Dusty Brighton Joins Stateside Associates

ARLINGTON, Va., March 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Stateside Associates, Inc. announced today that Dustin "Dusty" Brighton, MPA, currently Director of Government Relations for eBay, will join the firm this spring as a Vice President.

Mr. Brighton is a highly skilled state government relations professional with more than 22 years of consulting, advocacy, public sector sales, trade association management and administrative management experience.

He has served as a Senior Manager and Director of Government Relations for eBay (a Stateside client) since 2007 and previously worked as a Regional Director of Government Relations for Microsoft and as a Regional State Government Relations Manager for Wal-Mart. Mr. Brighton served as Chief Executive Officer of the Arkansas Gas Association and as Vice President of the Arkansas Grocers and Retail Merchants Association.

In his state government relations roles he has worked closely with internal public relations, tax and law enforcement professionals to ensure policy compliance and meet company goals and has lobbied directly in 25 state legislatures.

His experience includes working with state Attorneys General and Governors on behalf of his employers. While at eBay, Inc. he has worked closely with senior management to increase visibility with federal, state, and local elected officials, regulatory agencies, and their staff as well as developed industry-wide coalitions and managed significant projects on key issues.

In addition, he has organized, collaborated with and participated in lobbying teams to advance legislative and regulatory objectives and protected company interests from adverse public policy.

He has participated in and represented companies before trade associations and Groups such as the National Association of Attorneys General, National Governors Association, DLCC and RLCC.

He has been the recipient of numerous industry commendations and awards including:

• Performance awards at eBay, Inc. for State Government Affairs advocacy efforts
• Microsoft Commercial Software Initiative Award
• Microsoft Excellence in Education Award
• Citation from state Senate of Kentucky for efforts in hindering illegal child pornography on the Internet

Now in its 26^th year, Stateside continues to grow both in the diversity of client services and the depth of its issue management team. The firm experienced strong growth in 2013, inspiring the search for a senior issue manager.

"Dusty is exactly the professional we were looking for when we launched our search," stated Stateside President and CEO Constance Campanella. "His 360 degree experience in state and local government relations, his amazing work ethic and his superb management skills make him an ideal fit for Stateside. We have worked for him as our client for more than 13 years. He knows us very well and our clients are going to love the contributions he will make to their programs."

An Arkansas native, Mr. Brighton holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock.

Mr. Brighton may be reached at [email protected] after April 28, 2014.

Stateside Associates is the proven leader in state and local government relations. Since 1988, Stateside Associates has offered clients state, federal and local Issue Management, Legislative Monitoring, Regulatory Forecasting, Groups Program Management and Lobbyist Management, all of which are grounded in first-hand knowledge and based on serving clients' unique needs.

Given the large number of state and local elective offices on the ballot in 2014, Stateside recently launched a series of microsites dedicated to information and perspectives about incumbents, opponents and ballot questions. Visit www.2014governorsraces.com for more information.

Contact: Constance Campanella
Phone: 703-525-7466
Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Stateside Associates, Inc.