Leif Johnson
CEO & Managing Director, TAG

703-597-4276
leif@theadvocacygroup.org

Leif provides strategic counsel and serves as a solutions provider for corporations and trade associations to enhance their state government relations efforts throughout the country. In 2003, he opened the Leonine Washington, D.C. office and branded the 50-state government affairs practice, FOCUS. He oversees the coalition & association management practice area along with the state government affairs and legislative/regulatory tracking division. Leif assumed the role of CEO and Managing Director of The Advocacy Group in 2012.

Previously, he was director of government relations and contracts, and director of corporate communications for West Publishing-Thomson Reuters, in Minnesota. At West, Leif helped create a nationwide lobbying network in all 50 states and managed West’s state and federal government relations and lobbying efforts, the guided passage of database protection legislation in the House of Representatives, and served as a spokesperson for crisis communications events. At Cisco Systems in San Jose, California, Leif was a public relations manager and directed the commercial line of business public relations and reputation management initiatives. He also served as a legislative assistant and director of correspondence to U.S. Senator Richard Lugar, a legislative aide to Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson, and led a congressional campaign in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District. Leif was also a high school social studies teacher and a tennis pro at Hazeltine National Golf & Tennis Club.

He was president of the Washington Area State Relations Group (WASRG), a trade association of government affairs executives and professionals, in 2009-2010. Leif graduated from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and holds a Master of Public Policy from The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Shannon Wheeler
Director, TAG

518-572-3870
shannon@theadvocacygroup.org

Shannon Wheeler serves as Director of The Advocacy Group (TAG), a premier 50-state and global lobbying network. She works daily with members, facilitates connections for clients, and helps them identify public affairs solutions across the globe. Shannon also manages multiple meetings and events throughout the year while overseeing TAG’s day-to-day operations.

Shannon joined the FOCUS team in 2010 as a Legislative and Regulatory Policy Analyst, tracking issues ranging from energy to legal reform. She also assisted with management of the Internet Coalition until 2017, where she researched, analyzed, and reported on emerging internet issues and technologies, including ecommerce, advertising, privacy, data security, and taxation.

Originally from Lake Placid, New York, Shannon now lives in Hinesburg, Vermont, with her husband, Weston, and their two sons, Lochlan and Remi. She is active in her local community and enjoys time with family and friends and supporting her children’s activities. Shannon is a graduate of James Madison University in Virginia (Go, Dukes!), where she majored in political science with a minor in political communication.