Roger
A. Bodman
Roger A. Bodman, senior partner, is widely respected for
his depth of knowledge of state government and politics. Mr.
Bodman served in two separate cabinet posts in the administration
of former Governor Tom Kean.
As the State Commissioner of Transportation, Mr. Bodman was the
chief advisor to the Governor on transportation matters and Chairman
of New Jersey Transit. He also served as the State Commissioner
of Labor, where he implemented extensive legislative reforms of
the unemployment insurance program. Earlier in his career, Mr.
Bodman was Chief of Staff for former New Jersey Congressman James
Courter, and district office manager for former New Jersey Congresswoman
Millicent Fenwick.
In addition, Mr. Bodman was Vice Chairman of the New Jersey Bush
for President Committee in 1988. Mr. Bodman served as campaign
manager for Tom Kean for Governor in 1981. In 1987, Mr. Bodman
was appointed by the Governor to chair the Study Commission on
Regulatory Efficiency, for which he received the Alliance for
Action's "Eagle
Award."
A native of Bernardsville, New Jersey, Mr. Bodman was graduated cum laude from
Ohio University in 1974 with a degree in political science. Mr. Bodman is a visiting
professor at Rutgers University's Eagleton Institute of Politics and is a frequent
political commentator on New Jersey Network programs.
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Harold
L. Hodes
Harold L. Hodes, senior
partner, served as Chief of Staff to former Governor Brendan
Byrne and has remained a force in Trenton for over 20 years.
Mr.
Hodes serves as a Commissioner on the New Jersey Turnpike Board
and as a member of the Board of Trustees of Monmouth University. He
is also a visiting professor at the Eagleton Institute of Politics,
Rutgers University, where he teaches a course on political campaigning.
He is active in state and national Democratic Party politics
and has advised both presidential and gubernatorial campaigns.
Mr. Hodes was the first president of the New Jersey Devils, a
National Hockey League team. As the Governor’s Chief of Staff, he coordinated all legislative
and executive agency activities for the Byrne Administration. Prior to
joining Governor Byrne’s staff, he was executive assistant to Newark Mayor
Ken Gibson.
Mr. Hodes holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Monmouth
University and has pursued graduate work at New York University.
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Joseph
DeSanctis
Joseph DeSanctis, partner, has extensive
knowledge of the legislative and executive branches stemming
from more than a decade of advocacy on behalf of a diverse client
base. He has advocated on behalf of clients in a number of industries
ranging from major corporations, government entities along with
trade and professional associations. He has developed a
specialized knowledge of transportation, energy and water, along
with environmental issues.
Mr.
DeSanctis also served as Manager of Legislative and Regulatory
Affairs for the New Jersey Society of Professional Engineers,
on whose behalf he worked on legislative and regulatory issues
as well as matters affecting the engineering community’s
permitting process. His legislative efforts were nationally
recognized by the National Society of Professional Engineers
for passage of legislation which clearly defined the roles of
engineers and architects in regard to building design services.
Mr. DeSanctis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science/Public
Administration from Trenton State College.
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Tracie
DeSarno
Tracie DeSarno, partner, joined Public Strategies Impact after
more than 10 years of experience in government at the state and
county level. She came to the firm from the New Jersey Institute
of Technology, where she served as an Assistant to the President.
Previously, she served as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs
for Essex County. During her tenure with the county, she was the
county executive's liaison to the State Legislature, state agencies
and the 22 municipalities within the county. She was responsible
for legislative initiatives at the state and federal level and
assisted in grant procurement and State budget analysis, successfully
directing additional State funds to the county.
At
PSI, Ms. DeSarno is responsible for a broad range of issues including
health care, business and tourism related initiatives.
Ms.
DeSarno is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Douglass College, Rutgers
University, and holds a bachelors degree in political science
and sociology. She serves as a member of the Union County College
Board of Governors.
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Matthew
S. Halpin
Matthew S. Halpin, partner, joined Public Strategies Impact in 2001 after serving as Manager, Government Relations for the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. At the State Chamber, Mr. Halpin was responsible for issue areas that included economic development, international trade, taxation, and work-family balance. Coming from a large association, Matt brings management skills along with government relations experience that complement the firm's association management division.
Mr. Halpin's lobbying efforts at PSI span a variety of business issues for corporate clients as well as numerous trade associations. Mr. Halpin advocates on behalf of clients from the following industries: energy, healthcare, real estate, financial services, death-care, entertainment, port transportation and municipal government. In addition, he serves as Executive Director of the NJ Society of Municipal Engineers and the Opticians Association of NJ.
Mr. Halpin received an MBA from the Rutgers Business School in 2003, holds a BA from Rutgers College, and is an Associate of the Eagleton Institute of Politics. Mr. Halpin also serves on the Rutgers Alumni Association’s Government Relations Committee.
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William
J. Maer
William
J. Maer, partner, served in several governmental positions including
as an Aide to former Governor James Florio, Chief of Staff to
Congressman William J. Pascrell, Jr. and as the Associate Executive
Director of the Assembly Democratic Legislative Leadership Office. Additionally,
he served as a staff member to the Democratic members of both
the Legislative and Congressional Apportionment Commission. Maer
serves as a gubernatorial appointee to the New Jersey Building
Authority and is a former member of the Board of Trustees at
Brookdale Community College. Maer currently serves as Chief Spokesman
for the 800-member Passaic County Sheriffs Department.
He is currently a principal in the political consulting and
public relations firm, Comprehensive Communications, LLC., based
in North Jersey.
Mr. Maer is active in local and State Democratic Party politics
and was previously on the staff of the Stewart Agency.
Maer received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Clark
University in Massachusetts and in 1990 he was granted a Master
of Arts in Political Science degree from Pennsylvania's Villanova
University.
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Edward
J. Mount
Edward J. Mount, partner, has more than 30 years of service in
the public sector. He served as Assistant State Treasurer for
three years and as Assistant Commissioner, Department of Labor
for three years during the administration of Governor Whitman.
He also served as the first Chief Information Officer (CIO) for
the Department of Treasury. Mr. Mount brings extensive expertise
to the firm in the areas of government IT marketing and government
procurement practices.
Mr.
Mount has an extensive information technology background and sat
on the State of New Jersey Information Resources Management Commission,
the Office of Information Technology Governing Board and the State
of New Jersey Information Technology Leadership team. He also
served as a member of the US Department of Labor Automation and
Technology National Committee for the Interstate Conference of
State Employment Agencies.
Also
as Assistant State Treasurer, Mr. Mount was the Treasurer’s
representative on various boards such as the New Jersey State
Aquarium, the South Jersey Port Corporation and the Governor’s
Commission for the Preservation and Use of Ellis Island.In addition
to his experience at the state level, Mr. Mount was Mayor of
Bordentown Township, Burlington County and served on the Township
Committee for six years. He was appointed to the Executive Board,
New Jersey State League of Municipalities in 1990 and served
on various committees.
Mr.
Mount is a graduate of LeMoyne College, Syracuse, New York with
a BS in Industrial Relations. He is a veteran of the United States
Air Force.
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Joseph
A. Simonetta, CAE
Joseph A. Simonetta, CAE, partner,
is an experienced lobbyist and association manager who has earned
the designation of Certified Association Executive (CAE), the
highest certification in the association management field. He served as Chief of Staff
and Legislative Affairs to Mayor Art Holland of the City of Trenton
as well as Executive Vice President of the New Jersey Conference
of Mayors. He is a Past President of the New Jersey Society of
Association Executives as well as the recipient of the 1992 Association
Executive of the Year Award. He currently serves as the
Executive Vice President and Management and Governmental Relations
consultant to several professional and trade organizations including
the New Jersey Society of Professional Engineers, the American
Institute of Architects/ NJ, the New Jersey Travel Industry Association
and the New Jersey Hotel & Lodging Association.
He holds
Bachelor of Arts degrees in Business and Political Science from
Mount St. Mary's College, Emmitsburg, Maryland.
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Patrick
Stewart
Patrick Stewart,
Associate, worked in the state legislature for the Assembly
Republican Majority office. During
this time he worked closely with legislators, forming policy
and helping educate Assembly members on important issues. Patrick
was responsible for staffing a number of Assembly committees
including the Assembly Budget, Consumer Affairs, Regulated Professions
and Labor committees. Patrick served as principal policy advisor
to the Republican Majority Leadership and caucus on economic
development, changing financial issues with the State budget
along with relaying needs from the business community.
Patrick, a lobbyist since 2001, has worked on a broad range of issues for his
client base. Working with larger and smaller clients, Patrick uses his working
knowledge of the legislature, state departments and the Governor’s
office to achieve the goal of the client.
He developed a strong working knowledge of the insurance industry and labor
arena, specifically dealing with workers compensation issues. Patrick handled
other diverse clients in the pharmaceutical industry, manufacturing sector,
and temporary staffing industry.
Patrick graduated from Villanova University in 1996 with a degree in Political
Science.
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Josh Hodes
Josh Hodes, Associate, Government Relations, joined Public Strategies Impact in January 2007 after serving as an Associate Director of Athletic Development for the Rutgers University Foundation.
At Rutgers, Josh initiated and coordinated the Scarlet Walk brick campaign. The brick campaign has served as a new revenue stream to benefit Rutgers student-athletes since its inception in December 2005. In addition, Josh identified and solicited major gift prospects for gifts in excess of $50,000 for program support, scholarship and naming opportunities to benefit Rutgers’ student-athletes.
Josh served as a page at the 1996 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Josh received his Masters in Labor and Employment Relations from Rutgers in 2006 and holds a Bachelor of Science from Rutgers College as well.
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