AIA Government Advocacy: About Our Staff
Paul
Mendelsohn, Vice President, Government and Community
Relations
Paul Mendelsohn first joined the AIA in 1999. He was
promoted in March 2004 to senior director, State and Local Affairs,
and in 2006 to the position of vice president, Government and
Community Relations. In this position, he serves as the
representative of the AIA on all matters relating to the
Institute's government advocacy agenda. He also manages the
daily operations of the Federal Advocacy, State and Local
Government Advocacy, and Communities by Design department
staff. Paul provides oversight and support to the operations
of the AIA's policy advisory groups, including the AIA Licensing
Committee, State Government Network, and the AIA National Building
Codes and Standards Committee. He also works closely with
component representatives to develop programs and materials that
support AIA national's issue positions and augment state
components' advocacy efforts. He is instrucmental in the AIA
Board's leadership in the evaluation, scrutiny, and integration of
the organization's public policies and position statements and is
committed to ensuring that the public policies and the positions of
the AIA drive the government advocacy agenda.
Prior to joining the AIA, Paul worked in the Michigan State Legislature for 10 years, most recently as chief of staff to State Representative Bob Brown, where he developed a thorough understanding of political strategy that contributes to his ability to provide effective advocacy leadership to the AIA, its components, and members. Paul earned the BA degree in political science with a minor in psychology from Michigan State University.
Robin
Stevenson, Executive Assistant
Robin Stevenson joined the AIA in February 2007 as executive
assistant to Paul Mendelsohn, the vice president
for Government and Community Relations. In this
capacity, Robin provides general office coverage and maintains
a smooth operational flow of the Government Advocacy and
Communities by Design teams. Robin has more than 17 years of
related professional experience and comes to the AIA most recently
from the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, where she served as the
executive assistant to its executive director. She has
also worked as an executive assistant to vice presidents at both
the Washington Hospital Center Foundation and the George
Washington University Hospital.
To contact Robin, e-mail her at rstevenson@aia.org.
Federal
Relations
Andrew
Goldberg, Assoc. AIA, Senior Director, Federal
Relations
Andrew Goldberg, Assoc. AIA, was
named the AIA's senior director of Federal Relations in August
2007, following three years as manager of Federal Regulatory
Activities at the AIA. As senior director, Goldberg runs the AIA's
advocacy program before Congress and the administration and serves
as the AIA's top federal lobbyist.
After studying architecture in the early 1990s, Goldberg turned to politics and public policy, spending six years as a legislative assistant to members of Congress and serving as executive director of Democrats Abroad, the Democratic Party organization for Americans living overseas. He also has worked on numerous political campaigns at the national, state and local levels.
He received the BA degree from the University of Pennsylvania's Design of the Environment program in architecture and landscape architecture.
To contact Andrew, e-mail him at agoldberg@aia.org.
Tom Bergan, Manager, Federal
Legislative Relations
Tom Bergan joined the AIA in July 2006. He is
responsible for planning, coordinating, and implementing federal
legislative programs. He also tracks federal legislation, and
analyzes the pros and cons of the legislation with regard to the
architecture profession. Tom came to the AIA from a small
lobbying firm in Washington that focused on public transportation
and local government issues. Tom holds the BA
degree in political science from the Penn State
University.
To contact Tom, e-mail him at tbergan@aia.org.
Nancy Hiteshue, Manager, Federal
Regulatory Relations
Nancy Hiteshue joined the AIA in October 2007 as manager, Federal
Regulatory Relations. She serves as the government advocacy
representative for the AIA to the executive branch of the federal
government and federal agencies, and represents the AIA in
coalitions and on initiatives regarding federal regulatory issues
affecting the practice and profession of architecture.
Nancy comes to the AIA from the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association, in Chantilly, Va., where she served as advocacy manager, managing state and local legislative and regulatory initiatives. Prior to her tenure at NVBIA, she was the grassroots director for the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, D.C., where she served as a junior lobbyist, managing the association's grassroots advocacy efforts. She has also worked as a Congressional Relations staff assistant with the National Association of Homebuilders and an editorial assistant for Lippincott, Williams & Wilkens, Ltd. in London, UK. Nancy earned the Bachelor of Arts degree in History at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
To contact Nancy, e-mail her at nancyhiteshue@aia.org.
State
Relations
John Loyer, Director, State
Relations
John
Loyer became the director of State Relations at the AIA in March
2008. In this position, John manages AIA National's relationship
with the state components and work with component staff
to promote AIA policies and legislative
initiatives.
Before coming to the AIA, John was a consultant to the building industry, where his clientele included the largest energy consulting group in California and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). He also has served as the head of Government Affairs for Icynene, a foam insulation company, and, prior to that, as the energy and green building advocate for NAHB. While employed at NAHB, he was responsible for the creation of NAHB's Model Green Home Building Guidelines.
An internationally certified one- and two-family dwelling building inspector and accomplished public speaker, John has also taught as adjunct faculty at Penn State's Pennsylvania Housing Research Center. He earned the Master's degree from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and the Bachelor's degree from Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa. He also holds an advanced diploma in Legislative Affairs from the Government Affairs Institute of Georgetown University.
To contact John, e-mail him at johnloyer@aia.org.
Biljana Kaumaya,
Manager, State Relations
Billie Kaumaya joined the AIA in July 2005 as a manager, State
Relations. Billie's main role on the Government Advocacy team is
the promotion of the AIA's public policy and the effectiveness of
state advocacy on behalf of AIA members. Billie assists state
components with their advocacy efforts through issue and program
management, communications and coordination among components,
strategic counsel, research, resource identification and
development, outreach, and training.
Prior to joining the AIA, Billie worked in government affairs for
Mazda and Honda. She was also a legislative associate for the state
consulting firm, Stateside Associates, and worked for the Ohio
House of Representatives. Billie earned the Bachelor's degree in
International Studies and Communications, with minors in Political
Science and Spanish, from the Ohio State University. She also holds
a Master's degree in International Affairs from the George
Washington University.
To contact Billie, e-mail her at bkaumaya@aia.org.
Renée Wadsworth, Manager, State
Relations
Renée Wadsworth joined the AIA in May 2008 as a manager,
State Relations. Renée works to promote the effectiveness of
AIA state advocacy efforts on behalf of AIA members.
Renée represents the AIA on national association
boards, commissions, and committees as the external relations
representative on the State Relations team. She also assists AIA
state components with their advocacy efforts through
issue management, communications and coordination among
components, strategic counsel, research, outreach, and resource
identification and development.
Prior to joining the AIA, Renée worked as a Legislative
Associate at Stateside Associates, Inc. She also worked as an
assistant to California State Senator Joe Simitian, and as a Floor
Analysis Assistant at the California State Assembly Office of the
Chief Clerk. Renée attended the University of California,
Davis, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
and Spanish.
To contact Renée, e-mail her at reneewadsworth@aia.org.
Local
Relations
Brooks Rainwater,
Director, Local Relations
Brooks Rainwater was promoted to be the AIA's director of Local
Relations in March 2008, following three years as manager, State
and Local Relations. As director, Brooks is responsible for
advancing the Institute's and the architecture profession's goals
at the local level by promoting the AIA's public policies and
empowering local components to effectively manage their
legislative, regulatory, and legal efforts.
Brooks was appointed to a three-year term on the Arlington County Environment and Energy Conservation Commission in 2007. He is also the lead author of the report, Local Leaders in Sustainability: A Study of Green Building Programs in Our Nation's Communities.
Previously Brooks worked as a research associate for the Artemis Group LLC. Prior to that, he interned with the North Carolina Smart Growth Alliance in the area of rural development policy. Brooks earned the Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also holds a Master's of Public Administration degree from the George Washington University.
To contact Brooks, e-mail him at brainwater@aia.org.
Grassroots and Political
Mobilization
Adam
Melis, Director, Advocacy Outreach
Adam Melis was named Director, Advocacy Outreach, in May 2008. Adam is responsible for advancing the Institute’s goals by directing the Government and Community Relations team’s political outreach initiatives and year-round advocacy program, including the AIA’s political programs and PAC, grassroots mobilization, and citizen architect/leadership programs and training.
Before joining the AIA in 2003, Adam's experience includes serving as finance director for North Dakota Rep. Earl Pomeroy and as assistant to the mayor of Anaheim. From 1997 to 2000, Adam was an associate for Fraioli & Associates, a Washington, DC-based campaign consulting firm. Adam earned a BA from James Madison College at Michigan State University, where he studied international relations and political theory.
To contact Adam, e-mail him at amelis@aia.org.
Hannah Wesolowski, Manager, Political
Programs
Hannah Wesolowski was named
manager, Political Programs in May 2008. Since December 2006, she
served as the specialist, Federal and State Relations, where
she provided project and issue support to the Government Advocacy
team. As manager, Political Programs, Hannah focuses on
developing ArchiPAC, the AIA's political action committee, and
state component PACs. She is also involved in implementing
grassroots advocacy and developing political programs that enhance
the AIA's role in the making of national policy affecting
architects, including the DesignVote08 initiative, a
non-partisan program focused on getting issues important to
architects front and center in the 2008
campaign.
Prior to coming to the AIA, Hannah worked for the New York University Office of Development and Alumni Relations as a development coordinator for the senior vice president, Development and Alumni Relations. Hannah earned both the Bachelor of Arts in Politics and her Masters in Public Administration degrees in Public and Non-Profit Policy from New York University in New York City.
To contact Hannah, e-mail her at hwesolowski@aia.org.
Contact Us
AIA Government Relations
1735 New York Avenue NW
Third Floor
Washington, DC 20006
202-626-7403 Phone
202-626-7583 Fax