A Look at Ballard Partners’ Rapid Growth in Washington, DC

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An international lobbying firm founded in Tallahassee, Florida in 1998, Ballard Partners first expanded out of the Sunshine State in 2017, when founder and president Brian Ballard opened a location in the nation’s capital. Today, after more than 15 years of successfully helping clients to navigate the complex world of Washington, DC, politics, the office is growing.

In July, Ballard Partners announced it would be expanding its office space in Washington, DC’s Homer Building to approximately 20,000 square feet. It also announced that it has added four new lobbyists to its expert team. To mark the occasion, let’s learn more about Ballard Partners’ presence in Washington, DC, and how its staff of government affairs professionals are delivering unparalleled advocacy for some of the country’s leading companies and organizations.

An Experienced Team

Along with Brian Ballard, who heads the firm’s bipartisan government relations team, the Washington, DC, office relies on the leadership of managing partner Dan McFaul. A former campaign manager and chief of staff, Mr. McFaul has a long history of lending his expertise to lawmakers and political candidates.

Early on in his career, Mr. McFaul served as the campaign manager for the campaigns of Congressman Joe Scarborough of Florida and Congressional candidate Jeff Miller. After helping to guide both to victory, he joined their offices, rising to the position of legislative director for the former and chief of staff and communications director for the latter. Mr. McFaul has also contributed to myriad campaigns as a senior field analyst with the National Republican Congressional Committee and was responsible for recruiting and vetting potential presidential appointees as a member of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team.

Mr. McFaul supports the overall leadership of firm president Brian Ballard, who brings a reputation as one of the country’s foremost government relations consultants to the bipartisan government relations team. A highly regarded political insider in Florida, Mr. Ballard has found similar success in Washington, DC, achieving recognition from The Hill as a top lobbyist and earning placement on the Washingtonian’s list of “Washington D.C.’s 500 most influential people of 2025.” Recently, he was contracted by CAN Community Health for the nonprofit’s first-ever federal advocacy effort.

In guiding his firm, Mr. Ballard regularly relies on the advisement of experienced lawyer and government relations consultant Sylvester Lukis. Based in the Washington, DC, office, Mr. Lukis has been a presence in the nation’s capital for four decades. Along with serving as an attorney in the federal government, he has represented clients before a majority of the federal government’s departments, among them State, Justice, Treasury, and Health and Human Services. A proud Air Force veteran, Mr. Lukis has been integral to Ballard Partner’s ongoing expansion.

Enhanced by New Additions

The four new additions to the Washington, DC, office will augment what Brian Ballard already considers to be a “powerhouse” team. As the firm’s client base grows to more than 700, these staff members will allow the office to provide specialized services that cater to companies and organizations in a vast array of sectors.

New hires Thomas Boodry and Grace Colvin come to Ballard Partners having developed expertise and relationships at the upper levels of government and nonprofit finance. Most recently, Mr. Boodry worked in the Trump administration, where he served as special assistant to the president and senior director for legislative affairs at the National Security Council. Meanwhile, Ms. Colvin spent four years with The League of Credit Unions and Affiliates. In her capacity as the vice president of federal advocacy and strategy, she represented hundreds of southeastern US credit unions before the federal government and regulatory agencies.

Along with Boodry and Colvin, two Ballard Partners consultants will shift their focus to the nation’s capital. The first, Alison Anway, comes to Washington, DC, from Ballard Partners’ Tallahassee office and brings extensive experience in health policy. The chair of Ballard Partners’ Health Policy Advisory Group, she previously led a public policy team at health insurer Anthem and advised U.S. Senator Pat Roberts during negotiations that resulted in the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

The second consultant coming to Washington, DC, is Scott Wagner. A graduate of Yale University and the Miami School of Law, he is a valued member of Ballard Partners’ Miami and Tallahassee teams and is a fixture in Florida political circles. Mr. Wagner served as the co-chair of Governor Ron DeSantis’ 2022 transition team and is a member of the Orange Bowl Committee, the Biscayne Bay Commission, and the South Florida Water Management District.

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