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.

Enjoy these photos from some of our recent events!

State and Federal Communications celebrated 4 staff anniversaries in February!

Enjoy these fun photos from recent events!

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.”

Each month at our staff meeting, Elizabeth acknowledges the employment anniversaries of the staff.

In August we celebrated the following:

These employees are essential members of the staff.  Congratulations to each of you!

Today marks 69 days until Election Day 2016. The end to this year’s election is almost here and we can talk about 2017 after November 8th.

In the meantime, State and Federal Communications is starting its own grassroots movement to Keep US Strong and we have thousands of pins to deliver to you. Just send an e-mail to ebartz@stateandfed.com and we will deliver a box of our VOTE pins to you…And, be on the lookout for our bi-annual VOTE card.

I cannot express how important it is for everyone to VOTE this year. I may be preaching to the choir, but we all know people who are thinking about not voting. Let’s get this movement started to make sure everyone knows how important it is to VOTE.

Does anyone have any question about how I feel about voting? How else can you help?

Glad you asked.

Take senior citizens or anyone with difficulties to your local Board of Elections to VOTE before November 8th. I have taken my parents directly to the Summit County Board of Elections and the staff has noticed and even thanked me for helping.

Work at your Board of Elections on November 8th. I keep wanting to do this and need to stop making excuses about not doing so. Those octogenarians who are currently staffing the voting places aren’t getting younger and we are decades away from on-line voting.

Get out the VOTE pin. We started these in 2012 and it definitely takes time for them to go viral…We have plenty to spare.

Until next month, clear your calendar so you can VOTE on November 8th or make plans to vote early—either at your local Board of Elections or by absentee ballot.

#KeepUSstrong.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz

President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

The new school year has arrived and State and Federal Communications is proud to support United Way of Summit County’s Stuff the Bus program to make sure all children in the Akron Public Schools have the supplies they need! We had a wonderful time gathering a mountain of crayons, markers and notebook paper.

Thank you United Way for everything you do to make our community thrive.

Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of State and Federal Communications offered her expertise on the government relations “Dream Team” at the NCSL 2016 Legislative Summit in Chicago. Bartz was joined by Brad Smith from the Center for Competitive Politics and Alexis Stangl, Senate Counsel, Research, and Fiscal Analysis, Minnesota. Here are some photos from their session, Campaign Finance: What It All Means.

Well, we are not exactly the Mod Squad, but we are this year’s speakers at NCSL’s Legislative Summit in Chicago. I will join Brad Smith from the Center for Competitive Politics and Capital OH Law School and Nick Penniman from Issue One to speak about Campaign Finance: What It All Means.

We are going to discuss the phrases you hear all the time in the news—campaign treasuries, PACs, Super PACs, 501(c)(4)(s), and independent expenditure group. Each one of these has a different meaning in the states and has a different contribution limitation. This fabulous team, which will be moderated by Alexis Stang, Senate Counsel, Research, and Fiscal Analysis from the state of Minnesota, will look at the impact of self-funded campaigns, contribution limits, and disclosure requirements.

I know this is very exciting and you do not want to miss it. I should add this breakfast session runs from 7:30 am to 9 am Tuesday, August 9 in McCormick Place, Room W181. If you need a wake-up call, let me know. I can help schedule it for you.

There is very little other than elections going on between now and November. Stay on top of the rules and regulations. Stop and see the 2016 Dream Team.

See you in Chicago.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

Patrick Kennedy is coming to the John S. Knight Center for Akron Roundtable on Thursday, July 21 at 12:00 p.m.! He will be signing his new book, A Common Struggle, and we are ready!

Last month I was honored to be included in the 16th Annual National Entrepreneurship Summit hosted by DiversityBusiness.com in New York. The award was given for being in the top 500 privately-owned women-owned businesses in the United States.

DiversityBusiness.com chooses “America’s Top Business” award recipients based on annual gross revenue and a business profile. According to event organizers, State and Federal Communications was highlighted as one of the leading entrepreneur companies in the United States, and was presented several awards at the ceremony that included being named:

• #392 of the top 500 Women Owned Businesses in the United States
• #52 of the top 100 Privately-held Businesses in Ohio
• #37 of the top Diversity Owned Businesses in Ohio
• #17 of the top 50 Women Owned Businesses in Ohio, and the only one in Akron, Ohio.

More than 1.5 million businesses in the United States participated in the 16th annual business survey conducted by DiversityBusiness.com, a web-based business publisher. The organization’s “Top Business List” offers the most comprehensive look at the strongest segment of the United States economy – America’s privately held companies. According to DiversityBusiness.com, these companies differentiate themselves in their markets through dedication and hard work that stimulates economic growth in America.

The “America’s Top Business” program is sponsored by major brands that include U.S. Postal Service, Wal-Mart, Apple, Northrop Grumman, Time Warner, Hilton, Raytheon, and Colgate Palmolive, among others.

We have won an “America’s Top Business” award every year since 2008.

Being ranked highly with other leading companies across America is an achievement we are all proud of at State and Federal Communications. It shows our ongoing commitment to deliver quality government compliance information and consulting services to many Fortune 500 companies, associations, and corporate and contract lobbyists.

This truly is an honor because my time is always devoted to State and Federal Communications, the employees, clients, and the communities where we live and work.

For information on the event, visit: http://www.diversitybusiness.com/awardees/

Elizabeth Z. Bartz, President and CEO of State and Federal Communications, has provided a $30,000 endowment to Kent State University at Trumbull, in Warren, Ohio, to provide scholarships for graduating seniors from Howland High School.

Ms. Bartz graduated from Howland High School in Warren 40 years ago, and enrolled at the KSU Trumbull Campus that fall, where she attended for two years before completing her Journalism studies at the Kent State University main campus in Kent, Ohio in 1980.

She explains why she endowed this scholarship… “In honor of my 40-year graduation anniversary from Howland High School, I wanted to give something back. I’ve heard about students today having issues with college debt and felt it would be great to help graduating seniors from Howland High School attend the local area KSU Trumbull Campus just like I did. I feel blessed to be able to help the students, today and in the future. This is very exciting for me and I hope it helps bring others to the table to help students pay their college costs.”

Starting fall semester 2016, Kent State University at Trumbull will award its first $1,000 scholarship from the new endowment ‘Elizabeth Z. Bartz Scholarship for Howland Tigers.’

The annual scholarship winner, selected by Howland High School, will be a graduating student who will attend Kent State University at Trumbull on a full-time basis. This endowment is funded to continue a scholarship every year going forward, and will be managed by Kent State University.

The formal signing of the endowment was held at a ceremony on May 5, 2016 at the Kent State University Trumbull Campus. In attendance were Ms. Bartz and school officials from Kent State University at Trumbull and the Howland Local Schools.

During the ceremony, Ms. Bartz explained that she decided back in 1976 with her parents to “stay local” after graduating from Howland High School and to attend the KSU Trumbull Campus. She studied there for two years, where she also worked on the campus newspaper and became its editor. This journalism training certainly helped her toward obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations from KSU in 1980, and go on to launch Akron-based State and Federal Communications, today regarded as the leader in providing government compliance information and consulting services.

Ms. Bartz is also still very active at Kent State University and serves on the KSU National Alumni Relations Board of Directors, as well at the KSU School of Journalism and Mass Communications Alumni Board, and other committee leadership roles at the school.

During the ceremony kick-off presentation, Mr. Dave Smith, Director of Advancement, Kent State University, Trumbull Campus, said, “At our regional campus, we want to target more scholarships to help high school students within our local community. This new scholarship certainly helps that effort as we can assist students graduating from Howland High School. This will be a perpetual scholarship that will proudly be here forever, in her name.”

Mr. Kevin Spicher, Superintendent, Howland Local Schools, added that this gesture from Ms. Bartz “is philanthropy at its finest.” This was agreed with by Ms. Sandra E. Williams, Principal, Howland High School, who commented, “It’s a wonderful opportunity to help our kids. This scholarship gives them a head start to get to college. And this is a tribute for any student who wants to stay locally after graduating high school.”

Dr. Lance Grahn, Dean, Trumbull Campus, Kent State University, concluded comments, with, “This scholarship from Elizabeth acknowledges the success of our students from Kent State University at Trumbull… that this is a good place of quality education that prepares you for the adult world. One of the pillars of my vision for our university is to gain more involvement with our local schools to tie us together. This scholarship achieves that. I am also keen on energizing our regional campus to re-connect with our alumni. You can see the results now when that happens with a connection as represented by Elizabeth Bartz.”

In the photo above: Launching the new annual ‘Elizabeth Z. Bartz Scholarship for Howland Tigers’ at Kent State University at Trumbull, are (left to right) Ms. Elizabeth Z. Bartz, President and CEO of State and Federal Communication; Mr. Kevin Spicher, Superintendent, Howland Local Schools; Dr. Lance Grahn, Dean, KSU Trumbull Campus; Ms. Pam Anderson, KSU Institutional Advancement Representative; Mr. Dave Smith, Director of Advancement, KSU Trumbull Campus; Ms. Sandra E. Williams, Principal, Howland High School; and Ms. Sarah Helmick, Assistant Director, Enrollment Management & Student Services, KSU Trumbull Campus.

State and Federal Communications and its President and CEO Ms. Elizabeth Z. Bartz were honored for key business milestones reached at the “16th Annual National Entrepreneurship Summit,” hosted by DiversityBusiness.com in New York City. One of these was being named #392 of the leading Women Owned Business in the United States.

DiversityBusiness.com chooses “America’s Top Business” award recipients based on annual gross revenue and a business profile. According to event organizers, State and Federal Communications was highlighted as one of the leading entrepreneur companies in the United States, presented several awards at the ceremony that included being named:

• #392 of the top 500 Women Owned Businesses in the United States
• #52 of the top 100 Privately-held Businesses in Ohio
• #37 of the top Diversity Owned Businesses in Ohio
• #17 of the top 50 Women Owned Businesses in Ohio, and the only one in Akron, Ohio.

More than 1.5 million businesses in the United States participated in the 16th annual business survey conducted by DiversityBusiness.com, a web-based business publisher. The organization’s “Top Business List” offers the most comprehensive look at the strongest segment of the United States economy – America’s privately held companies. According to DiversityBusiness.com, these companies differentiate themselves in their markets through dedication and hard work that stimulates economic growth in America.

The “America’s Top Business” program is sponsored by major brands that include U.S. Postal Service, Wal-Mart, Apple, Northrop Grumman, Time Warner, Hilton, Raytheon, and Colgate Palmolive, among others.

State and Federal Communications, headquartered in Akron, Ohio, has won an “America’s Top Business” award every year since 2008.

Bartz comments, “Being ranked highly with other leading companies across America is an achievement we are all proud of at State and Federal Communications. It shows our ongoing commitment to deliver quality government compliance information and consulting services to many Fortune 500 companies, associations and corporate and contract lobbyists. These awards are for all of us, and they honor our employees, clients, and the communities where we live and work.”

For information on the event, visit: http://www.diversitybusiness.com/awardees/