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Dennis Walsh
CPBJ Staff//June 10, 2022
Dennis Walsh
President
Bravo Group Government Relations
Mixing “sound judgment, deep political relationships and strategic thinking to deliver results,” Walsh has been involved in shaping Pennsylvania legislative policy for more than four decades, according to his online bio. During his tenure as legislative secretary to former Gov. Tom Ridge, he served as lead strategist and advocate on such key issues as workers’ compensation reform and charter-school-enabling legislation.
“Lobbying use to be something that only took place in the Capitol by government relations professionals,” Walsh said. “Success was largely predicated on relationships with public officials. But the advent of social media and the public’s access to instantaneous news has changed the business.” Now the need to identify, educate and mobilize outside constituencies to supplement efforts in the Capitol is vital to successful lobbying.
Long hours and the influence of money are two of the industry’s challenges. “Additionally, there used to be only two political ideologies in government: Republican and Democrat. Today, each political party has multiple subsets of ideologies … . This makes building consensus around public policies harder … than ever. Delivering wins for clients or causes that (positively) impact people’s lives … is the upside of what I do.”
“Several individuals … helped shape my career and approach to life and work,” Walsh emphasized, including former Gov. Tom Ridge, who taught him how to balance his professional and family lives.
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This profile is part of CPBJ's Law and Lobbyist Power 30 list for 2022. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. See the full list at cpbj.com or in our digital edition. |
