All the Pieces Needed to Solve Complex Issues

From our Arizona inception in 1991, Policy Development Group, Inc. (PDGi) has established itself as a market leader in providing thoughtful and cutting edge solutions to complex problems.

We provide our public and private sector clients the very best creative and innovative thinking when developing and fully implementing public affairs and public relations strategies.

PDGi is a bipartisan firm with objective and hard working professionals who benefit from their widely influential and substantive public and private sector experiences. Assembling diverse and talented individuals from both political parties and all levels of government service has proven invaluable. It allows the PDGi team to focus on positive and productive outcomes for our clients, and not on partisan outcomes. The goals of our corporate or public clients are rarely affiliated with a single political party or philosophy which affords PDGi the ability to work closely with elected officials of all political or partisan stripes. Finally, each of the principals at PDGi actively and regularly participate in the political process, and they do so in a bipartisan and principled fashion.

With more than 20 years in public affairs and advocacy as a firm, and a combined 200 years of professional experience, PDGi has experienced tremendous success representing business of all sizes, cities, towns, state agencies, federal agencies, and other governmental entities. We have successfully assisted clients in securing federal and state appropriations, identified and effectively obtained federal and state grants, and fruitfully advocated for a broad range of policy-related issues and legislation with elected and non-elected officials across all levels of government.

Lobbying &
ADVOCACY

Our bi-partisan approach and creative problem solving get results in both the private sector and at the local, state and federal levels of government.

Strategic
COMMUNICATIONS

Our communications team will develop a plan to communicate the desired message in both short and long-term strategies, and crisis situations.

Procurement
SERVICES

Our keen understanding of how government procures products and services enables PDG to identify and create opportunities to engage this important market at all levels of government.

Public
INVOLVEMENT

We have decades of involvement in Arizona politics and community affairs, with the relationships necessary to plan and carry out effective grassroots and/or grasstops campaigns.

Our Team

Paul Senseman

Paul Senseman

Since joining PDG in 2003, Paul has been recognized by colleagues as one of the most respected public affairs experts in Arizona. Paul and his wife, PDG’s Kathy Senseman, made history as the first people ever voted by professional colleagues to win “Best of the Capitol” awards individually and then again as a single unit. Paul’s distinguished resume and affable personality give him a broad base of strong relationships and respected credibility across Arizona, and his keen knowledge of a wide range of public policy, strategic acumen, and familiarity with critical media messaging maximize results for our clients. In addition to lobbying elected officials and department policymakers at state and local governments, Paul has significant experience in a variety of regulatory matters and crisis communications, as well as grassroots and grasstops strategy development. He brings extensive strategic, political and managerial experience to our clients at the local, state and federal levels.

A fourth-generation resident of Peoria, Paul received a Bachelor of Science from Arizona State University. He began his professional political career in the Phoenix office of U.S. Senator John McCain and went on to serve in a variety of positions on the Arizona legislative leadership staff, reporting to three House Speakers and ultimately becoming Chief of Staff of the Arizona House of Representatives. Paul rejoined PDG in January 2011 after serving two years as Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications for Arizona Governor Janice K. Brewer.

Paul is active in a variety of organizations. He is a current member and past Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Phoenix Rescue Mission, a nonprofit committed to serving those experiencing addiction and homelessness. Paul was appointed by Governor Brewer to the Arizona Commission on Appellate Court Appointments and was similarly appointed and reappointed by Governor Doug Ducey to the Maricopa County Trial Court Commission. Paul was also appointed and reappointed by the Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court to the State Bar Board of Governors. Paul participates in forums with the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation and annually in the selection committee for the Gabe Zimmerman Public Service Award through the Center for the Future of Arizona. Previously, Paul was Chairman of the Board of the ASU West Alumni Association and Honorary Commander of the 309th Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base.

Email: [email protected]

Troy Corder

Troy Corder

As a founding member of PDGi’s STRATEGY forty-eight (S48), Troy leads strategic internal and external communications efforts on behalf of clients and our firm. Under this model he consistently thinks two steps ahead of the public, the media, and policymakers.

Troy sets the standard for creative, proactive, and effective communications ensuring policymakers and the public understand our clients’ goals. Rather than simply issuing a press release that has limited impact and minimal value, Troy applies his considerable experience in video production, social and traditional media, and public involvement campaigns to develop public relations strategies that define and shape policy. He leverages Arizona and D.C. media relationships to effectively move public opinion and set the stage for advancing clients’ objectives.

Troy began his career at U.S. Senator John McCain’s state office and went on to work for former Arizona Governors Fife Symington and Jane Dee Hull. Troy also spent time at a large advertising firm in Phoenix, where he managed the promotions department for a multi-million dollar outreach program and worked on several other projects with strong public policy components. Those combined experiences in politics, creative public relations, and public policy ultimately led to his involvement with S48. Troy attended ASU and graduated with a degree in political science.

Email: [email protected]

Kathy Senseman

Kathy Senseman

Kathy joined PDG in 2009 and spearheads the firm’s legislative and regulatory efforts on behalf of our clients. She was named the ‘Best Female Lobbyist’ by the Arizona Capitol Times in 2011 and in 2014, she and her husband Paul were named the ‘Power Couple’ of the year by the Arizona Capitol Times. Kathy’s-start-to-finish knowledge of the legislative process coupled with her keen ability to navigate complex and dynamic situations have made her one of Arizona’s most effective and admired lobbyists. She advises and assists clients with regulatory matters at various agencies, municipalities, and at the Arizona Corporation Commission. Kathy started her career in the California legislature working as policy staff in the Assembly and Senate. During her time in California she ran several high-profile legislative races. Upon moving to Arizona, she took the helm of the Fiscal Accountability and Reform Efforts Committee (FARE). This organization was a product of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and the then Phoenix 40. Its focus was fiscal accountability and budget reform measures at the state capitol. Following her tenure there, she joined Southwest Gas where she headed up many of the company’s key state and local government affairs initiatives for ten years before joining PDG.

Kathy is currently an Executive Committee Member on the Board of Wildfire (formerly the Arizona Community Action Association) and serves as the Chair of the Home Energy Assistance Fund (HEAF). In 2012, she was appointed by the Governor and received Senate confirmation to serve on the State Charter School Board where she served for seven years, three of those as President. Kathy is also a past Chairman of the Board for the Challenger Space Center. She is a graduate of Pitzer College in Claremont, CA. In March of 2019, she was inducted into Pomona-Pitzer’s athletic hall of fame.

Email: [email protected]

Andy Jacobs

Andy Jacobs

Since joining PDG in 2008, Andy has focused his attention on advocacy at all levels of government, public involvement efforts, grassroots campaigns, media outreach, and development of digital media content for clients. He has successfully managed projects for clients in the mining, tourism, water quality, energy/natural resources, commercial development, healthcare, and transportation industries. Andy specializes in taking complex issues and identifying impacted stakeholders, building coalitions, and developing and executing organized strategies to help our clients achieve their goals. Clearly communicating through a variety of modalities allows him to advance clients’ interests with creativity and agility.

Andy’s background in print media helped develop his expert ability to take complex issues and distilling them in a way that resonates with the public. He spent six years serving U.S. Senator Jon Kyl where he dealt with natural resource issues, coordinated extensive outreach to rural Arizona, provided constituent services, and offered legislative support on key issues to the staff in Washington, D.C. Additionally, Andy spent time in 2006 providing support to Senator Kyl’s successful re-election campaign by serving as a liaison with the media and rural communities and stakeholder organizations.

Andy is a member of Scottsdale Leadership Class 27 and served on the Board of Directors from 2015-2017.

Email: [email protected]

Todd Baughman

Todd Baughman

Todd joined PDG in 2007 and serves as a lobbyist and strategist for our clients at the State level. He carries a genuine passion for the political process and the people involved. In addition to being the lead lobbyist for several clients, Todd assists with the firm’s legislative efforts and coordinates the day-to-day legislative agenda for our clients. He also actively participates in non-legislative efforts involving public involvement and campaign initiatives.

Originally educated and trained as an accountant, Todd worked in the financial services industry doing tax, audit, and public accounting for several years before entering the world of politics as U.S. Senator Jon Kyl’s deputy campaign treasurer. There he managed the budget for the campaign and actively participated in political efforts. Following the campaign, Todd worked with The Free Enterprise Club for a short time before joining PDG.

Todd graduated from The Master’s University with a degree in business administration and accounting.

Email: [email protected]

Jacqueline Ober

Jacqueline Ober

Jacqueline joined STRATEGY forty-eight in 2013. Prior to joining the firm, she was a seasoned television news producer in Phoenix, Arizona, the 12th largest television market in the country.

With nearly a decade of experience covering news and sports for KTVK-TV, she is an effective communicator with a strength for managing multiple priorities and projects. Jacqueline honed her skills field producing breaking news and special assignments during Super Bowls XLII and XLIII, wildfire reports and live election coverage. As a creative voice for clients, Jacqueline finds unique and effective ways to spread their messages through social and traditional media, and video production.

Jacqueline served as a mentor for the Cronkite Mentorship Program at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication where she graduated with honors. She is also a graduate of The Glass Leadership Institute, a nationally recognized young leadership development program for the Anti-Defamation League, and was a founding member of the Anti-Defamation League’s Young Leadership Board in Phoenix.

Email: [email protected]

Ron Ober

Ron Ober

Ron serves as the lead lobbyist for several of the firm’s largest clients and brings his expert strategic and tactical thinking to many of PDG’s efforts at the local, state, and federal levels. In fact, he finds himself at his best when solutions aren’t obvious and creativity is required.

As one of the youngest and most successful political minds in Arizona, Ron ran successful campaigns for retired U.S. Senator Dennis DeConcini at the local and federal levels and then became his chief of staff. By combining his deep knowledge of politics, policy, and the way government operates with his extensive experience as a developer in the private sector, Ron brings unique tools and perspectives to our clients.

Ron has served on many boards and commissions over the years including Central Arizona Shelter Services, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, and the Jewish Federation. He contributes significant personal time and effort into helping these and other organizations with fundraising and friend-raising which are both crucial needs. A proud graduate of the University of Arizona, Ron has fond memories of growing up in Tucson and still maintains strong roots in the community.

Email: [email protected]

Our Services

Lobbying and Advocacy

PDG offers an unparalleled team of experts at the state, local, federal and regulatory levels of government and are poised to deliver results. Our established team is skilled, experienced, and prepared to open doors of opportunity in all branches of government. Our relationships and understanding of how government works are unmatched and the results we achieve for clients are unrivaled.

Areas of expertise:

  • Federal transportation legislation
  • State health care legislation
  • Regulatory energy and water policy
  • Real estate legislation
  • Municipal legislation
  • State lands policy
  • Education policy
  • Public-private partnerships

Public Involvement

With decades of involvement in Arizona politics and community affairs, our team has the relationships necessary to plan and carry out effective grassroots and/or grasstops campaigns. While many experts rely upon only new wave communications techniques, we understand that personal relationships and face-to-face interaction are still paramount. PDG can blend both approaches and more effectively manage public opinion.

PDG has decades of experience in planning and organizing local, state, regional, national, and international political and issue-oriented meetings, town halls, workshops, symposia, and rallies. For almost ten years, PDG coordinated all regional workshops and international symposia for the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s brain science and technology development programs.

Areas of expertise:

  • Federal environmental policy support
  • Initiative and bond election campaigns
  • Planning and zoning scoping and outreach
  • Transportation planning and construction outreach
  • Renewable energy development

Strategic Communications

STRATEGY forty-eight specializes in the management of complex, long-term issues management and communications. Specializing in both traditional and social media, STRATEGY forty-eight focuses on a targeted approach tailored for each client to communicate its message, rather than a one-size-fits-all model. We recognize that our clients know their business better than we do so we spend time training our clients so they can identify potential stories for us and our team makes sure our clients know what to do if the media calls or shows up at their place of business.

Whether we are involved in advance of a crisis or when it occurs, STRATEGY forty-eight immediately assesses the situation and evaluates the client’s desired outcomes. We will also develop an overall plan, a crisis protocol and talking points that communicate the client’s message. If we are working with our client in advance of a crisis, we will produce a crisis binder that will contain the plan, protocol and hour one instructions.

Areas of expertise:

  • Media training for print, radio and television media outlets
  • Social media analysis and strategic planning
  • Video production support
  • Collateral materials development
  • Litigation support

Procurement Services

Our keen understanding of how government procures products and services enables PDG to identify and create opportunities to engage this massive and growing market. PDG provides valuable expertise at all stages of the local, county, state and federal governmental procurement process.

Areas of expertise:

  • Transportation projects
  • Mobile technology adoption
  • Health care services
  • Emergency services
  • Information systems
  • Public works projects
  • Agency management operation
  • Government agency efficiency

Policy Development Group
3636 N Central Ave
Suite 590
Phoenix, AZ 85012

Telephone: 602.274.4244
FAX: 602.274.8339
E-mail: [email protected]

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