Tom Daschle and Nathan Daschle of The Daschle Group, a Public Policy Advisory of Baker Donelson, and Mark Van de Water of Baker Donelson have been listed in The Hill's "Top Lobbyists 2020: Hired Guns."
The Hill's annual list of top lobbyists recognizes policy experts and influencers who stand out for delivering results for their clients in the halls of Congress and in the administration.
Senator Daschle, the founder and chairman of The Daschle Group, has participated in the development and debate of almost every major public policy issue of the last three decades. In 1978, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served for eight years. In 1986, he was elected to the U.S. Senate and was chosen as Senate Democratic Leader in 1994. Senator Daschle is one of the longest-serving Senate Democratic leaders in history and served as both Majority and Minority Leader. During his tenure, Senator Daschle navigated the Senate through some of its most historic economic and national security challenges.
Since leaving the Senate, Senator Daschle has remained an active and learned voice among policymakers. In addition to his distinguished experience in health care, he has also emerged as a leading thinker on climate change, food security and renewable energy policy. Senator Daschle is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on numerous public and private boards, including the Center for American Progress and the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs.
Nathan Daschle, the president and COO of The Daschle Group, leverages his background in politics and the law to advise clients on the best strategies for reaching their political and policy objectives. In addition to overseeing operations at The Daschle Group, Mr. Daschle leads the firm's international practice, where he advises numerous foreign governments, political parties, and private entities throughout Europe, Asia, and Central and South America.
Previously, Mr. Daschle served as the executive vice president for political strategy at Clear Channel Media & Entertainment (now iHeart Media), and from 2007 to 2010, he was the executive director of the Democratic Governors Association (DGA). Prior to this, he was a litigation associate at Covington and Burling, where he focused on international trade and internal investigations. Mr. Daschle has also served in the legislative affairs office of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
A senior adviser in Baker Donelson's Washington, D.C. office, Mr. Van de Water represents a broad-based set of clients principally in the areas of defense, aerospace, homeland security and transportation. Prior to joining Baker Donelson, he served on the staff of the Senate Appropriations Committee as Deputy Staff Director and as a professional staff member of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee. In addition, he served as Legislative Assistant for a senior member of the Defense Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee.
Mr. Van de Water's previous experience also includes serving as executive director of the Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission, as senior vice president of IntelliBridge Corporation and as vice president of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation's (OPIC) Investment Development Department, where he was instrumental in growing a global portfolio to more than $18 billion in 96 countries.