- WHO WE AREAt Ledge Counsel, we pride ourselves on a talented and diverse staff that bring their own skills and qualities to the table.
Alan G. LopatinPresidentContact Alan at mailto:Alan@ledgecounsel.comAlan G. Lopatin is President and founder of the legislative and governmental affairs firm Ledge Counsel, Inc. Mr. Lopatin brings his vast experience in the areas of government relations and legislative counseling to support his firm's clients in the areas of federal budget, labor, education, and human resource matters.Prior to the formation of Ledge Counsel, Inc., Mr. Lopatin served as General Counsel to the House Committee on Education and Labor, a position he held prior to his departure from Capitol Hill after a successful tenure of more than 15 years.
Mr. Lopatin was formerly Deputy General Counsel to the House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, Deputy Chief Counsel to the Committee on the Budget, and Counsel to the Subcommittee on Civil Service. Mr. Lopatin had considerable involvement in the development of federal human resource, budget, labor and employment policy, as well as legislative procedure during his Capitol Hill career. While with the House Committee on Education and Labor, Mr. Lopatin also served as a member of President Clinton's Health Care Reform Task Force, the 1993 Presidential Transition Education/Labor Cluster, and the Secretary's (HHS) Advisory Committee on Head Start Quality Improvement and Expansion.
Mr. Lopatin received his Bachelors of Arts degree from Yale University in Urban Planning and Political Sciences and his Juris Doctor from American University Law School, Washington College of Law.
Stephanie MonroeOf CounselStephanie Johnson Monroe is the President and founder of The Wrenwood Group, LLC, a Washington D.C. government relations firm where she advises clients on a wide range of matters in the education and health arenas, including early care and education, K-12 and postsecondary education, small business and workforce-related issues, and health care. She has decades of legislative and executive branch experience, most recently as Assistant Secretary of Education where she was responsible for the Office for Civil Rights which is the second largest division within the U.S. Department of Education. Stephanie began her service in the Executive Branch after a distinguished 25-year career on Capitol Hill. A veteran political strategist, she served as chief counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions under the chairmanship of Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH), and, for more than a decade, had served as chief counsel and staff director for the Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families under the chairmanship of Senator Dan Coats (R-IN). With an emphasis on domestic policy issues involving health, education, child welfare, individual empowerment, and community services, Stephanie has helped develop and navigate dozens of bills from policy inception to law. Examples of legislation she has contributed to include: the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Child Care and Development Block Grant, the Head Start Act, No Child Left Behind, the Individual with Disabilities in Education Act, the Higher Education Act, the Workforce Development and Workforce Investment Act, the Adoption and Safe Families Act, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, Temporary Assistance for Needy Family Act, Charitable Choice, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Act, Individual Development Accounts, the Community Services Block Grant, and the Low Income Housing and Energy Assistance Act. She has been has been a guest lecturer on public policy, an adjunct lecturer at the University of Maryland's Graduate School on Public Policy, and a contributor on articles addressing a variety of children, family, and social issues.
Bob LeviVice President for Political AffairsContact Bob at mailto:BLevi@ledgecounsel.comBob Levi has toiled in the vineyards of legislative and political affairs of the nation’s capital for over three decades, serving Congress, and working on behalf of the federal workforce and the postal community, as well as being active in a variety of charitable activities.
Bob served 18 years as the Director of Government Relations at the National Association of Postmasters (NAPUS). He was recently retained the association’s successor organization, the United Postmasters and Managers of America, as it Director of Government Relations.
Bob continues to spearhead the organization’s legislative advocacy on and off Capitol Hill, and directs its political activities. Before coming to NAPUS, Bob worked for six years as Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs at the National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL-CIO. And, prior to the NALC, Bob worked on Capitol Hill for over a decade, serving as Legislative Director of two House Post Office and Civil Service Subcommittees and as Legislative Director to former Representative Gary Ackerman. As Legislative Director to Representative Ackerman, Bob focused on the congressman’s education and labor portfolio, including increasing federal attention to youth suicide prevention.
In addition to his professional workload, Bob serves as chairman of the board of the 28,000-member National Council of Young Israel and was president of his local synagogue.
Bob is married and has three grown children. Bob’s father is a retired postal worker, who proudly retains his APWU membership.
- CASE STUDIESThe Public has more power than credited.We are your organization's voice.
National Active and Retired Federal Employees AssociationShut Down Efforts to Raid the Federal Retirement Thrift Savings PlanAssisted NARFE in a successful campaign to block efforts on Capitol Hill to diminish the return on the "G" Fund of the Federal Retirement Thrift Savings Plan in order to pay for an extension of the Highway Trust Fund. First proposed as part of the FY 2016 House Budget Resolution, and called "ingenious by Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the proposal would have reduced the rate of return on the G Fund by $32 billion over ten years -- diverting those funds from the retirement accounts of civilian and military personnel participating int he TSP. Through direct lobbying and a media campaign in collaboration with colleagues in the Federal/Postal Coalition, the initiative was scrapped, at least temporarily.
Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and FamiliesWorked with the National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families along with advocates in the community and on Capitol Hill to secure significant investments in babies in the Economic Stimulus Package, including $1.1 billion for Early Head Start (along with language to ensure proper training and technical assistance for grantees), $1 billion for Head Start, $2 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) (including nearly $100 million set aside for infant and toddler care), and $500 million for infant and toddler services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
National Senior Corps AssociationProvided new opportunities for seniors to give back to their communities.Ledge Counsel Inc. secured congressional consideration of legislation promoting civic engagement activities for baby boomers through the House Education and Labor Committee's action on the GIVE Act, bipartisan sponsorship for the Silver Scholarship Act, and Senate introduction of the Encore Service Act.
National Center for Family LiteracyLedge Counsel, Inc. successfully lobbied to have a requirement established in law for training and technical assistance in the delivery of family literacy services in the national Head Start program to ensure that parents are an integral part of their child's education and have the tools to help them succeed. In addition, the firm helped to secure a competitive contract for the Center to be the national provider of these training services.
Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and FamiliesLedge Counsel, working with House and Senate offices, helped to coordinate a successful effort in securing funding for a Court Teams Project in several states to raise awareness, increase knowledge and skills, and change practice regarding the needs of maltreated infants and toddlers and their families involved in the child welfare system. The goal of the Court Team is to bring the science of early childhood development, skills and services to juvenile and family courts.
Pew Charitable TrustsThe Pew Charitable Trusts engaged Ledge Counsel, Inc. to survey Members of Congress, congressional staff, and state legislators and governors on their views of “children’s lobbyists” in anticipation of an investment of resources in an advocacy campaign to promote investment in early childhood services including child care and preschool. In carrying out the project, Ledge Counsel, Inc. interviewed senior Members of Congress, Chiefs of Staff, lead committee staffers, Governors Hunt (NC) and Lowry (WA), and state legislators. We provided feedback and strategic planning for how Pew might best articulate its policy goals and deliver the most effective message based on our findings. The project spanned several months, and generated a report and a series of follow-up consultations.
Fight Crime: Invest in KidsFight Crime: Invest in Kids (FCIK) contracted with Ledge Counsel, Inc. to provide advice on how the organization might amplify its voice in the area of early childhood education investment. We interviewed the prospective audience for the organization’s message (Capitol Hill principals and staff, colleagues in the early childhood field, and other non-profit advocacy organizations) and provided analysis of areas of strength and areas for improvement in the organization. As a result of our work, FCIK established a senior policy position in its organizational structure and today, is among the trusted voices in the early childhood investment advocacy arena.
Medicare Diabetes Screening Project (MDSP)Through the sponsorship of one of its principal partners, Novo Nordisk, Ledge Counsel, Inc. was hired to assist MDSP in spreading the word of the Project's work through an educational campaign aimed at at-risk seniors and the public at large. Members of the MDSP steering committee included representatives of several federal agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs and HHS (Administration on Aging). Working with our colleagues in both the aging and health care arenas, we were able to help MDSP devise a variety of public outreach strategies which capitalized on existing networks with access to a large audience of the target population. This included both programs in the national service (Senior Corps) world and the aging network (established by the Older Americans Act). In both instances, with our assistance, MDSP was able to capitalize on the public investments already in place for human resource programs and inform policy makers on the work of the Project, without blurring the lines between education and lobbying. Our familiarity with nonprofits, grantees, and the federal agencies and employees who administer programs, provided guidance to MDSP in maximizing the return on its investment in the initiative. - CONNECT WITH USLedge Counsel, Inc. looks forward to the opportunity to developing a comprehensive and integrated strategic plan to assist your organization. We are small enough to provide you with resourceful representation and personal attention, with a proven track record to get you the results you desire.
Ledge Counsel, Inc
4958 Butterworth Place, NW
Washington, D.C.
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alan@ledgecounsel.comP 202 244 2244
