Through knowledge and experience gained on the government affairs team for another national law firm, prior to joining Barnes & Thornburg, and as former senior staffer in Delaware state government and as an in-house government and public affairs manager, Mary Kate is skilled at crafting and advocating for clients’ policy agendas that affect clients’ businesses.
She works with clients on legislative consulting, government procurement opportunities, economic development, and political action committee (PAC) management strategies.
Mary Kate also served in the administrations of former Delaware Gov. Jack Markell and his predecessor, Gov. Ruth Ann Miner. In those roles, Mary Kate helped shape policy at the highest levels, worked directly with legislators to advance agency and administration initiatives, and communicated with federal agencies and national organizations to monitor emerging issues.
Previously, Mary Kate served as public policy manager for a national pharmaceutical company, where she managed U.S. government affairs for the consumer health care division and worked directly with business unit heads and executive leadership to track emerging issues, measure business impact and create responsive strategies.
She also served as the government and public affairs specialist for an international energy corporation, where she monitored state-level legislative and regulatory issues, managed community relationships, and forged strategic alliances on behalf of the company’s Delaware operations.
