Our Team

Michael Gottlieb is President and General Counsel of Ballast Research. In nearly twenty years of experience in Washington as a consultant, policy adviser, and attorney, Mr. Gottlieb has served clients including the President of the United States, Board and C-suite leadership at Fortune 100 companies, state attorneys general, heads of government relations and public affairs, and all three branches of federal government under both Democratic and Republican administrations.

Before his tenure at Ballast, Mr. Gottlieb was Special Assistant to the President of the United States and Associate White House Counsel to the President and senior White House staff. In that capacity, Mr. Gottlieb advised the Executive Office of the President and senior agency officials on a range of national policy issues, including those related to healthcare, transportation and infrastructure, national defense and homeland security, privacy and technology, immigration, civil rights and religious liberty, Executive power and authority, and labor. He has worked on behalf of the President with every federal and independent agency, either on specific questions of law and policy or in the implementation of government-wide Executive actions and directions, often subsequent to determinations by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Prior to his work at the White House, Mr. Gottlieb practiced law before the U. S. Supreme Court, where his advocacy was covered by The New York Times, The Washington Times, NPR, The Guardian, The Washington Post, CNN, The National Law Journal, and The Associated Press. Prior to his Supreme Court advocacy, Mr. Gottlieb clerked for the Honorable Thomas B. Griffith, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia by President George W. Bush. He also worked in the Executive Branch of the George W. Bush Administration at HHS and as an advisor for several years in the health care sector. Mr. Gottlieb has taught health law and medical ethics at Yale and Georgetown Universities.

Mr. Gottlieb is a Major in the United States Air Force Reserve assigned to the Pentagon. He is the first openly gay officer to be commissioned to the United States military following the repeal of the military’s longstanding prohibition against such open service. A graduate of Yale, Johns Hopkins, and the University of London, Mr. Gottlieb holds degrees in law, public health, psychology, and linguistics. A former US-UK Fulbright Scholar, he has been honored with awards from the LGBT Bar Association, the United States Air Force, and the Judge Advocate General. He is a candidate for an MBA at the Wharton School.

A native of California, Mr. Gottlieb now lives in Washington DC with Ari Shapiro, host of All Things Considered.

Michael Gottlieb is President and General Counsel of Ballast Research. In nearly twenty years of experience in Washington as a consultant, policy adviser, and attorney, Mr. Gottlieb has served clients including the President of the United States, Board and C-suite leadership at Fortune 100 companies, state attorneys general, heads of government relations and public affairs, and all three branches of federal government under both Democratic and Republican administrations.

Before his tenure at Ballast, Mr. Gottlieb was Special Assistant to the President of the United States and Associate White House Counsel to the President and senior White House staff. In that capacity, Mr. Gottlieb advised the Executive Office of the President and senior agency officials on a range of national policy issues, including those related to healthcare, transportation and infrastructure, national defense and homeland security, privacy and technology, immigration, civil rights and religious liberty, Executive power and authority, and labor. He has worked on behalf of the President with every federal and independent agency, either on specific questions of law and policy or in the implementation of government-wide Executive actions and directions, often subsequent to determinations by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Prior to his work at the White House, Mr. Gottlieb practiced law before the U. S. Supreme Court, where his advocacy was covered by The New York Times, The Washington Times, NPR, The Guardian, The Washington Post, CNN, The National Law Journal, and The Associated Press. Prior to his Supreme Court advocacy, Mr. Gottlieb clerked for the Honorable Thomas B. Griffith, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia by President George W. Bush. He also worked in the Executive Branch of the George W. Bush Administration at HHS and as an advisor for several years in the health care sector. Mr. Gottlieb has taught health law and medical ethics at Yale and Georgetown Universities.

Mr. Gottlieb is a Major in the United States Air Force Reserve assigned to the Pentagon. He is the first openly gay officer to be commissioned to the United States military following the repeal of the military’s longstanding prohibition against such open service. A graduate of Yale, Johns Hopkins, and the University of London, Mr. Gottlieb holds degrees in law, public health, psychology, and linguistics. A former US-UK Fulbright Scholar, he has been honored with awards from the LGBT Bar Association, the United States Air Force, and the Judge Advocate General. He is a candidate for an MBA at the Wharton School.

A native of California, Mr. Gottlieb now lives in Washington DC with Ari Shapiro, host of All Things Considered.

Christian Garcia is Vice President of Client Service at Ballast Research. Prior to joining Ballast Research, he held various research positions in the public policy, legal, and academic arenas. While working for the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness and the United States Senate, Christian conducted research on economic competitiveness, job creation, and community revitalization. He has also worked as an analyst for a financial litigation firm and as a research assistant for Harvard University. Christian received his honors B.A. in government from Harvard University. He is a native of Weehawken, New Jersey.

Michael Griffin is Chief Research Officer at Ballast Research. Michael has more than 15 years of experience leading research and product at high-growth organizations. Michael served as an executive director and chief research officer at CEB (now Gartner) where he oversaw global research for CEB’s largest divisions. Michael also served as chief enterprise product officer at a leading venture-backed edtech startup and founded a data-driven research boutique in Washington, D.C. He serves as an advisor to a predictive analytics startup.

Michael is a graduate of Georgetown University where he received his B.S. and J.D. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland with his wife and two daughters.

Sabrina Sussman serves as Chief Administrative Officer and Senior Advisor at Ballast Research. In this role, she leads company culture, board engagement, and operations functions including talent, finance, and administration.

Prior to joining Ballast, Sabrina served as Head of Corporate Communications and Public Policy at Zipcar. In this role, she collaborated with city officials, policymakers, organizations, and members of the media to accelerate the growth of car-sharing as a vital, sustainable part of the urban transportation ecosystem.

Previously, Sabrina was a Senior Policy Advisor for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, working on behalf of the mayor with federal agencies, city agencies, and congressional offices. Her portfolio included federal policy and appropriations work on transportation, housing, infrastructure, city planning and economic development.

Sabrina’s career began at the US Department of Transportation, working as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Transportation Policy before moving on to the role of Vice President for Membership and Development at the Intelligent Transportation Society of America.

Sabrina holds a Masters in Political Management from The George Washington University and a Bachelors in Communications from American University.

Sean Harper is the Chief Strategy Officer at Ballast Research. In over fifteen years of consulting experience, Sean has served and advised senior executives in government affairs and communications, as well as C-suite leadership at Fortune 500 companies and the foremost associations advocating in multiple sectors, including transportation, technology, telecom, healthcare, energy, financial services, and consumer packaged goods. As a founding principal of the firm, Mr. Harper has experience in advising clients on organizational strategy, reputation, messaging, and advocacy engagement, strategic implementation of best practices research, and informing Board- and Executive-Level strategies to maximize investments in public policy globally and in the US, with third-party data.

Sean Harper is the Chief Strategy Officer at Ballast Research. In over fifteen years of consulting experience, Sean has served and advised senior executives in government affairs and communications, as well as C-suite leadership at Fortune 500 companies and the foremost associations advocating in multiple sectors, including transportation, technology, telecom, healthcare, energy, financial services, and consumer packaged goods. As a founding principal of the firm, Mr. Harper has experience in advising clients on organizational strategy, reputation, messaging, and advocacy engagement, strategic implementation of best practices research, and informing Board- and Executive-Level strategies to maximize investments in public policy globally and in the US, with third-party data.

Tucker Warren is a senior communications strategist with more than two decades of experience advising business leaders. As a partner at Hamilton Place Strategies and an advisor to Ballast Research, Tucker helps companies align their business objectives and communications strategy with desired public policy outcomes.

In his career, Tucker has worked on domestic and international finance, trade, insurance, healthcare, education, manufacturing, transportation, technology, and presidential politics. He has a keen understanding of how to reach stakeholders through the media, the importance of building third-party relationships, the unique dynamics of internal communications, how to apply research in advocacy campaigns, and the full integration of design and advertising to create awareness or affect change.

Previously, Tucker directed communications for the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission –established by Congress to examine the causes of the financial and economic crisis. He developed the overall communications strategy, served as the Commission spokesperson, and advised commissioners on high-profile public appearances. Tucker’s career in client services has included two other consultancies –Edelman public relations and Lipman Hearne, a firm specializing on nonprofit communications.

A few of Tucker’s professional highlights include: securing the passage of trade promotion authority after a multi-million dollar advocacy campaign, managing the national rollout of the annual MacArthur “genius awards”, launching a video game for people living with MS, releasing a national COVID testing strategy resulting in global media attention, managing a national media tour featuring an ultra-marathon runner running 63 marathons in 63 days, releasing the FCIC’s report which became a New York Times national best-seller, and advising Howard Schultz as he considered running for President in 2020.

Tucker came to Washington in 1999 to work for Al Gore’s presidential campaign after graduating from Auburn University with a degree in political science and serving as a member of the men’s golf team. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife Kate and their two children.

Cole is a director at Ballast Research Communications Advisory where he assists a variety of clients across industries in developing and driving strategic communications plans to both advance policy objectives and help highlight the value of an organization’s government and public affairs teams to internal stakeholders.

Previously, Cole was a senior associate at Hamilton Place Strategies where he assisted corporate and non-profit clients in the fields of economic development, finance, and transportation in advancing their policy objectives through strategic, data-driven communications. Prior to joining HPS, Cole supported the government affairs team at the National Small Business Association, a small-business advocacy organization in Washington, D.C, and served as an intern for Rep. Brian Higgins (NY-26) in both the member’s district and Capitol Hill offices. Cole also worked as an enterprise strategies and measurements intern at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

A proud native of Buffalo, NY, Cole graduated summa cum laude from The George Washington University with a B.B.A. in Business, Economics, Public Policy, and Political Science.

Xiaonan “Maggie” Wang is a Director at Ballast Research Communications Advisory where she manages the analysis and development of data, policy, and strategic communications to advance client objectives and help demonstrate their value to internal and external stakeholders.

Previously, Maggie was a senior analyst at Hamilton Place Strategies, where she led the development of quantitative client-facing and external research products, and supported their public affairs objectives. During her time at HPS, she worked with clients in professional services, technology, and healthcare, to develop and implement evidence-driven communications strategies.

Before joining HPS, Maggie’s work primarily focused on obtaining, managing, and extracting insights from open government data: she conducted research at think tanks, advised political risk consultancies, and worked with nonprofits to make public records more accessible.

Maggie holds a degree in Government and Statistical & Data Sciences from Smith College. She also served as a communications intern at UN Environment while studying at the Geneva Graduate Institute.

Jen Hughes is an associate at Ballast Research Communications Advisory where she works with clients from a variety of industries to advance their policy goals in Washington.

Jen previously interned at the chairman’s office of the Democratic National Committee during the 2020 presidential election cycle. In this role, Jen worked closely with the chairman’s senior advisors on multiple get-out-the-vote initiatives in conjunction with the presidential campaign. Additionally, Jen was charged with assembling daily briefings for Chairman Tom Perez intended to promote relevant campaign themes.

During her time in college, Jen wrote for the college newspaper on a variety of topical events within the Carlisle community.

Originally from New York, Jen graduated magna cum laude from Dickinson College, where she studied political science and philosophy.

Caroline Carmichael is an associate at Ballast Research Communications Advisory where she works with clients from a variety of industries to advance their policy goals in Washington.

Caroline previously worked as a trader and portfolio analyst at Laurel Wealth Advisors where she worked closely with portfolio managers to create customized portfolios for clients. As a member of the firm’s Investment Committee, she assisted in the search for new investment opportunities, performing company and sector-specific research. In addition, Caroline was in charge of the execution of all of the firm’s equity, fixed income, and derivative trades.

Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, Caroline graduated magna cum laude from the College of Charleston’s Honors College with a degree in Economics and minors in French and Data Science.

Bryce Segat is an associate at Ballast Research Communications Advisory where he works with clients from a variety of industries to advance their policy goals in Washington.

Bryce has previous experience in the political industry from working on a congressional campaign, campaign fundraising for Capital Cornered, and through an internship in a congressional office on Capitol Hill. On the Hill, Bryce assisted staff with legislative and communications assignments and handled constituent correspondence in service to Georgia’s 10th congressional district.

During college, Bryce played lacrosse and served on the team executive committee for 3 years including roles as president and vice president. Bryce was also a brother in the Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Fraternity.

Originally from Suwanee, GA, Bryce graduated summa cum laude from the University of Georgia with degrees in Political Science and International Affairs and a certificate in Applied Politics.

Justin Bernstein is an associate at Ballast Research Communications Advisory where he works with clients from a range of industries to advance policy goals in Washington.

Prior to joining Ballast Research Communications Advisory, Justin completed his Master’s in International and Public Affairs where he served as an economic policy analysis intern with the U.S. Department of the Treasury. In this role, he supported Treasury’s work on investment in energy and infrastructure to advance climate-aligned growth in low-income countries. Justin authored policy reports, event readouts, news briefings, and issue backgrounders for senior staff in support of the administration’s climate financing priorities. Justin also worked as a research assistant at the Wilson Center’s China Environment Forum.

A native of Cleveland, OH, Justin graduated summa cum laude from The Ohio State University with a B.A. in World Politics. He also holds an MPIA degree from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

Justin Bernstein is an associate at Ballast Research Communications Advisory where he works with clients from a range of industries to advance policy goals in Washington.

Prior to joining Ballast Research Communications Advisory, Justin completed his Master’s in International and Public Affairs where he served as an economic policy analysis intern with the U.S. Department of the Treasury. In this role, he supported Treasury’s work on investment in energy and infrastructure to advance climate-aligned growth in low-income countries. Justin authored policy reports, event readouts, news briefings, and issue backgrounders for senior staff in support of the administration’s climate financing priorities. Justin also worked as a research assistant at the Wilson Center’s China Environment Forum.

A native of Cleveland, OH, Justin graduated summa cum laude from The Ohio State University with a B.A. in World Politics. He also holds an MPIA degree from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.