G2G brings former White House staffer Katie Collins home to Northeast Ohio

CLEVELAND, June 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Effective June 15, G2G announces it has added Katie Collins to its staff as Government Affairs Director. Collins is outgoing Director of Policy at ACT for NIH, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit advocacy organization working with Congress to increase biomedical research funding, and previously served as Program Director of the Biden Cancer Initiative. During the Obama Administration, Collins held roles as Deputy Director of Operations for the Executive Residence and Policy Associate with the White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force, an initiative of the Office of the Vice President. A native of Lyndhurst, Collins returns to her hometown to lead G2G's efforts to build strong connections between federal, state and local advocacy networks and further develop healthcare, bioscience and high-tech policies and industries in the region and beyond.

"I've had access to some really incredible people over the years through my work with Vice President Biden, and that has enabled me to instigate systemic change in non-conventional ways. My goal is to bring these innovative approaches to government engagement to G2G and the clients they serve, and most especially to Cleveland," says Collins of her new position at G2G and her move back to the Greater Cleveland community.

G2G's staff of 10 has been working since 2007 on the following:

• Assisting bioscience, healthcare and high-tech entrepreneurs, research institutions, companies and nonprofits in accessing non-dilutive government funding such as DOD, NIH and BARDA grants – all totaling $277 million
• Lobbying Congress, federal departments, the Statehouse and the City of Cleveland to make introductions, position for relationship development, craft legislation and influence the legislative process
• Leading advocacy campaigns and building coalitions to maximize impact across the country from Washington, D.C. to Columbus, Ohio
• Matching clients with Department of Defense program managers looking for novel innovations to help the military

Says Founder and President Liz Powell, "By making connections between local level needs and federal decision-makers and assessing the best positioning and messaging, Katie will be an invaluable contributor to the G2G team and for our clients across the country as well as in Cleveland."

With her wide network of relationships in Washington, deep understanding of federal policy-making processes and strong Cleveland roots, Collins is prepared to meet the needs not just of Northeast Ohio's innovation community, but of the bioscience, healthcare and technology industries nationally.

"Frankly, I don't know how you could have a job in Cleveland and not make an impact in Washington. People look to the institutions in Cleveland as a source of innovation going back to the Edison Institute in the mid-80s and early '90s," says Greg Simon, former president of the Biden Cancer Initiative. It's not without plenty of precedent: For instance, Simon helped facilitate a connection between Case Western Reserve and Georgetown University researchers that later grew into a national smoking cessation program. "I think Katie would be very productive in terms of connecting the region."

During her tenure at the White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force, Collins excelled at bringing the private sector together with major health centers and universities in their efforts to find a cure.

KeyBank Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Responsibility and Community Don Graves, who formerly served as Deputy Assistant to President Obama and Counselor to Vice President Biden and worked directly with Collins at the White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force, agrees.

"The experience Katie brings back to Cleveland is something we as a region don't have enough of," says Graves. "For us to be able to attract someone of her talent and caliber is a huge win, not just for the institutions but for the region as a whole; she will help to show others who may not be from Cleveland that this a place where smart, talented, capable people are flocking."

This is particularly true in the wake of the coronavirus crisis as highly skilled workers begin to relocate from densely populated urban centers to mid-sized cities like Cleveland and surrounding areas, Grave emphasizes. And as the bellwether state, having strong political connections and understanding how politics and policy intersect can be key to effectively navigating government for companies and nonprofits.

"Interestingly, half the [former] Vice President's staff was from Cleveland," says Simon, including campaign manager Greg Schultz, who served a leadership role in the Obama campaigns in 2008 and 2012.

Collins says she's particularly interested in access-to-care policies and issues affecting Cleveland's minority and economically distressed communities, issues she explains are very prevalent and yet very local.

"Cleveland is unique in many ways, but the problems that it has exist in other cities around the country. Things that work in Cleveland can also serve as a toolkit for success elsewhere," she says. "There's so much cutting-edge, life-saving work happening in Cleveland, but access to that care for many in the Cleveland community doesn't exist. That's a big problem – especially today, in Cleveland and elsewhere."

With her mom heading up foundation development for the MetroHealth System for decades, Collins understands that closing these gaps is key to regional and statewide economic growth – a particular focus as we emerge from the coronavirus crisis in 2021.

"Katie knows how to connect the dots in ways few can," Powell says. "I'm looking forward to seeing her deliver high-quality government affairs services to our clients, some of whom are outside Ohio, and make connections to foster more innovation, collaboration and growth that ultimately makes a difference."

About G2G
G2G provides comprehensive government affairs, public relations and economic development services with a specialty in securing non-dilutive government funding. Since 2007, G2G has secured $277 million in non-dilutive funding. With offices in Washington, D.C., Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, G2G has a strong Midwest focus but serves clients across the country by bringing together a bipartisan team of experts with experience working for and with government on the federal, state and local levels. G2G's clients are bioscience, healthcare, high-tech and nonprofit innovators that have included Philips, Invitae, BioOhio, American Heart Association, Cleveland Diagnostics, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Meggitt, Akron General, University of Cincinnati, Boys & Girls Clubs, the PAST Foundation and more. To learn more and schedule a free consultation, visit G2Gconsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter @G2Gconsulting.

SOURCE G2G

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