Welcome to Kountoupes Denham Carr & Reid

Lisa Kountoupes

National Journal considers Ms. Kountoupes one of the preeminent insiders on how to make things happen in the halls of Congress and federal agencies. She has extensive experience in energy, the environment, technology, telecommunications, health care, trade, financial services, and budget matters. Prior to her work in the private sector she held a series of senior positions in federal government, in the Executive Branch and the United States Congress.

Ms. Kountoupes served as Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs for President Clinton. In this capacity she served as the President’s liaison to the House of Representatives and acted as a primary contact for Members of the House with the White House. She developed legislative strategies and organized efforts to garner votes for Administration priorities. Additionally, she was a key part of the efforts to ensure a smooth technological transition into the Year 2000. Ms. Kountoupes also worked to secure passage of significant legislative accomplishments of the Clinton Administration, including permanent normal trade relations with China and digital signatures.

Ms. Kountoupes spent three years as Assistant Director for Legislative Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) where she was part of the team that secured passage of the 1997 Balanced Budget Agreement. At OMB she worked extensively on entitlement reform (Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and welfare) and was closely involved with regulatory reform efforts and government-wide management issues. When she entered the Executive Branch in May 1994, she served as a Special Assistant in the Secretary’s office at the U.S. Department of Energy. At DOE Ms. Kountoupes was deeply involved in issues related to the electric utility industry, the nation’s nuclear weapons complex, and the nation’s research laboratories. She also worked on the Department’s budget and management matters.

Prior to her tenure in the Clinton Administration, Ms. Kountoupes served as a member of the staff of Chairman John D. Dingell of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee. In that position she worked on a number of energy and telecommunications matters; significantly, the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and the Clean Air Act of 1990.

Ms. Kountoupes graduated with honors and distinction from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Lori Denham

Ms. Denham served for more than four years as Executive Vice President of Government Affairs and Industry Operations for the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), representing the world’s fastest growing and most successful retailers including Best Buy, Gap, Home Depot, Lowes, Target, Walgreens, and Wal-Mart. Ms. Denham lead the association’s efforts in public policy and advocacy, retail industry relations, external communications, and overseeing a number of key issues including health care, trade, privacy, and product safety. In addition, Ms. Denham served as the association’s lead democratic liaison to Capitol Hill.

Prior to joining RILA, Ms. Denham worked on Capitol Hill for Rep. Cal Dooley (D-CA) for more than 13 years in a variety of roles including legislative director and chief of staff. During her tenure with Dooley, Denham helped build and provide key strategic and public policy support for the New Democrat Coalition. Ms. Denham’s leadership on Trade Promotion Authority and Permanent Normal Trade Relations for China were instrumental to their passage, and she has been actively involved in health care, innovation, technology, and pro-growth policy for nearly two decades.

In addition to her roles with RILA and Rep. Dooley, Ms. Denham also served a stint as Legislative Director to former Energy and Commerce Committee member Rep. Darlene Hooley (D-OR). Ms. Denham handled all of her Financial Services Committee work during this time.

Ms. Denham has a range of campaign experience including managing the re-election campaign for Rep. Cal Dooley in 1998. In 2004, Denham served as a senior staffer on the Kerry-Edwards Presidential Campaign where she worked as Chief of Staff to Elizabeth Edwards.

Denham received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History with a minor in Comparative Literature from the University of California at Davis in 1990. She received her Master’s in Public Administration from the George Washington University.

Julie Hershey Carr

Prior to entering private practice, Ms. Hershey Carr served as Legislative Director for Congressman Joseph R. Pitts (R-PA), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. On behalf of Congressman Pitts, Ms. Hershey Carr worked on the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, the Medical Device User Fee Modernization Act, the Broadcast Indecency Act, as well as amendments to the Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act. She also helped to strategize and shepherd the passage of Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China.

Throughout her nine-year tenure on Capitol Hill, Ms. Hershey Carr worked extensively on fiscal and social policies important to conservative Republicans. A leading conservative in the House, Congressman Pitts is a member of the House Republican Study Committee, House Republican Whip Team, and Chairman of the Values Action Team. Ms. Hershey Carr continues to work with Members and staff of these organizations on a variety of policy issues.

Prior to her tenure in Washington DC, in 1996 Ms. Hershey Carr served as a campaign manager for Congressman Pitts’ initial campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives. Ms. Hershey Carr got her start in politics in 1982 with her father, recently-retired Pennsylvania State Representative Arthur Hershey, and worked on each of his re-election campaigns. Ms. Hershey Carr continues to volunteer her time and expertise to local and national campaigns in Pennsylvania.

Ms. Hershey Carr received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications with a minor in Business Administration from Messiah College, Grantham, PA.

Randi Reid

On behalf of Senator Enzi, Ms. Reid oversaw all policy development and provided political counsel on landmark legislation including health care reform, the Marketplace Fairness Act, and Senator Enzi’s international tax reform legislation, S. 2091, the United States Job Creation and International Tax Reform Act of 2012. She also led coalition efforts to galvanize third-party support for critical Finance and HELP Committee legislation, and has worked with nearly every office on the Finance and HELP Committees.

Ms. Reid is a long-recognized leader among Senate Legislative Directors. In 2007, she co-created the Senate Bipartisan Legislative Directors’ group which continues to meet today. Ms. Reid was the Senator’s primary liaison to the Republican Steering Committee where she focused on building support among conservatives for budget, tax and health care matters. She also worked closely with committee staff and member offices when Senator Enzi served as the HELP panel’s top Republican member for 8 years.

A Texas native, Ms. Reid began her career in state government affairs in 1995 working as a Legislative Analyst with the Texas Office of State-Federal Relations, focusing on taxation, telecommunications, and transportation policy issues. Ms. Reid started her career on Capitol Hill in 1999 as a Legislative Assistant for Senator Enzi, and led successful policy efforts on transportation, defense, economic development, and appropriations. She worked as Legislative Director for U.S. Representative Michael C. Burgess (R-Texas) during his freshman term in 2003-2004. Ms. Reid served as Congressman Burgess’ primary counsel for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee activities and legislation, including key surface transportation policy changes in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users.

Ms. Reid received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Political Science from Southwestern University in 1995 and a Master of Public Policy, Concentration in Public Management and Budget from Georgetown University in 2001.

Mary Dee Beal

Most recently, she served on the Senate Republican Policy Committee for U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), where she provided analysis and education on issues related to tax, budget, appropriations, and small business. She worked closely with staff across the Senate Republican Conference, as well as Republican leadership and the Senate Finance, Budget, Appropriations, and Small Business Committees, to advance conference priorities.

Prior to her service in the U.S. Senate, Ms. Beal served as Senior Advisor to Secretary Sonny Perdue and Acting Chief of Staff to Deputy Secretary Stephen Censky at the United States Department of Agriculture. During her time at USDA, she served as the principal advisor to the secretary on climate, innovation, ag tech, and agriculture research priorities and spearheaded the development of Secretary Perdue’s signature sustainability initiative, the Agriculture Innovation Agenda. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, she led the department’s crisis management strategy to preserve the national food supply chain and worked closely with officials at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Transportation, and the National Economic Council as the interagency policy lead for the federal food supply chain response.

Ms. Beal spent over seven years in the U.S. House of Representatives. She stood up the policy team as Legislative Director for Congressman Drew Ferguson (R-GA), focusing on health care, tax, transportation, and agriculture issues. She began her career in the office of Congressman Austin Scott (R-GA), a member of the House Agriculture and Armed Services Committees, and served as his Legislative Director.

From 2020-2021, she served as the Chairman of the 38^th Taste of the South gala, leading the organization through unprecedented pandemic disruptions to reopen the local events industry, support recovering small businesses, and donate $400,000 to non-profit organizations in thirteen states and Washington, D.C.

A native of Statesboro, Georgia, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Mercer University.

Patrick Hayes

Prior to joining KDCR Partners, Mr. Hayes was senior vice president for federal, state and local government affairs for Altice USA, one of the largest broadband communications and video services providers in the United States. In this role, he was responsible for all advocacy efforts for the company, which operates in 21 states.

While on Capitol Hill, Mr. Hayes honed his skills in forging bipartisan relationships and legislative success. He held two leadership roles for Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), serving as his chief of staff for four years, including during the Senator’s successful re-election bid in 2018, and four years as his legislative director. In these roles, he was also Senator Manchin’s liaison to Senate leadership and assisted the senator as he built his committee staff after becoming chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Mr. Hayes began his career on the Hill serving in a number of roles for former Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN), including deputy legislative director and military legislative assistant, where he handled appropriations and armed services issues. He also served as Staff Director for the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee.

A Michigan native, Mr. Hayes graduated from Indiana University where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Legal Studies.

Adam Hechavarria

Prior to private consulting, he served as Legislative Director for Senator Todd Young (R-Indiana), Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and a Republican Deputy Whip.

With 15 years of service in the Senate, Adam is a well-respected and experienced leader with a deep understanding of how the Senate operates and a record of getting results. Most recently, he served as Legislative Director for U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-IN.), where he led the policy team and provided counsel on issues including tax, telecommunications, trade, manufacturing, infrastructure, workforce development, health care, and immigration. As Senator Young’s Deputy Whip liaison, he worked closely with Republican leadership staff, the Administration, and the Indiana delegation. Further, he led the Senator’s legislative agenda within the Senate Finance, Commerce, Foreign Relations, Small Business, and HELP Committees.

Prior to joining Senator Young, Adam served as Legislative Director for Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Chair of the Senate Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee and Chair of the Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation. Adam also worked closely on issues involving the Budget, Homeland Security, and Aging Committees. Among several policy achievements, he successfully worked to enact comprehensive legislation to address opioid addiction, improve defense acquisition and contracting, and address gaps in our nation’s mental health system. He was also responsible for directing preparation and strategy for multiple appropriations and defense authorization cycles, fiscal cliff negotiations, public town halls, and hundreds of national media appearances.

Previously, Adam served as a Budget Analyst for energy and natural resource issues on the Senate Budget Committee under then Chairman Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH). He first started his career on Capitol Hill working for Senator John E. Sununu (R-NH).

A native of New Hampshire – home of the First-in-the-Nation Primary – Adam received a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Maryland and a Master of Arts in World Politics from The Catholic University of America.

MJ Kenny

Mr. Kenny joins KDCR Partners from the office of Senate Democratic Whip Richard J. Durbin, where he served as Deputy Floor Director.  In that role, he provided daily strategic advice to the Senator and members of the Democratic caucus on all pending matters on the Senate floor.  He comes to the firm as a seasoned Senate veteran with comprehensive experience in the process, politics, and personalities of Congress.

Mr. Kenny advised Senator Durbin and his staff for nearly a decade on how best to advance the Senator’s legislative priorities, from immigration and criminal justice reform, to health care and tax legislation.  He managed the Senator’s daily floor messaging, which led to the elevation of key priorities such as the DREAM Act and for-profit college reform.  Mr. Kenny was also responsible for helping generate the Senator’s amendment strategy for every piece of legislation that received floor consideration from the 112th to the 116th Congresses, on issues ranging from medical research funding to crop insurance.  He provided counsel on the Senate’s complex rules, knowing how the to use the procedures of the institution to achieve legislative and political success both in the majority and minority.

Mr. Kenny has worked with each Senate committee to help usher major legislative and executive items through the Senate.  He played a key role in determining weekly caucus floor strategy, developing a distinguished reputation as a skilled political staffer.  He worked on multiple Farm Bill and surface transportation reauthorizations, the yearly appropriations bills, the often-lengthy budget caps and debt debates, and the annual National Defense Authorization Act.  As a senior leadership aide, he participated in weekly planning meetings for Democratic Legislative Directors and Committee Staff Directors, and regularly briefed House Democratic Legislative Directors on all matters related to the Senate.

Prior to serving as Deputy Floor Director, Mr. Kenny served as a Legislative Aide to Senator Durbin on issues related to transportation, trade, and agriculture.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Northwestern University and originally hails from Bethesda, Maryland.

Denise Mousouris

Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Mousouris served as National Finance Director to Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (D-IL), former Chairwoman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and current member of the Appropriations and Agriculture Committees. Congresswoman Bustos is also a Co-Chair of the House Steering and Policy Committee.

Ms. Mousouris played a key leadership role in Congresswoman Bustos’ finance and political operation in Washington, DC, Illinois and nationally. She oversaw a multi-million-dollar budget, authorized strategic campaign spending, built a prominent leadership PAC and broke fundraising records. During the 2020 cycle, Ms. Mousouris worked at the DCCC serving as Senior Finance Advisor to the Chairwoman where she helped successfully hold the Democratic House majority. She managed the political fundraising agenda of the DCCC Chairwoman and often accompanied Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on national travel. Ms. Mousouris also worked closely with Members of Congress, candidates and their staffs advising them on the national political landscape while cultivating relationships with important stakeholders.

Previously, Ms. Mousouris was an Associate at the Frost Group, a premier DC PAC fundraising firm where she executed quarterly finance plans for clients, including Committee Chairs, Tri-Caucus Chairs, DCCC Frontline Members, DCCC Red-to-Blue candidates, non-profits and Senate candidates in addition to leading events at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, PA.

Ms. Mousouris holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in History from Dickinson College. She is a proud Greek-American from Virginia Beach, Virginia where she graduated from Norfolk Academy.

David Peluso

Prior to entering private consulting, Mr. Peluso served as Chief of Staff for House Republican Conference Chair, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the fourth ranking member in the leadership of the House of Representatives. In addition, Peluso was Chief of Staff for Congressman Gus Bilirakis of Florida. Both McMorris Rodgers and Bilirakis are senior members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Mr. Peluso’s extensive work in the House Republican Conference have made him a well-placed expert on the complex dynamics in the House with unique insight into the day to day thinking of Members of Congress across the ideological spectrum.

Mr. Peluso is intimately familiar with the inner workings of Washington, has a strong grasp of a broad set of issues, and has developed a highly sharpened political sense making him a tremendous resource for clients. His legislative successes include securing policy victories in appropriations, energy and homeland security bills, as well as shepherding bills concerning tax, regulatory reform, telecommunications and cybersecurity. Mr. Peluso also provided strategic counsel on landmark laws including the ABLE Act and Steve Gleason Act, along with several bills to modernize healthcare delivery.

Earning a strong reputation as a skilled political professional valued by Members and staff from both parties, Mr. Peluso was part of the strategic leadership team for the House Republican Conference. Peluso is respected for his strategic communications skills and his political savvy. In addition to his work with Members, he is a recognized leader among House Republican Chiefs of Staff, where he has presented regularly at the Congressional Institute’s Chiefs of Staff retreat and helped lead outreach efforts which fostered collaboration among House Chiefs of Staff and leadership offices. During his time with Congressman Bilirakis, he led the campaign that secured Congressman’s position on powerful House Committee on Energy & Commerce in coordination with House Leadership and key stakeholders.

Prior to his tenure in Washington DC, in 2006 Mr. Peluso served as a Finance Director for Congressman Bilirakis’ initial campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives. Mr. Peluso received a Bachelor of Science in Technology Management from St. Petersburg College. A native of New Jersey, he and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Washington, DC with their three children and dog.

Leslie Zelenko

Though she primarily works with the firm’s health care practice, Leslie uses her policy and political expertise to advise clients on a range of issues, including the annual appropriations process.

She most recently served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation at the Department of Health and Human Services where she led the Department’s legislative strategy and engagement for public health. In her two and half years working in the Department she worked on policy and legislation relating to public health preparedness, including during the Covid-19 response, and the PREVENT Pandemics Act & Preparedness All-Hazards Prevention Act (PAHPA). Leslie also steered the agency’s legislative strategy on the development of ARPA-H, the expansion of mental health care for children and families, reform of the organ procurement system, and drug pricing and drug shortage issues.

Prior to her role in the Biden-Harris administration, Leslie served nine years in Congress as Legislative Director for Congressman Mark Pocan (WI-02). In this role, she managed his Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee portfolio. Leslie also spearheaded the Congressman’s health policy work in his role as co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Leslie received her Master of Public Policy from the George Washington University and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Jordan Adjepong

Jordan joined KDCR Partners in March of 2021 as a Legislative Assistant. He got his start in politics when he served in Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s (D-RI) re-election campaign in 2018. The following year he interned on Capitol Hill for Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and was part of the office initiative to advocate for background checks for firearms and raise awareness for the Saudi Arabia False Emergencies Act.

Most recently, Jordan served as a Senior Associate for Magellan Research Group, a NYC based information services firm. He is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University with a B.S. in Political Science.

Katherine Goldstuck

Prior to joining the firm, she worked on the finance team for Cheri Beasley’s Senate campaign in North Carolina, interned for the Majority Staff of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural resources, and interned at KDCR in the Spring of 2022.

Katherine graduated from Wake Forest University in 2023 with a B.A. in Politics & International Affairs and Philosophy.

Erin Howley

Erin joined Kountoupes Denham Carr & Reid in May of 2023. Prior to her time at KDCR she served as a Legislative Intern in the office of Senator Gary Peters (D-MI). She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2022 where she majored in Political Science and Psychology.

Nancy Harper Marlow

Ms. Marlow brings more than two decades of administrative experience to the firm from both political and business entities. Most recently, she worked as Executive Assistant to the President and CEO at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She has held the same role at a variety of companies, including the American Institute of Architects and Total Wine & More. Ms. Marlow also managed strategic operations for former Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) in his work focused on mental health and substance use disorders, and managed administrative operations for the Washington, D.C. advocacy arm of Total Global, a major energy producer. Prior to these roles, Ms. Marlow spent 13 years managing operations at ZG Ventures, a venture firm in D.C. focused on early-stage investments in health and technology.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Marlow served in the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) under the Clinton administration, first as Special Assistant to the Chair and then as Associate Director for Outreach and Strategic Planning. In this capacity she provided counsel on the development and execution of the President’s environmental platform. She also held administrative and event planning positions at the League of Conservation Voters and the Friends Committee on National Legislation. Ms. Marlow received her B.A. in Liberal Arts from Virginia Tech.

Steve Morrissey

Steve joined KDCR Partners in April of 2021 after working for Joe Biden’s presidential campaign in Pittsburgh, PA. Prior to that, he worked for Senator Michael Bennet’s (D-CO) presidential campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire and for Michael Bloomberg’s campaign in North Carolina. During college, Steve interned in the Capitol Hill office of Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and at Story Partners LLC, a D.C. communications firm. He graduated from Williams College in 2018 and majored in Political Science and History.

Alayah Reynolds

Alayah joined KDCR Partners in January of 2023 after working for the office of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan for nearly two years as a Senior Public Engagement Liaison focusing on creating pathways for constituents to learn about and directly influence the policies that govern their state with an emphasis on public safety, economic development, and the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota. Prior to that, Alayah worked for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety in the Commissioner’s Office. Alayah earned her B.S. in Biology from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities College of Biological Sciences in 2019.

Meredith Rogers

Meredith joined Kountoupes Denham Carr & Reid in 2019 and served for more than two years as a Legislative Assistant for the firm’s health care and non-profit clients. Prior to joining KDCR, she completed several stints in the private sector, on Capitol Hill, and on campaigns. Meredith interned for Ogilvy Government Relations and in the Office of the Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) during the summers of 2018 and 2017 respectively. She got her start in politics working on the 2016 Virginia Coordinated Campaign to elect Hillary Clinton for President and re-elect Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA). An Alexandria native, Meredith graduated from the University of Virginia in 2019 with a B.A. in Government.

Teresa Schofield, SHRM-CP

Prior to joining Kountoupes Denham Carr & Reid, Ms. Schofield served in c-level roles at two client services firms, most recently as Chief Administrative Officer at New Blue Interactive. Before that, she spent more than a dozen years at The Herald Group, a bipartisan public affairs firm, where she helped the firm grow from four employees to more than 25 and built policies and processes to enable that growth.

Ms. Schofield has served in a variety of public affairs roles, drawing on her public policy and corporate and trade association communication expertise to provide media relations, strategy and content development counsel in client services and trade association environments.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Schofield worked in the office of then-Congressman Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), where she handled a diverse portfolio of domestic policy issues, and in the Office of Legislative Affairs at the White House during the Clinton Administration, first as an intern and then as assistant to the deputy director for legislative affairs. Ms. Schofield has also held positions at JP Morgan in New York and at Wachovia Bank in Atlanta.

Ms. Schofield holds a BS in Business from Wake Forest University and has earned the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)-CP certification.

Paula Short

She continued as the Office Manager for Congresswoman Pelosi when she became the Democratic Leader and the first woman Speaker in the House of Representatives. In addition to managing all of Ms. Pelosi’s Washington DC offices, she supervised the internship program and managed the House of Representatives Democratic Page Program. Paula studied Business Administration at Pennsylvania State University.

Jacob Tananbaum

Jacob joined KDCR Partners as a Legislative Assistant in August of 2022, following an internship with Chesapeake Climate Action Network. During college, he interned for the nonprofit MAZON where he supported their advocacy efforts in fighting food insecurity. From there, he interned for Congressman Josh Gottheimer’s (D-NJ) office in 2020.

Jacob graduated from American University in 2022 with a B.A. in Political Science and a Minor in Philosophy.

Tanner Walsh

Tanner joined Kountoupes Denham Carr & Reid in April of 2022 as a Legislative Assistant. Prior to his time at KDCR, Tanner spent two years at Abbott Laboratories as a Government Affairs Assistant focusing on issues pertaining to Healthcare, Cybersecurity, and Tax. While in undergrad, Tanner spent 5 months working as a Constituency Intern for Harriet Harman M.P. in British Parliament and additionally as an Intern for Kwame Raoul’s campaign for Illinois Attorney General in 2018.

Tanner earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in Economics from DePauw University in 2019.