Firms join forces on education, health care, economic development and financial services.
Washington, D.C. (February 18, 2025) – BGR Group, Washington, D.C.’s premier bipartisan lobbying and public relations firm, has formally expanded into Tennessee with a new Nashville office focused on education, health care, economic development, and financial services to be led by Managing Director Blake Harris of BHA Strategy, a former aide to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee. This Nashville partnership will join existing BGR offices in Austin, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia in providing BGR clients integrated advocacy services at the federal, state and local levels.
“Blake Harris and the BHA Strategy team have been working closely with BGR Group for the last year to bolster our federal practice and provide expertise in state-level advocacy, corporate intelligence, and economic development,” said Bob Wood, Chairman and CEO of BGR Group. “We welcome Blake as a Managing Director and look forward to working together on new initiatives that encompass the BHA team’s background, particularly in K-12 and higher education as well as health care and financial services.”
“BGR Group is recognized as a battle-tested firm no matter how much the political and operational landscape changes,” said CEO of BHA Strategy Blake Harris. “We look forward to bringing our technology portfolio and deep knowledge of state governments, school districts, and their respective funding priorities to help clients navigate significant shifts at the federal level and how to seamlessly adjust.”
BHA Strategy will also launch a new education practice, marking a significant expansion into business consulting and strategic impact, distinct from its existing government and public affairs practice. Meghan McLeroy, BHA’s Senior Vice President of Education, will lead the initiative, bringing 12 years of cabinet-level experience from the Tennessee Department of Education, where she shaped K-12 policy, literacy reform, and large-scale education initiatives. This new practice group will focus on helping education companies, institutions, and stakeholders navigate market positioning, growth strategy, and product implementation, and comes on the heels of BHA Strategy’s role in expanding universal school choice in Tennessee.
“We have decades of bipartisan experience working with governors, attorneys general, as well as mayors and, increasingly, we are seeing the most impactful changes occur at the state and local levels,” said BGR Principal and head of the State and Local Advocacy Practice Loren Monroe. “Tennessee has the right combination of effective governance and booming economic development which is why we see significant opportunities to grow in Nashville.”
In addition to BGR Group’s Tennessee-based operation, Chris Kelly recently joined BGR’s Health and Life Science Practice as a Vice President from the office of Senator Marsha Blackburn (TN) where he led the Senator’s health policy portfolio since 2022. He works with health care clients in both the Nashville and Washington regions. With a long-standing legacy of innovation and leadership, Nashville has cemented its status as a global epicenter for health care entrepreneurship and management.
About BGR Group (www.bgrdc.com)
Founded in 1991, BGR Group is a premier government affairs and public relations firm with offices in Washington, D.C., London, Austin, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia and Nashville. Consistently ranked a Bloomberg Government “Standout” Firm, BGR specializes in three key areas: bipartisan government affairs, strategic communications, and business advisory services. BGR brings together some of the most accomplished policy experts, public opinion influencers, and issue advocates from across the political spectrum.
About BHA Strategy (BHA Strategy)
Based in Nashville, Tennessee, BHA Strategy is a full-service, strategic consulting firm providing expertise in government affairs, public relations, and corporate intelligence. With deep roots in both political campaigns and public service, BHA’s team applies winning campaign strategies and senior advisor expertise to the biggest challenges facing startups, corporations, and causes. BHA retains a political skill set that includes public opinion research, digital marketing, and media production/placement. The firm’s core focus is multi-state government affairs, strategic communication, and reputation management.
