WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 6, 2023) – BGR Group, Washington, D.C.’s premier bipartisan lobbying and public relations firm, today announced that Syd Terry, former chief of staff to Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), has joined the firm as a Vice President in the Commerce and Infrastructure Practice. Syd will focus on issues related to telecommunications, consumer protections, and competition policy both on Capitol Hill and in the administration, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
“Syd will be an incredible asset to BGR and our clients,” Commerce and Infrastructure Practice Co-Head Justin Rzepka said. “His time on Capitol Hill with Representative Schakowsky and the Energy and Commerce Committee provides him with extensive experience in several key issue areas ranging from consumer rights to trade. We are thrilled to have Syd join the team.”
In his time with Representative Schakowsky, who serves as Chief Deputy Whip and Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce, Syd led all legislative, policy, communications, and constituent services strategies for her including her work as a Member on House Budget Committee. He first joined Rep. Schakowsky’s office in 2019 as Legislative Director and led her policy work related to the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce. In that role he coordinated policy relating to interstate and foreign commerce, including all trade matters within the jurisdiction of the full committee, consumer protection, regulation of commercial practices, and consumer product safety.
As part of Rep. Schakowsky’s staff, Syd played a key role in the negotiation of the INFORM Consumer Act, the first FTC rulemaking bill signed into law this century, which was supported by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, AFL-CIO, Consumer Reports, RILA, and the Coalition to Protect America’s Small Sellers (PASS Coalition). He was also Rep. Schakowsky’s lead staffer in her capacity as one of Speaker Pelosi’s appointees to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade negotiations.
Syd started his Capitol Hill career with Senators Ken Salazar (D-CO) and Carl Levin (D-MI). He also worked on the campaigns of Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and then Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), who was elected to the House in 2012 and later served as Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus. Syd joined Pocan’s Congressional office where he served as a Senior Legislative Assistant. In this capacity, he served as the primary labor, energy, and environmental policy staffer for a member of the House Appropriations Committee.
