planning that addresses ESG factors and achieves business goals.

Political Action Committee 

We offer a suite of services in compliance with federal election laws to assist clients who participate actively in the political process by financially supporting candidates for public office. We provide political counsel, long-range planning, budgeting assistance, and strategic guidance for numerous clients engaged in various levels of political giving. Our team also actively manages the Federal Election Commission filing requirements for PACs, provides guidance to and support for the PAC establishment phase, assists in creating a strategic giving plan, and continually consults with clients on PAC activities, such as permissible fundraising and solicitation methods.