Kayleigh Crumb has been an excellent choice as the first student to receive the recently endowed ‘Elizabeth Z. Bartz Scholarship for Howland Tigers.’ This scholarship is given to a graduate of Howland High School who is entering Kent State University at Trumbull Campus as a freshman.

Kayleigh received the 2016 scholarship award last fall, after graduating from high school, and enrolling at the KSU Trumbull campus. After her first semester at the university, she was named to the Dean’s List by achieving a 4.0 grade-point average. She also received a KSU Trumbull Freshman Scholarship for her efforts.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz, who provided $30,000 to Kent State University at Trumbull to endow the ongoing scholarship program, said, “I am delighted that Kayleigh was the first student from Howland High School to receive this scholarship. She has already done so well and has a bright future ahead of her. I endowed this scholarship last year in honor of my 40-year graduation anniversary from Howland High School because I wanted to give back and help graduating seniors from Howland High School attend the local area KSU Trumbull Campus, just like I did. Meeting Kayleigh has showed me I made the right decision to help promising students pay their early college costs.”

Kayleigh added, “I want to be a news anchor or work in the broadcasting field with my journalism major. Even while at Howland High School, I was able to take classes offered by Kent State and was able to obtain nine college course credits. This scholarship, generously provided by Ms. Bartz, helped me a lot so I could attend Kent State University at Trumbull, where I am getting the same education as the main campus in an affordable, safe and convenient location.”

Starting in the fall of 2017, Kayleigh will attend the main campus of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, for her second year of classes. She is also being inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success later this month, the nation’s largest leadership honor society.

For upcoming seniors at Howland High School who will graduate and then attend Kent State University at Trumbull this Fall, they can learn more about the ‘Elizabeth Z. Bartz Scholarship for Howland Tigers’ and apply starting May 1, 2017, at this KSU website: http://www.kent.edu/trumbull/campus-scholarships

Elizabeth, who graduated from Kent State University having earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism in 1980 and a Master of Arts Degree in Political Science in 1982, credits the KSU Trumbull Campus and its professors as the place and people who supported her at the beginning of her university journey. Her endowment now ensures a scholarship is awarded each year to a Howland High School graduate, in a program managed by KSU.

Elizabeth Bartz had a surprise visitor stop by our office. ADaM, the mascot for the Summit County ADM Board, came by to say ‘Thank You!’ for her donation to the annual ADM Recovery Challenge.

State and Federal Communications is proud to contribute to the ADM Board, and we are committed to their dedicated efforts to those individuals most in need in Summit County.

Learn how you can get involved on the Challenge’s Facebook page or at www.admboard.org.

State and Federal Communications is once again the sponsor of the 2017 Cherry Blossom Princess of The Ohio Society of Washington, D.C. This year, Nmahawa (Mawa) Konate is the Ohio winner of the National Conference of State Societies (NCSS) Cherry Blossom Event and will be feted with the other princesses at a number of festivities, dinners, and a parade in Washington D.C. in early April.

I have the honor of presenting Mawa at the “NCSS Cherry Blossom Premier Event – Celebration of States and Territories,” on April 3.

Did you know, since 1948, state and territorial societies, as well as the international embassy community, have selected more than 3,000 accomplished young women for their academic achievement; exceptional poise and appearance; leadership; interest in social, civic, community, and world affairs, with a strong desire to serve others through community service; maturity and responsibility to represent their respective states/territories as “Cherry Blossom Princess.”

The week-long National Cherry Blossom Festival allows the ladies to participate in a number of activities, community service, and cultural exchange events. The week culminates by selecting one Cherry Blossom Queen, who is then invited by the Japan Cherry Blossom Association (JCBA) to visit Japan.

The Cherry Blossom Princess program is a wonderful event, which State and Federal Communications is so proud to sponsor. These young women have outstanding backgrounds and have already achieved much in their early careers. Our support empowers them to fuel their dreams of future leadership positions. We look forward to Mawa representing The Ohio Society of Washington, D.C., at many events this season.

Mawa is a 2013 graduate of Independence High School in Columbus and a current student at The Ohio State University. She is majoring in public affairs and is currently interning with the Peace Corps as a fellow in the John Glenn Washington Academic Internship Program.

Prior to moving to Columbus, she spent her childhood in Conakry, the capital and largest city in the West African country of Guinea. She has a passion for public service and working to eliminate poverty, hunger, and illiteracy around the world. In her current position, she is working on the Let Girls Learn initiative, which seeks to create equal opportunities for girls in more than 35 developing countries by helping them overcome traditional barriers to education. She previously interned with Unchained, a Columbus, Ohio non-profit organization helping to raise awareness and combat human trafficking.

While at The Ohio State University, she has served as treasurer and vice president for the African Youth League, was a national delegate on the Social Matters Committee for the Model African Union, and has volunteered with the Columbus Metropolitan Library.

With Mawa’s strong background and interest in making a difference in this world, we think she would be an excellent choice for the Cherry Blossom Queen award. We hope she is chosen for this unique honor!

A great, big thank you to Elizabeth Bartz for treating the staff to an amazing array of delicious pies in honor of Pi Day, March 14! As you can see, we have been enjoying them.

These superb pies came from Gardner’s Pies of Akron.

We can’t wait to see everyone at the Public Affairs Council National PAC Conference. If you’ll be attending, come on by and say hello at our Resource Marketplace booth.

I cannot express how busy this year is with the new federal administration, new state governors and legislators, and it is hard to keep up with the number of new municipal officials. I keep track of a lot of road warriors on Facebook and Twitter and know how difficult it is to do the next right thing on your huge TO DO list.

Let’s not forget we need to take the time for our own learning—for us to be the best we can be at our organization.

Two of my favorite conferences are around the corner.

1. Public Affairs Council National PAC Conference begins Monday in Miami Beach. This conference has for decades provided the tools needed to increase your PAC contributions and stay in compliance with all the reports due for those contributions. More info at www.pac.org.
2. State Government Affairs Council will host its annual National Summit March 29th to March 31st in New Orleans. I am moderating a session on lobbying where we will discuss specific gifts which can be prohibited in the states. The panel will include Carol Laham from Wiley Rein and Mike Thompson from Personal Care Fragrance Association. More info at www.sgac.org.

There are other meetings throughout the year. We list the events we are attending on the left side of the email of Compliance Now, within Compliance Now, as well as on our website. I have always believed in professional development and many of you who see us out and about know this as I travel with an entourage of staff who also attend events for their professional development.

If you ever have any questions about conferences we are attending, do not hesitate to reach out. We will share any information you need so you can join us.

Thank you.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz

President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

The inauguration of the 45th President of the United States was held on Friday, January 20, promptly at noon as stated in the US Constitution. Regardless of your thought about the person, the event happened.

State and Federal Communications took the opportunity to bring clients, colleagues, and friends together at our Inaugural Appreciation Party. It was a great time to watch the Inauguration on any one of 20 televisions inside the Penn Quarter Sports Tavern. Thanks to Mike Brand, owner, and John Scheer, general manager, who helped transform a sports bar into a totally All-American News Pub for us to keep track of activities all throughout the day.

One group of attendees were the students from Kent State University Washington Program in National Issues studying in DC this semester. I am a big fan of the program because I was assistant director of it when I was a graduate student in 1982. These students had a great time—who wouldn’t with all-you-can-eat/drink all day—but more important it was an opportunity to speak to them.

I do remember college, and I remember college at Kent State University where there are a lot of liberal students. I emphasized I was not having a celebration of our new President, but the process and no better place to be but in DC to learn about working with people on the other side of the aisle.

And, that my friends, is the point of this column. I believe it is so important to help students understand there are “other sides” of opinions and thoughts and there are tons of “other sides” for them to learn in Washington, DC. We do not have to agree 100 percent of the time. We do not even have to be friends. We do need to be collegiate. Remember, Republican President Ronald Reagan ate dinner with Democrat Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill every Sunday.

Sigh…those were good times.

It has been a busy month.  The future will be very interesting.

Thank you.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz

President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of State and Federal Communications, was excited to stand with the Akron community in celebrating the life and legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Akron Urban League MLK Celebration on January 16, 2017.

The Akron Urban League presented its inaugural Lifetime Achievement award to Reverend Ronald J. Fowler and featured Keynote Speaker Antwone Fisher.

State and Federal Communications was proud to be a sponsor of this superb event. Elizabeth Bartz serves on the organization’s Board of Directors.

As everyone prepares to celebrate the holiday, I would like to take this opportunity to offer a note of thanks. State and Federal Communications has had an amazing year and we look forward to a bright 2017.

We wish you a wonderful New Year.

Elizabeth Bartz
President and CEO of State and Federal Communications, Inc.

One of the most important facets of any professional in the government relations field is knowing what you can, and cannot do, regarding Political Contributions, Lobbying, and Procurement Lobbying. Making a compliance mistake can be costly, in reputation, negative media exposure, and fines.

The laws and regulations in our field are continually changing. And due to the recent presidential and other elections, we expect many more changes to come in 2017.

We are ready for all of this at State and Federal Communications. We are ready to help you!

That is why we have re-branded our 2017 website guides as the Online Compliance Publications for Government Relations Professionals. These four online publications are:

• Political Contributions Compliance Laws for Government Relations Professionals^TM
• Lobbying Compliance Laws for Government Relations Professionals^TM
• Procurement Lobbying Compliance Laws for Government Relations Professionals^TM
• Canadian Compliance Laws for Government Relations Professionals^TM

Note the emphasis from each title, first on ‘what’ compliance area the online publication is intended to serve, and second on our focused audience, ‘Government Relations Professionals.’

These unique online publications are considered invaluable to government relations professionals. They make it easy to decipher and understand compliance regulations, and to accurately report activities to government entities as needed. They are optimized to easily use and search on any device – computer, laptop, tablet, or smart phone – and updated continually so government relations professionals can comply in a timely and accurate manner.

This is an annual subscription-based service, where you can purchase one, two, three, or four online publications, whatever you need, with special bundled pricing available. They provide accurate, comprehensive, and timely information on thousands of compliance rules, regulations, and statutes across the states, the U.S. federal government, more than 600 municipalities, and Canadian federal, provincial, and territorial governments.

In the weeks ahead, we will send our new 2017 brochure of services, so look for it in the mail. You can also read and download a PDF of the new brochure by visiting a special landing page on our website, at: marketing.stateandfed.com. Note, for 2017 we have updated subscription rates (first time in four years), so for subscribers looking to renew and capture 2016 pricing, consider making the payment by the end of this year.

For the many clients who have used our publications through the years, we thank you for your loyalty, and for the new clients that come onboard in 2017, we look forward to serving you.

There is no other company like State and Federal Communications.

Thank you.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz

President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

Elizabeth Bartz has seen it all. For 32 years, she has worked with corporations, trade associations, and professional firms to help them stay on top of the changes made to lobbying, political contributions, and procurement lobbying laws.

Now she will share her experiences and insights with attendees at the Professional Women in Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C., on November 10 in the session “Been There, Done That: Words of Wisdom.”

A crowd favorite of the conference, this panel features women in senior government and public policy positions discussing their experiences in this arena.

This is the third year Elizabeth will be taking part in this panel. Joining her this year are Gloria Dittus, founder of Story Partners; Helen Holton, Baltimore City Council member; and former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu.

PWIA aims to provide training and networking opportunities to women in all areas of advocacy – from government relations to community activism.

“This conference will give women the opportunity to learn and network with other advocacy professionals, providing them with the tools they need to get a seat at the table and keep it,” Elizabeth said. “Through PWIA, all public policy professionals will learn to be better advocates for themselves and their organizations.”

It has been a long time coming, but Election Day 2016 has arrived and we can start on 2017 elections.

My real intention for this column is to remind everyone—family, friends, vendors, and your community—that they need to vote today, November 8. Take them with you. For the past 10 years, I have taken my parents to vote early so they do not have to stand in long lines on Election Day. It also helps because they can sit and think about the vote at that time. Sometimes I get asked a question and happy that I can help out.

This is it! This is the time! Stand up and vote! WOW! This is exactly what we scream at Cleveland Cavaliers’ games. It is very true right now. We need to be #ALLIN16.

And, you can count on State and Federal Communications to provide the needed information about the ballot issue questions affecting lobbying and campaign finance. Plus, we will soon work on our 2017 Inauguration Guide.

See how important #ALLIN16 is right now.

Here is what has happened so far…And what will happen.

1. The states in these United States held primaries and caucuses. We had months and months of elections around the country. And, we had a lot of debates…Maybe more than we needed. In the end we also had a lot of candidates “suspend” their respective campaigns.
2. Both the Republican National Convention and Democratic National Conventions were held and we have two candidates running on these platforms. There are others who will be on the ballot, but of other parties.
3. We had one debate already…WOWOWOWOW!!! I happened to be there…but I was sitting on my hands because it was 63 degrees in the room.
4. Plan on watching the Vice Presidential Debate on October 4, the second Presidential Debate on October 9, and the final Presidential Debate on October 19.
5. Check out the ballot for your county. Trust me, there is more on the ballot than our Presidential candidates…These folks also need your vote.
6. Early voting is very helpful for people who want to avoid the lines on Election Day, which is November 8. Do it and proudly wear your I VOTED sticker.
7. November 8…Stock up on your snacks and beverages and make sure your gadgets are charged. You can follow me on Twitter @elizabethbartz and @stateandfederal to see what is going on with the candidates and ballot issues.
8. One other thing to do on November 8, take a break every hour to tune into the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks game.
9. Go to work the next day prepared to share with your organization how your contributions and candidates fared the night before.
10. Plan to attend State and Federal Inauguration activities in 2017. We will keep you up-to-date on how you can participate…And, as it relates to the President’s Inauguration Day…It is Friday, January 20, 2017, at noon. Again, snacks and beverages should be ready and gadgets charged. There will be a lot to watch.

In the meantime, think about how lovely November and December will be with only holiday movies to watch…And 2017/2018 elections to ponder.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz

President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

State and Federal Communications, Inc. is a mile marker sponsor for the Akron Marathon held on Saturday, September 24. The dollars raised for the Akron Marathon go to the Cleveland Clinic – Akron Children’s Hospital. This marathon is also the vehicle for local Orthodox Christians to raise money for the IOCC. We proudly sponsor the IOCC in their efforts.

The dollars raised for IOCC will help provide life-saving and life-sustaining services–without discrimination–to some of the world’s most vulnerable populations in over 50 countries, including the United States, Ethiopia, and Gaza/West Bank.

Among its programming, IOCC has done the following:

• Promoted literacy and learning for underserved youth in America;
• Provided emergency relief to the people affected by the Syria conflict;
• Supported the drilling and long-term maintenance of wells in Tanzania;
• First responder after Hurricane Sandy; and
• First responder after the flooding in Baton Rouge.

The IOCC is an incredibly efficient non-profit organization that provides aide throughout the world to those in need with 97 cents of every dollar going directly to helping people.