Da Vinci Group
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Personnel
Mr. Smith has over twenty-two years of experience in government relations and in the private sector. He has extensive experience in telecommunications, information technology, law enforcement, intellectual property, health care, and privatization issues. Mr. Smith also specializes in areas of congressional relations, appropriations, and policy development.
Over the past two decades, Mr. Smith has owned and managed The Da Vinci Group, Inc. a government relations and public affairs firm in Washington, DC. He enjoys relationships with several members of Congress, who seek his advice on an array of legislative and political issues. Mr. Smith’s close relationships with key staffers on both sides of the aisle also give Mr. Smith an advantage to understand all sides of important issues facing the congress and his client’s interests. Mr. Smith has had enormous success in legislative affairs, general consulting and campaign fundraising on congressional campaigns with an 83% success record over the past decade.
Mr. Smith lives in Leesburg, Virginia with his wife and children. In addition to his interest in politics on the national level, Mr. Smith spends much of his free time actively helping his community, working with candidates for elective office and advocating issues at the local and state levels.
Michael currently serves Of Counsel to The Da Vinci Group and has managed government relations and media relations for a variety of clients since 1999. Some of his clients include Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Credit Suisse First Boston, Commerzbank International, Newmont Mining Company, Barrick Gold, AngloGold, and Placer Dome. Michael specializes in trade, banking/financial services, foreign policy and entertainment issues. On Capitol Hill, Michael served as Legislative Assistant and Press Secretary to the Chairman of the House Rules Committee, David Dreier (R-CA). During his tenure with the Chairman, Michael worked on the Banking Committee, Small Business and Rules Committee.
He has extensive experience with natural resource, banking and financial services, and environmental issues. Michael also has state, federal and national campaign experience. Michael served in the reelection campaign of President George H.W. Bush, President George W. Bush, and several federal and state campaigns. Michael's ability to understand the needs of clients from public policy to public relations is well documented.
Michael lives in the Northern Virginia area of the Washington Metropolitan region.
Kevin brings to The Da Vinci Group over 28 years of legal representation, operations and executive management experience in the public and private sector. Kevin currently serves Of Counsel to The Da Vinci Group.
As a corporate attorney for two of New York City's largest firms, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher &Flom and Weil, Gotschal &Manges, Kevin worked as a valued representative of both firm's corporate clients. Later, he was appointed Commissioner of Probation and Director of Criminal Justice Policy for the City of New York. As one of the City's top law enforcement officials, Kevin directed a staff of skilled probation professionals, established criminal justice policy for New York and worked closely with law enforcement and prosecutors to rehabilitate offenders and to detect and deter crimes within New York City.
Kevin later served as Vice-President of Criminal Justice Services to the former Lockheed-Martin IMS division opening their New York office and expanded the operation in the eastern region. Furthering his expertise in criminal justice, Mr. Smyley was Vice-President of Business Development for one of the largest private corrections companys in the United States. Before joining The Da Vinci Group, Kevin served as Vice-President for Justice and Public Safety with Tier Technologies.
As a graduate of Wesleyan University and Georgetown University National Law Center, Kevin's academic, legal and corporate background have demonstrated a unique set of problem solving skills that allow him to approach individual issues with specific task oriented solutions. Kevin has extensive experience in crisis management, business development, operations management and policy development.
Kevin lives in Montana with his family and the Washington Metropolitan region.
Dr. Ashok Rattehalli
Dr. Rattehalli has a distinguished career in medicine here in the United States and his native home of India. Dr. Rattehalli has established and developed medical management and capital financing for companies in the medical outsourcing, global private capital partnerships with countries, agencies and Fortune 500 companies.Dr. Rattehalli continues to advise governments and private industry on effective management, research, and capitalization of companies and markets.
T.C. Benson brings to The Da Vinci Group nearly 26 years of experience in nonprofit fund raising, public relations, marketing, and special events.
Most recently, Ms. Benson served as Vice President for Marketing at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, leading the Trust's Marketing and Licensing efforts, directing a team that included corporate marketing, sponsorship, and licensing. From July 1998 to October 2000, Ms. Benson also served as director of Save America's Treasures, a program of the White House Millennium Council based at the National Trust. Benson served as liaison between donors and beneficiaries of charitable gifts for historic preservation. Benson guided and managed a national public awareness, media and advertising campaign, as well as planned educational outreach efforts for schoolchildren and youth service organizations nationwide. From April 1999 to February 2000, Ms. Benson also served as the Trust’s Vice President for Development.
Before joining the National Trust, Ms. Benson served as associate director for development and public affairs at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. During the ten years at the Museum, she created a solid external affairs department and secured funding for several multi-million dollar temporary exhibits including "Seeds of Change," "Spiders," and "Ocean Planet." She also raised the initial private funding for the Museum’s Discovery Center and Samuel C. Johnson/IMAX Theater. In addition, Benson led a nine-year effort to secure funding for a new permanent hall for the National Gem and Mineral Collection. This successful endeavor resulted in the opening of the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals in September of 1997.
Ms. Benson has also demonstrated her talent in public relations and organizational development by designing and managing campaigns for the Thomas Dooley Foundation, the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind, Georgetown University, and the Eisenhower Institute for World Affairs. Ms. Benson currently resides in the Historic Eastern Market area of Washington, D.C. where she is actively involved in community activities including the Capitol Hill Restoration Society.
ASSOCIATES
Robert L. Shuster
Robert L. Shuster is Special Counsel to Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney and practices in the firm's Harrisburg office. He joined the firm in May 1998. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Shuster practiced in the areas of commercial litigation and public affairs, providing counsel to a variety of public authorities in the area of construction contract disputes. Mr. Shuster is a member of the firm's Administrative Law and Government Affairs Groups. His practice areas include providing counsel on general business matters and legislative/public issues to a variety of clients on transportation matters, employment matters, industrial development opportunities and state and federal appropriations. Mr. Shuster has experience dealing with legislative matters with both the federal government and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Previously, he worked for Chrysler Motors Corporation; the government relations section of a Washington, D.C., law firm; the office of President Pro Tempore of the Pennsylvania State Senate; and Congressman William F. Clinger, Jr., former Chairman of the House Reform and Oversight Committee. Mr. Shuster is Special Counsel to The Da Vinci Group on a range of private sector issues.
Michael A. Pentz
Michael Pentz is of counsel to The Da Vinci Group. Mr. Pentz has extensive experience in financial services and specifically in the bond market globally. Mr. Pentz provides The Da Vinci Group and our clients insight on the trends of economic patterns focuses his efforts on allowing us to plan long term startegic public private partnerships in specific markets. Mr. Pentz resides in Newport Beach.
J.J. Robinson, PhD.
Mr. Robinson is of counsel to The Da Vinci Group and has extensive expertise in the education field and corporate development. Mr. Robinson brings The Da Vinci Group a full understanding of the dynamics in education and its impact on the workforce that allows us to plan and execute strategic goals for our clients.