Bayer Strategic Consulting

Combatting misinformation (e.g., alternative facts, fake news)
Developing and delivering persuasive messaging for building influence and shaping public opinion
Distilling complex topics into engaging, accessible, and accurate language that resonates with general audiences and the public - particularly related to science, public health, and engineering
Achieving enactment of major public policies using an insider, 360-degree approach informed by service as a Chief of Staff in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives during two decades of work in Congress

I served as Chief of Staff to Representative and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) during two decades of work in the U.S. Congress. In between my two periods of work on Capitol Hill, I was a management consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers and an Internet Strategist for a startup.

In addition to serving as Chief of Staff in the Senate and House, I also held senior level communications and legislative positions at various times during my time in the Markey office. My experience on major policy initiatives includes:

Managing the successful effort to enact a bill creating the first national strategy for preventing and treating Alzheimer’s disease - the National Alzheimer’s Project Act - signed into law by President Obama in January, 2011
Spearheading passage of a landmark bill signed into law by President Obama in October, 2010 to enable Americans with disabilities to use the latest telecommunications and video devices and services, including smart phones for accessing the Internet, closed captioning for online video, and audio descriptions of television programming
Leading the successful multi-year initiative to pass amendments and conduct oversight of U.S. airline security policy, resulting in enactment in August, 2007 of the first-ever law to require all of the billions of pounds of air cargo carried on passenger planes every year to be screened for explosives
Coordinating the activities resulting in enactment of the Improving Access to Clinical Trials Act signed into law by President Obama in October, 2010 to increase the ability of people with rare disorders like Cystic Fibrosis to participate in clinical trials to find new cures
Leading the successful legislative strategy to improve the quality of health care for Medicare beneficiaries with multiple severe, chronic diseases, culminating in enactment of the Independence At Home demonstration program as part of the Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Obama in 2010.

My one-slide bio is here

Evidence-based public policies rooted in facts and sound science are a cornerstone of our democracy.

As a former political insider, I'm concerned about the marginalization of scientific expertise in policymaking. The COVID-19 pandemic is an historic example of political ideology trumping epidemiological science - and the deadly consequences that ensue - though I began to focus on this area years before COVID-19 emerged.

When science is silenced - or relegated to a distant seat at the policymaking table - polices are warped and our laws and regulations twisted to conform to strictly political interests. Accordingly, activities dangerous to public health and well-being are enabled, eroding confidence in our system of government at the federal, state, and local levels.

Through my training and speaking work and on the "When Science Speaks" podcast, my goal is to empower scientists, engineers, and anyone who values the central role of facts and evidence in our society to get their voices heard and push back against the assault on these elements so essential to a well-functioning democracy.

"The Mail: How Fake News Hurts"

"Interestingly, research suggests that there is a particular dynamic at play between fake news and alternative facts: third parties, including the news media and respected individuals, can be effective antidotes to the toxicity of alternative facts, sapping their staying power and lessening their impact. Trump’s consistent attacks on the objective reporting that he dislikes weaken the persuasive effects of these vital—and all too scarce—counterweights to his false narratives. In other words, every alternative fact that Trump disseminates on Twitter, in interviews, and in statements serves to further delegitimatize sources of accurate information, and also to normalize both the act of spreading misinformation and the misinformation itself."

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