Katie Whelan is a Senior Legislative Advisor who brings extensive bipartisan experience working alongside leaders in both political parties.  Prior to joining Venable, Ms. Whelan was a Senior Public Policy Advisor at Patton Boggs LLP, a Senior Advisor to former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Executive Director of the Democratic Governors Association.

While at the Democratic Governors Association, she provided strategic insight for elections and campaigns to governors and gubernatorial candidates in all 50 states and U.S. Territories.  She also served as the principal liaison to the White House, the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senate and House Campaign Committees; and the National Governors, Republican Governors and Western Governors’ Associations.

Ms. Whelan’s experience with public policy is broad and spans federal, state and municipal matters.  She represents clients on a broad range of issues before the nation’s governors, Attorneys General, members of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, the White House and federal agencies.

She has worked on legislative and regulatory matters in areas such as energy, the environment and natural resources, gaming, financial services, healthcare and telemedicine, economic development, infrastructure and transportation, clean technology, higher education and appropriations.  She has advised clients in developing public-private partnerships between business interests and federal, state and local governments.  In addition, Ms. Whelan has been particularly active navigating issues dealing with the State of California, including securing increased federal funding for California’s national research laboratories and for the state’s institutions of higher education.

Ms. Whelan’s presidential political campaign experience spans over three decades and includes serving as a national staff member beginning with Ted Kennedy’s 1980 bid for the White House, followed by those of former Vice President Walter F. Mondale and Governor Michael S. Dukakis, and serving as the Democratic Governors Association’s liaison to the Clinton-Gore presidential campaigns in both 1992 and 1996, and on the general election staff of the Democratic National Committee in 2000.  She also served as a senior advisor to former U.S. Representative Joseph P. Kennedy II when he represented the 8th Congressional District of Massachusetts.