Location: Washington, D.C.

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.

Harley Brown

Harley Brown is the Client Services Liaison and Associate Events Coordinator at BGR Group, where she works in tandem to oversee client scheduling and communications while also supporting the management and execution of BGR’s special events.  

Harley hails from Florida State University’s Dedman College of Hospitality, where she developed her background in event planning and client service. She has used this experience in various professional roles. Her commitment to excellent service and people-oriented events ensures positive and seamless experiences for our clients and our firm.  

Prior to joining BGR Group, Harley worked with Florida Health Care Association and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in the Division of Marketing and Development, where she supported organizational operations, event management and coordination, and various industry publications. 

Sigrid Hiser

Sigrid Hiser is a Policy Analyst at BGR Group, where she supports the Defense & Critical Technologies Practice with policy briefings, research, and legislative tracking.  

Sigrid most recently worked as an Intelligence Analyst at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency where she gained experience in briefing, analytical writing, and intelligence affairs. She began at BGR in the clerk program, aiding the Defense & Critical Technologies practice and quickly earning responsibility for high-priority research, policy tracking, and client-facing deliverables.  

Sigrid holds a degree in International Relations and Chinese from Baylor University in Texas. She studied Political and Intercultural Communication at the University of Maastricht and Modern Chinese Foreign Policy at the University of St. Andrews. 

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Keith Kellogg

Lieutenant General Joseph “Keith” Kellogg, U.S. Army (Ret.), is a highly decorated Army General who served as an Assistant to the President and Senior National Security Advisor to President Trump during his first term as well as National Security Advisor to Vice President Pence and until December 2025 as Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine during his second term. 

General Kellogg’s career spans combat operations, senior White House leadership, and executive roles in the defense and international business sectors. A longtime national-security advisor to President Trump, he most recently served as Assistant to the President and Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine, appointed in November 2024. 

During President Trump’s first term, Gen. Kellogg served as Chief of Staff and Executive Secretary of the National Security Council, Acting National Security Advisor in 2017, National Security Advisor the Vice President and senior foreign-policy advisor to the 2016 presidential campaign. His White House service built upon a long military career marked by operational command, strategic leadership, and technical expertise. 

Kellogg served two combat tours in Vietnam. Over a 36-year military career, he rose to the rank of Lieutenant General and held critical positions including Commander, 82nd Airborne Division and J-6, Director of Command, Control, Communications, and Computers (C4) for U.S. forces under the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, and multiple Bronze Stars. 

In the private sector, he served on the board of GTSI, held senior roles at Oracle Corporation—including a period on leave during which he served as Chief Operations Officer for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq—and received the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service for his contributions to Iraq’s post-war stabilization. He later served as Executive Vice President for Mission Systems at CACI International and held several senior positions at Cubic Defense Applications. 

Chad Horrell

Chad Horrell is a Vice President with BGR’s State and Local Advocacy team. He brings more than two decades of experience managing public policy initiatives at the federal, state, and local level. He has extensive experience managing integrated advocacy, communications, and coalition campaigns as well as engaging with policymakers on both sides of the aisle.  

Before joining BGR Group, worked for DoorDash, helping to build the company’s brand with policymakers, regulators, and community leaders, working to ensure a viable marketplace for delivery that remains fair to restaurants, delivery drivers, and customers alike.  

Chad managed DoorDash’s policy engagements across the Mid-Atlantic and South region. In this role, he oversaw multiple contract lobbyists, partnered with governors, attorneys general, and legislators, and engaged with national policy organizations including RGA, DGA, RSLC, DAGA, RAGA, and others. Among the issues he managed were third-party delivery, alcohol licensing, portable benefits, pricing regulations, and data-sharing mandates. 

Prior to joining DoorDash, Chad managed issue advocacy campaigns focused on federal and state legislative affairs at DCI Group. Chad developed and executed campaigns designed to help clients successfully navigate their most challenging government and public affairs challenges. Chad also worked previously at AARP.   

Kathryn Reed

Kathryn Reed is a Vice President with BGR’s Financial Services and Tax and Commerce Practices. A seasoned tax and fiscal policy expert, she brings nearly a decade of Capitol Hill experience shaping federal tax, budget, and economic policy at the highest levels of Congress, with deep expertise in drafting, negotiating, and advancing complex tax legislation. 
 
Kathryn most recently served as Tax Policy Advisor to Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) on the House Committee on Ways and Means, where she guided development and strategy for major Republican tax priorities, including the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act of 2025 and the bipartisan Smith-Wyden Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act (TRAFWA). In this role, she advised the Chairman, Members of the Committee, and senior staff on tax policy that supports businesses and families, encourages economic development, and promotes on- and near-shoring of critical supply chains. She worked closely with the Joint Committee on Taxation, House Legislative Counsel, and Senate Finance Committee to navigate the political landscape and deliver legislative victories. 
 
Prior to her tenure as Tax Policy Advisor, Kathryn served as a key staff member to Congressman Jason Smith in both his personal office and in his capacity as Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee where she provided analysis on revenue estimates, economic impacts, and political implications of major policy proposals. 
 
Earlier in her career, Kathryn worked under Chairman Kevin Brady on the House Committee on Ways and Means, contributing to the successful passage and implementation of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in 2017. 
 
Kathryn is a graduate of Claremont McKenna College and holds a dual degree in Economics and Government. 

Lauren German

Lauren German is a Policy Analyst with BGR’s Commerce and Infrastructure Practice. In this role, Lauren helps support the Commerce and Infrastructure team with policy briefings, research, and legislative tracking. 

Lauren has a background in grassroots organizing and congressional affairs. She previously worked as a Legislative Intern for Congresswoman Hillary Scholten (D-MI) and Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-MI). Her experience also includes serving as a Digital Organizer and Phone Canvasser for the Washington Community Action Network and as an Engagement Coordinator for the United Way of Kind County. Additionally, Lauren is a former small business owner of Golden Vibe Gifts. 

Lauren holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations and a minor in Philosophy from the University of Southern California, Santa Barbara.

James Williams

James H. Williams is Senior Vice President at BGR Group. A seasoned public policy and health care expert, James works within both the State and Local Advocacy and Health and Life Sciences practices. He brings over a decade of experience in public policy development, health care innovation, economic analysis, and government leadership across federal and state levels. He is particularly experienced in the field of technology implementation to expand delivery and administration.  

Most recently, James served as Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services, where he oversaw a $2.6 billion budget and managed over 14,000 employees to administer critical human services programs across the Commonwealth. Prior to that, he served as Chief Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Resources and Chief Transformation Officer for Behavioral Health under Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, spearheading major reforms in Medicaid, behavioral health, and public health infrastructure. 

From 2019 to 2021, James served in the first Trump administration as Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy at the White House. He led key initiatives on health care affordability, drug pricing, rural telehealth access, and pandemic response. Earlier in his career, he served as an economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisers and as a consultant at The Lewin Group (UnitedHealth Group), supporting strategic, financial, and regulatory analyses. 

James holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a Master of Public Policy from the University of Virginia Batten School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Gordon College. 

Jim Hurson

Jim Hurson is a Policy Analyst with BGR Public Relations and Engagement. In this role, he supports strategic communications and policy initiatives for a diverse portfolio of clients.

Jim joined BGR in 2025 after several years working in documentary film. He has produced interviews, coordinated shoots, supported post-production and developed promotion strategies for nationally distributed documentary films, including projects for The Wall Street Journal. His work has focused on political history, international affairs, and public policy, combining media storytelling with substantive research.

Before joining BGR, Jim worked under former US Agency for Global Media CEO Michael Pack at Palladium Pictures on a range of short documentary projects. Previously, Jim built a body of work through an independent media venture that explored the psychological impact of the loss of wealth in southwest West Virginia. Jim is a 2025-2026 Fellow of the Media Accelerator at the Fund for American Studies. A graduate of Davidson College with degrees in Economics and German Studies, Jim is originally from Washington, D.C.

John Taylor

John Taylor serves on BGR Group’s Advisory Board and provides strategic guidance on public health issues. As the Head of the Quality and Compliance Practice for ELIQUENT (formerly Greenleaf Health), John leads the company’s work with life science companies on quality and compliance issues that impact their ability to develop innovative solutions to public health challenges around the world. 

John has had a lengthy career in public health in both the public and private sectors. Over the course of three decades, he has served in senior leadership positions within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), industry, trade association, and consulting services. John joined ELIQUENT following a distinguished career of more than 20 years at the FDA.  

From 2009 to 2014, John held three high-profile positions at the FDA: Counselor to the Commissioner, Principal Deputy Commissioner, and Acting Deputy Commissioner for Global Regulatory Operations and Policy. 

As Counselor to the Commissioner, John served as the principal advisor to Commissioner Margaret Hamburg on issues that affected the agency’s programs, policymaking, management, budget, and administration. In his role as Acting Deputy Commissioner for Global Regulatory Operations and Policy, John provided leadership and direction to more than 4,000 employees in the FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) and Office of International Programs. 

John began his career at the FDA in 1991 as an attorney within the Office of the Chief Counsel, responsible for all phases of criminal and civil litigation related to violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and other federal laws. In 1997, John was promoted to Senior Advisor for Regulatory Operations and Policy within the FDA’s Office of the Commissioner. He was later named Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research’s Office of Compliance. In 2000, John accepted the position of Director of ORA’s Office of Enforcement. Two years later, John was promoted to Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs. 

In 2005, John left the FDA to spend four years working in industry, first as Divisional Vice President for Federal Government Affairs at Abbott, then, in 2007, as Executive Vice President for Health at the Biotechnology Industry Organization.