WASHINGTON D.C., April 22, 2024 – Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies (CPS) today announced Jessica I. Monahan — a transportation policy expert who has secured federal funding for a range of nonprofits, local governments, Fortune 100 companies, emerging businesses, and government contractors — has joined its Washington D.C.-based lobbying team as a senior principal. Monahan, who comes to CPS from Arnold & Porter, has a 15-plus year track record of advising clients on legislative and regulatory issues, advocacy campaigns, and coalition development. She is the organization’s fourth major addition this year to the D.C. office, joining Rick Van Buren, Tamara Hinton, and Meagan Foster.
Monahan’s many successes include helping the Professional Nonprofit Theater Coalition establish a Washington, D.C., presence and accessing more than $15 billion in COVID relief funding, providing badly needed support to a range of venues shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also represented a coalition of major transportation entities and organizations, helping them support and ultimately participate in the drafting, passage, and enactment of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Monahan began her career working for Sen. Mark Dayton (D-Minn.) on constituent services and supporting Sen. Russell Feingold’s (D-Wis.) campaign and political action committee. She later served as the associate legislative director for transportation policy at the National Association of Counties (NACo), the primary lobbyist for the nation’s 3,069 counties. In that role, she established herself as an expert and thought leader on matters related to transportation policy and funding and led NACo’s efforts to advocate for county governments in the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) and FAA reauthorization process.
“Jessica brings to us senior level, multi-client government relations experience — in both the private and public sectors,” said Howard Schweitzer, CEO of Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies. “She has played a central role in the advancement of critical policy issues impacting some of the country’s leading industries, including aviation, transportation, energy, and the arts. She’s an important addition to our federal lobbying team and I’m thrilled to welcome her aboard.”
“I’ve long been familiar with Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies and its many successes,” said Monahan. “I’m thrilled to be joining a firm with such a stellar reputation, both on Capitol Hill and nationwide. This is a great fit for me and I’m looking forward to working with the team to further expand our lobbying capabilities.”
Named a “Top Lobbyist” by the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics in 2023, Monahan earned her B.A. in political science at the University of Wisconsin—Madison.
About Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies
Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, an affiliate of the international law firm Cozen O’Connor, is a bipartisan government relations and strategic communications practice. With offices throughout the country, the firm’s public strategies professionals offer a full complement of government affairs services, including legislative and executive branch advocacy, policy analysis, assistance with government procurement and funding programs, and crisis management. Its client base spans multiple industries, including healthcare, transportation, hospitality, education, construction, energy, real estate, entertainment, financial services, and insurance.
About Cozen O’Connor
Established in 1970, Cozen O’Connor has over 825 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle market companies, Cozen O’Connor serves its clients’ needs through 32 offices across two continents.
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