The SGAC Foundation Leaders’ Policy Conference is always an extraordinary gathering of legislative leadership from the states and top state government affairs professionals. We are attending the conference, which will be held in Scottsdale, Arizona on November 22-25, 2014. The agenda boasts a wide range of speakers including Donna Brazile, Secretary Tom Ridge, and Ashley Judd!

State and Federal Communications is proud to be a Special Events Sponsor of this great event!

State and Federal Communications is proud to be a sponsor of the Professional Women in Advocacy Conference on November 19-21, 2014 in Washington, D.C.

We are also excited to announce Elizabeth Bartz will be moderating the Friday lunch discussion panel Been There, Done That: Words of Wisdom and Experience.

The amazing panel lineup includes Debra Cabral, CEO of Story Partners; The Honorable Nancy Johnson, Senior Advisor of Baker Donelson; and The Honorable Barbara Kennelly, Founder of Barbara Kennelly Associates.

Lobby Comply will be taking a one-week break. We’ll be back on Friday, November 14 with our weekly News You Can Use Digest.

Enjoy your weekend!

Elizabeth Bartz has been named one of the 2014 Women of Power by the Akron Urban League at their Fourth Annual Awards Luncheon.

The organization says: “Women of Power Awards are granted to women who have made a difference in the organizations where they work and also to the community at-large.  Award nominees can be of any age or level in their careers, they might be well known in the community or unsung heroes, but they are women who are committed to making a difference and giving back.”

Congratulations, Elizabeth!

Here is our November-December calendar. If you are attending any of these events, please stop by and say hello!

November 6   Akron Urban League Women of Power Luncheon, Akron Ohio

November 7   WASRG Luncheon, Washington, D.C.

November 10   WGR Toastmasters, Washington, D.C.

November 12-15   Women in Government Fifth Annual Healthcare Summit, Washington, D.C.

November 20-21   2014 Conference for Professional Women in Advocacy, Washington, D.C.

November 22   SGAC Leaders’ Policy Conference, Scottsdale, Arizona

December 3   Ohio Society Holiday Party; Washington, D.C.

December 7-10   COGEL Annual Conference, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Readers of Compliance NOW know how important professional development is to me. Everyone at State and Federal Communications knows from Day #1 they need to take advantage of the opportunities we provide for such development and are encouraged to also find other programs. We have all learned a lot from a popular seminar on grammar and many of us have attended the Disney Institute on working with our customers.

There are two Public Affairs Council programs in February 2015 you should consider attending.

National Grassroots Conference from February 3rd through 6th is the largest and really the most comprehensive conference of its kind. The speakers are corporate and association government affairs professionals who implement grassroots programs. You will learn strategies to improve your communications and increase your success.

National PAC Conference—or as we refer to it PAC PAC—from February 23rd to February 26th is definitely the leading program for a PAC professional. It combines the important skills training you need for the important elections facing our country.

There is one other plus to attending these conferences—you know, other than all the information you will learn and bring back to your organization—is they are both in Florida at a time when we could use a double dose of Vitamin D. The National Grassroots Conference is in Key West and the PAC PAC Conference is in Orlando at Universal’s Portofino Bay property. If this brings up questions, remind everyone the days start early in Florida and networking goes on through the evenings.

State and Federal Communications will be in attendance at both conferences—as we have been for years—and look forward to seeing you there. If you do have questions about either of these programs, please do not hesitate to give me a call. I would be happy to provide additional information.

Until next month, think about how you can sharpen your skills for the upcoming active legislative and election year.

Thank you,

Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

State and Federal Communications held its 5th Annual Halloween Donut and Cider Sale today in the lobby of our office. It was all for the good cause of helping our friends at United Way of Summit County.

We knew we couldn’t host a Halloween sale without a few wacky costumes, so our office party was “pay-to-play,” with a $5 entry to star in our costumes-of-choice.

Take a look at some of the office revelry:

Election Day is Tuesday, November 4th! State and Federal Communications will be offering a new 2014 Election Coverage—Midterm Mania Dashboard!

Be sure to check in with State and Federal Communications for all your government affairs related election coverage. Midterm Mania election results will be updated live at our Election 2014 Dashboard.

State and Federal Communications was the sole speaker sponsor of the Washington Area State Relations Group (WASRG) Annual Summit on October 21, 2014. The Summit took place at The Hamilton in Washington, D.C. and featured two political campaign consultants from each side of the aisle – Katie Packer Gage and Erica Prosser.

The off-the-record discussion focused on the upcoming midterm elections and how the elections might impact states as well as how the mid-terms will set the stage for the Presidential election in 2016. Both speakers agreed there have been surprises in some races around the country and with 2 weeks left, don’t discount a shocker or two yet to come.

WASRG is an association of DC-based government relations professionals with primary responsibility for representing their firms/companies/issues at the state and local level. State and Federal Communications has been a long-time supporter of the organization and its programming.

For information on joining WASRG, you can contact them at information@WASRG.com.

State and Federal Communications is excited to be the Keynote Speaker Sponsor of the 2014 WASRG Summit on Tuesday, October 21.

The keynote speakers for the event are Katie Packer Gage, President and a Founding Partner of WWP Strategies and  Erica Prosser, Senior Campaign Consultant with The Pivot Group.

The 2014 WASRG Summit will be held at The Hamilton in Washington, D.C.

On Friday, October 31 State and Federal Communications is hosting its fifth annual Halloween Donut and Apple Cider sale. All proceeds will benefit the United Way of Summit County.

Drop in and say hello from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and enjoy a delicious treat. We’ll be in the lobby of 80 South Summit St. in Downtown Akron, across from Quaker Square.

The Krispy Kreme donuts are $1.00 per donut or $7.00 per dozen. The apple cider will be $1.00 per cup or $8.00 per gallon.

To reserve your donuts, you can email Joe May at jmay@stateandfed.com, or call us at 330-761-9960.

The October Akron Roundtable luncheon featured Kent State University President Dr. Beverly Warren. Dr. Warren adjusted her scheduled presentation “Reflections from a New Northeast Ohioan” to address the dramatic events of the past 24 hours revolving around the Ebola crisis. She discussed the university’s crucial role in providing health professionals who are on the front lines meeting the health needs of the community and offered her vision for the future of Kent State University.

Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of State and Federal Communications, is Vice President of the Kent State University Alumni Board of Directors and enjoyed a visit with Dr. Warren at Akron Roundtable.