Team Category: Defense and Critical Technologies

Erskine Wells

Erskine Wells is the President of BGR Group. He joined BGR in 2011 after serving on Capitol Hill for more than a decade. At BGR, Erskine represents clients with interests in defense, telecommunications, transportation, financial services, and appropriations before Congress, the administration, and state and local governments.

Erskine also has extensive experience leading coalitions in Washington. Working with Fortune 50 firm Caterpillar, he was instrumental in the successful launch of the Alliance for American Competitiveness and served as its Executive Director. Collaborating closely with Alliance members Honeywell, Dow, BNSF and UPS, Erskine led efforts to improve freight infrastructure throughout the United States by engaging policy makers at the local, state and federal levels. Through his efforts, the Alliance briefed the White House, Senate and House of Representatives on the role infrastructure plays in economic competitiveness.

Erskine works closely with clients ranging from wireless and hardware manufacturers to national security manufacturers and global shipping companies. Erskine is known as a substantive policy expert with connections throughout government, who quietly delivers results for his clients.  

Prior to joining BGR, Erskine served in the office of Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) in various capacities, including deputy chief of staff and military legislative assistant. Earlier, Erskine managed appropriations accounts for then-Rep. Roger Wicker’s office in the House of Representatives. In these positions, Erskine advised the Senator and Congressman on national security, defense, foreign policy, transportation, financial services and telecommunications, working closely with Committee staff and Administration officials.

During his time on the Hill, Erskine collaborated with the intelligence community and Congressional committees to create and fund the Center for Intelligence and Security Studies at the University of Mississippi, which prepares students for careers in intelligence analysis.

A graduate of Davidson College in North Carolina, Erskine earned his master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the United States Naval War College in Newport, R.I. He lives in Northern Virginia.

Pete Landrum

Pete Landrum joined the team at BGR in 2017. He works on the BGR Defense and Critical Technologies, Commerce and Infrastructure, and Financial Services practices. Pete enjoys pairing outstanding defense technologies with existing capability gaps in the Department of Defense. To accomplish that task, he aggressively works both the defense authorization and appropriations process. 

Critical minerals and materials and rural manufacturing are also one of Pete’s specialties. Prior to joining BGR, he served as U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions’ Senior Defense Policy Advisor from 2007-2017.  During that period, he worked on Senate Armed Services Committee issues to include 10 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) cycles. Pete also worked on Senate Appropriations Committee-Defense issues to provide funding to accompany the policy initiatives of the NDAA.  

Prior to working in the Senate, Pete spent 31 years in the U.S. military. He worked in post-colonial Sub-Saharan Africa on emerging national issues. Pete also worked with new democracies in Eastern Europe. These countries were newly freed from the domination of the Soviet Union and were anxious to succeed. Additionally, Pete trained and worked with allies in the Middle East. Pete brings his global experience to serve BGR clients in Washington.

Joseph Lai

Joseph Lai is a Principal at BGR Group in Washington, D.C., where he is a trusted advisor and advocate for clients on high-stakes legislative and regulatory matters at the nexus of international finance, national security, and critical technologies. He helps the world’s top business leaders navigate international crises, regulatory inquiries, and congressional investigations. Drawing on his experience in the White House and the U.S. Senate, Joseph develops and executes legislative and political strategies for clients facing complex legal and geopolitical challenges.

Joseph joined BGR after serving in the White House as Special Assistant to President Trump for Legislative Affairs from 2017 to 2019. In that role, he led the White House’s outreach to the Senate on economic issues, including international trade and financial services. He worked with Senate leaders to pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and to confirm appointees to the Cabinet, the Federal Reserve, and the Supreme Court.

Before joining the White House, Joseph spent more than a decade in the U.S. Senate. He served as Defense Policy Advisor and later Legislative Director to Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, now Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He also served as a policy advisor to Senators George Voinovich of Ohio and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska.

A native of Burlingame, California, Joseph received his Master of Arts from Yale University and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a Regent of The Fund for American Studies and a Trustee of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society. He is fluent in Cantonese.