JULIE CHLOPECKI
There’s a small group of people in Washington who make things happen behind the scenes. They’re the folks who simply figure out how to get things done for clients. Julie is one of those people. She’s not afraid to get down in the trenches, she relishes a challenge and yes, she’s also a hustler, the kind Lincoln references in his quote above. That’s why clients in the public and private sectors have hired Julie to help them achieve their goals for more than 25 years. They know when it comes to influencing the outcome of legislation, from annual appropriations bills to energy and tax legislation, Julie gets the job done.
Over the years, Julie has helped clients resolve difficult problems in major transportation and infrastructure bills that would have made Lincoln proud: National Highway System Designation Act (NHS), the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), the Aviation Investment and Reform Act (AIR-21), SAFETEA-LU, MAP-21, WRDA 2013 (Senate bill) and WRRDA 2013 (House bill), and the recently passed Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act).
A lifelong political junkie and historian, Julie not only loves the political process but also understands the importance of staying involved in it. Today she is highly active in both national and state politics, serving on the steering and finance committees of key members in both houses of Congress.
Previously a partner at a major Washington, D.C., communications firm, Julie provided strategic counsel to high profile clients during times of crisis, including Hurricane Katrina and the horrific “D.C. Sniper” shootings. Her experience as a public relations professional and paid media marketer sets Julie apart from her peers. She’s able to bring all disciplines of influence together, providing a synergistic communications wallop that’s impossible to ignore.
Julie also spent eight years at Ann Eppard Associates, Ltd., a government relations firm founded by the former Chief of Staff to Rep. Bud Shuster (R-PA), a former chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Early in her career, Julie served as a senior staff member to Rep. William F. Clinger (R-PA.), helping to advise on defense, energy, foreign affairs, and transportation issues. And she worked on election campaigns for Rep. Clinger in 1986, 1988 and 1992; the Tom Ridge for Governor Committee in 1994; Dole/Kemp in 1996 and Bush/Cheney in 2000.
Outside her campaign work, she spent time as a researcher in Great Britain’s House of Commons and as part of two Washington book-writing teams. She was appointed by Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) to serve two consecutive terms on the Virginia Horse Industry Board, a group responsible for the promotion and development of the state’s $1.2 billion horse industry. The board’s priorities include providing grant funding to support education, marketing, and research initiatives.
Ms. Chlopecki is a graduate of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, and holds a degree in Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs.