Location: Washington, D.C.

Kellie Adesina

Kellie Adesina is a Vice President with BGR Group’s Commerce and Infrastructure practice. With extensive experience in both the public and private sector, including on Capitol Hill and in the Obama administration, Kellie works with clients on a wide range of food and agriculture and policy issues.  

Kellie previously served as Director of Federal Government Affairs at Kraft Heinz, where she helped manage advocacy efforts in food and agricultural spaces. She served in a similar role at Bayer where she focused on crop science issues like gene editing, biotech, and pesticides.  

On Capitol Hill, Kellie served as Chief Counsel on the House Agriculture Committee for Chairman Collin C. Peterson (D-MN). In this role, she was integral to drafting key portions of the 2018 Farm Bill, which passed with bipartisan support.   

Prior to her service with the Agriculture Committee, Kellie was Senior Counselor in the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Kellie also served as Legislative Director to Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (D-OH) and Legislative Counsel to Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA). She began her career on Capitol Hill working for Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), her home state Senator. 

Kellie is a founder of Black Professionals in Food and Agriculture (BPFA), chair of the Board of Directors for the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), and a member of the Board of Directors for CHC: Creating Healthier Communities, Board of Directors for the Farm Foundation, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

Meme Everette

Meme Everette is a Compliance & Government Affairs Manager at BGR Group. In this role, she supports the firm’s lobbying, ethics, and regulatory compliance functions. 

Meme previously worked in client services at CBRE, where she supported the Mid-Atlantic Debt & Structured Finance team. In that role, she developed client-facing materials and managed day-to-day client service workflows. She coordinated timelines, operations, and internal reviews across teams to ensure accuracy, consistency, and timely execution of deliverables.  

Previously, she served as Director of Admissions at Moondance Adventures, where she led admissions and communications for more than 2,000 families. She worked alongside senior leadership to oversee operations and manage time-sensitive and high-priority matters across international programs. 

Meme graduated from Sewanee: The University of the South with a B.A. in Psychology. While at Sewanee, Meme was a student-athlete, a member of the Order of the Gownsmen academic honors society, and recruitment chair for her sorority. 

Connor Dunn

Connor Dunn, a seasoned veteran of Capitol Hill and executive branch agencies, works as a Vice President in BGR Group’s Financial Services and Tax Practice. Connor brings extensive legislative experience as a senior committee staffer in both the House and Senate, at the Departments of the Treasury and Housing and Urban Development, and as a policy expert in the private sector. He utilizes this background to help clients navigate complex policy issues related to housing and mortgage finance, insurance, financial technology, and banking regulation.   

Prior to joining BGR, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Banking & Finance, within the Office of Legislative Affairs at the Department of the Treasury. In this role, he served as a chief liaison between Treasury and Congress, advising the Secretary and senior Trump administration officials on legislative and policy strategy. Further, Connor played a lead role in the Senate confirmation process for key Treasury nominees and other financial regulators.  

Prior to his time at Treasury, Connor spent time in the private sector, representing financial services clients before Congress and federal agencies. During his tenure on Capitol Hill, Connor served in senior roles on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee and House Financial Services Committee. As the Policy Director for Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC), he served as a key advisor in crafting the Committee’s housing, insurance, and consumer finance policy agenda. During his time in the House of Representatives, Connor worked as a Senior Professional Staff Member for Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry (R-NC) and played a key role in the development and passage of the housing provisions in every bipartisan COVID-19 response bill. During this time, he also served as a policy lead for the House Republicans’ Jobs and Economy Task Force.  

During President Trump’s first term, Connor served as a Policy Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and within the Department’s Office of Congressional Affairs. He began his career on the government relations team at the National Multifamily Housing Council.

Charlie Chapman

Charlie Chapman is a Vice President with BGR’s Health and Life Sciences Practice. With significant experience in the executive branch and on Capitol Hill, Charlie helps clients navigate changes to health care coverage and payment policies. 

Charlie previously served in the Trump-Vance administration as a Policy Advisor in the Immediate Office of the Secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, where he provided counsel to the Secretary on policy and operational issues under the jurisdiction of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Charlie played an instrumental role shaping major regulatory and legislative policy initiatives on issues related to the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, and Medicare in addition to guiding cross-department strategy and execution on a range of policies on behalf of the Secretary. In this role, Charlie coordinated with the White House, Office of Management and Budget, and other Cabinet departments to advance Presidential and Secretarial priorities. In addition, Charlie regularly represented the Secretary before corporate leaders and state, local, and tribal governments.

Prior to joining the Trump-Vance administration, Charlie was a Professional Staff Member on the House Budget Committee, where he served as a policy advisor to the Chairman and Republican members of the committee on matters pertaining to mandatory and discretionary health care programs and budgetary policy. While with the committee, Charlie was a key architect of the health care provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and two separate budget resolutions. Charlie also acted as a principal liaison with the Congressional Budget Office, successfully shaping analysis of health care policies to advance key pieces of legislation into law. In this role, Charlie worked closely with House leadership and authorizing committee staff to coordinate on significant legislative health policy initiatives. Charlie spent time on the House Ways and Means Committee staff earlier in his tenure on Capitol Hill. 

Charlie also served at the 2024 Republican National Convention on the Official Proceedings team and on the Trump-Vance 60th Presidential Inaugural Committee.

Max Richards

Max Richards is a Vice President with BGR’s Defense and Critical Technology Practice. Max brings extensive experience and policy knowledge on a wide range of defense related issues including AI, space, cybersecurity, and technology. He has served in top policy roles in both the House and Senate and as a fellow studied directly with top military officials.

Max previously served as Legislative Director for Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO). He previously served as the Senator’s Military Legislative Assistant (MLA) to advise Senator Schmitt as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He also served in key roles for Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Max also worked as a Legislative Assistant for Chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, Representative Frank Lucas (R-OK).

In April 2021, Max completed coursework and graduated from a master’s program in International Security Studies with a concentration in cybersecurity policy at a U.S. Army base in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. The program was a partnership between the German University of the Armed Forces Munich and the U.S. Department of Defense. Course participants were active-duty officers from the Army, Marines, Air Force, and German Military. While pursuing his master’s, Max was selected as a fellow by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, where he received a scholarship to study foreign policy in Germany.

A Texas-native, Max was appointed by then-Governor Perry to serve a one-year term as Student Regent at the University of Texas Board of Regents where he worked with former Admiral William McRaven in McRaven’s role as Chancellor of the UT System.

John Brinkman

John Brinkman is a Government Affairs Coordinator in BGR Group’s Commerce and Infrastructure Practice. In this role, John supports client engagement and policy strategy through legislative tracking, in-depth research, and the development of timely policy briefings across a range of issues, including artificial intelligence, technology, transportation, and manufacturing.

John joined BGR in 2025 as a Legislative Clerk, where he monitored congressional hearings and floor activity, drafted client-ready policy memoranda and briefings, and conducted research for domestic and international clients. He played a key role in supporting the Commerce team’s policy analysis and client service efforts before stepping into his current role as a Government Affairs Coordinator.

Prior to joining BGR, John served as Student Body President at the University of Florida, where he represented more than 60,000 students and served as a voting member of the University’s Board of Trustees. He also served as President and Chairman of the Florida Student Association, acting as the sole student representative to the Florida Board of Governors and contributing to policy decisions affecting over 450,000 students statewide.

Jane Moore

Jane Moore is a Policy Analyst with BGR’s International and Trade Practice. In this role, Jane supports client engagement through policy monitoring and analytical reporting on foreign policy and geopolitical developments for international and domestic clients, with a focus on the Western Hemisphere, Africa, and technological competition.

Jane first gained experience in federal policymaking through internships on Capitol Hill, serving in the offices of Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Congressman Jim Himes (D-CT). During these roles, she conducted policy research, drafted legislative memoranda and constituent correspondence, and supported staff in preparing for committee hearings and briefings. Through this experience, she developed a strong understanding of the legislative process, judicial and regulatory policy issues, and congressional operations.

Madeline Hagood

Madeline Hagood is a Policy Analyst in BGR Group’s Health and Life Sciences Practice. In this role, she provides research and analysis on health policy issues, including Medicare, Medicaid, and public health programs, while supporting legislative and committee tracking as well as finance and compliance administration.  

Madeline joined BGR in 2025 as a Legislative Clerk and Researcher, where she monitored congressional hearings, drafted client-ready policy briefs, and conducted research for international governments, businesses, and non-profit organizations. During her time as a clerk, she contributed to the health team’s policy monitoring and client support operations before transitioning into her current role as a Policy Analyst.  

Prior to her time with BGR Group, Madeline completed an internship at Mother & Child Education Center, a local nonprofit, assisting clients with intake, connecting families to community resources, and developing educational pamphlets to support program outreach. 

John P. Keast

John P. Keast serves as a Senior Advisor with BGR Group. With more than 30 years of Washington, D.C., experience in the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House, private industry, and the non-profit think tank sector, John provides clients with a deep understanding of policy, politics, process, and people to create and implement results driven strategies. He has focused on critical issues including defense, commerce, industrial base development, telecommunications, and transportation policies for more than three decades.  

John is the founder of Keast Strategic Solutions, LLC, which provides clients with a unique blend of strategic and tactical counsel in dealing with Congress as well as federal departments and agencies.  

He previously served three years as the Republican Staff Director of the Senate Committee on Armed Services after having served four years as the staff director on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Working with the Chairman and Senators on the committees, he formulated strategies and agendas to execute Congressional oversight, policy hearings, presidential appointed confirmation processes, legislative markups, and investigations. In those roles, he led teams of professional staff and counsels to execute policy initiatives within the committee’s jurisdiction.   

Prior to his service on the Commerce Committee, John served 13 years as a partner, Principal and Director at Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc. From 1995 to 2006, he served as then-Rep. Roger Wicker’s chief of staff in the U.S. House of Representatives. His experience prior to Capitol Hill includes working at a non-profit think tank specializing in state and local policy, and as a staff member for the Virginia House of Delegates.  

Sean Cooksey

Sean Cooksey, a former senior official in the Trump administration and on Capitol Hill, works as a Managing Director with BGR Group’s Commerce and Infrastructure Practice. He brings a wealth of executive branch, legislative, and private sector experience to his work with clients on issues ranging from congressional oversight and investigations, competition and antitrust matters, intellectual property and technology policy, and litigation support.

Prior to joining the BGR team, Sean was Counsel to Vice President JD Vance. In this role, he served as the Vice President’s chief legal adviser and a senior policy staffer within the White House. As part of the Trump-Vance administration, he regularly advised the Vice President and senior White House staff on constitutional law, domestic policy, ethics, and executive and judicial nominations.

Previously, Sean was a member of the Federal Election Commission, after being nominated by President Trump in 2020. Sean served on the FEC for four years and was elected Chairman for the 2024 presidential election year, overseeing an agency of 300 staff to administer federal campaign-finance law.

Sean began his political career in the United States Senate, where he served as General Counsel for Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Deputy Chief Counsel for Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX). During his tenure in both offices, Sean worked on the Senate’s Committee on the Judiciary on some of the Senate’s most high-stakes matters, including major legislation and two Supreme Court confirmations.

Prior to his Senate service, Sean worked at an international law firm in Washington, D.C., where his practice focused on appeals and constitutional law. He also served as a law clerk for Judge Jerry E. Smith of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Houston, Texas.

Sean has appeared on television, on radio, and in print in outlets such as The Ingraham Angle, Varney & Co., Morning Edition, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Axios, and Politico. He speaks regularly at major conferences, including the Republican National Lawyers Association and the National Association of Business PACs.