TFG Releases First Letter from the CEO

WASHINGTON, July 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ferguson Group, a leader in federal advocacy, consulting, and grants today released its first Letter from the CEO, Roger Gwinn. The Letter can be viewed and downloaded here on TFG's website.

This letter highlights the following:

• July 2022 marks TFG's 40th anniversary!
• TFG is growing. TFG brought on more staff to new positions this year than ever before.
• TFG prioritizes an inclusive work environment. TFG proudly offer competitive wages, extensive health and life insurance benefits, a strong retirement savings package, tuition stipends, and a combination of remote and in-person work scheduling that is highly flexible to staff needs. The firm also annually budgets funds for staff to spearhead their own firm innovation ideas.
• Stephanie Missert, TFG Principal, graduated from Johns Hopkins University with her Master of Arts in Government conducting her thesis research on the federal grant making process from the Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.
• TFG represented more public agencies in Washington, DC than any other advocacy firm in the nation for the second year in a row.
• Our clients won over $37 million in federal grant funding in Fiscal Year 2021 and secured over $54 million in FY22 earmarked funding for specific projects.

Roger Gwinn, TFG CEO, wrote to clients:

I'm excited to introduce TFG's Letter from the CEO where I will provide regular updates so you can get to know us better, see where our clients are achieving significant wins in their communities, and learn more about what we do. This first edition highlights the firm's greatest asset—our staff!

July 2022 marks our 40th anniversary! Since 1982, we've seen the communities we work with advance remarkably. I'm proud to see our team expand and am eager to show you what's in store for TFG and our clients going forward. Thank you for an incredible forty years!

P.S. Don't forget to visit our website and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

We hired more staff to new positions this year than ever before. Our new team members come from a wide breadth of backgrounds and their fresh perspectives are of enormous value to our work.

• Janet Atabansi
  Executive Assistant
• Chris Cummins
  Legislative and Policy Director
• Lane Dickson
  Principal
• Wyatt Fritz
  Research Assistant
• Kristen H. Long
  Grants Analyst
• Evan Sarnor
  Intern
• DeAndre' Smith
  Grants and Technology Project Coordinator
• Alexandra Yiannoutsos
  Communications Director

Our staff is our best asset. I highly value the contributions our staff make at the firm and in the communities where we work every day. Over two-thirds of our management and stockholders are women and individuals from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. It is my priority to create a work environment at TFG that is inclusive of broad backgrounds, expertise, and experiences at all levels. Doing so brings in varied perspectives and ideas firmwide, helps us better serve our diverse client base, and is the right thing to do.

For all our staff, we proudly offer competitive wages, extensive health and life insurance benefits, a strong retirement savings package, tuition stipends, and a combination of remote and in-person work scheduling that is highly flexible to staff needs. TFG provides maternity and paternity leave, and it has been a privilege to see many members of our staff start and  grow their families throughout the years. TFG also works to create a platform for growth and advancement. We not only encourage new ideas, but annually budget funds for staff to spearhead their own firm innovation ideas.

Every member of our team seeks out learning opportunities in a variety of ways and I'm pleased to highlight one of our member's Master's degree program completion in the last year! Congratulations, Stephanie!

Stephanie Missert

TFG Principal

Stephanie graduated from Johns Hopkins University with her Master of Arts in Government conducting her thesis research on the federal grant making process from the Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. Not only did Stephanie graduate with Highest Distinction from the program for receiving an A or better in all coursework and honors on her thesis, but she was also awarded the William F. Clinger, Jr. Award, which is presented annually to a student for an outstanding thesis in the topic of institutional or representative government.

"I learned so much during my time studying at Johns Hopkins. Being well into my career, I used my knowledge and experience and applied it to the academic study of democratic governance in a real and meaningful way. It gave me an opportunity to analyze and investigate critical issues affecting public entities, like issues in the federal grantmaking system, and produce academic studies highlighting challenges that are currently overlooked by the legislative and executive branches of government. Now, I get to apply everything I learned from some of the nation's leading academics in political science and government to my work, which is incredibly exciting." ~ Stephanie Missert

One of our greatest achievements over the last forty years as a firm has been retaining our staff while fostering an environment conducive to new talent and growth. Seven members of our team have been with us for over fifteen years! It has been an honor to not only see them grow professionally and into positions of leadership, but also celebrate their engagements, welcome their children, toast their new homes, and delight over their new pets.

Most importantly, TFG has worked hard to maintain decades-long relationships with our clients, leveraging our networks on Capitol Hill and constantly innovating our strategies to be ahead of the curve. For the second year in a row, we represented more public agencies in Washington, DC than any other advocacy firm in the nation. Notably, our clients won over $37 million in federal grant funding in Fiscal Year 2021 and secured over $54 million in FY22 earmarked funding for specific projects. Along with legislative and regulatory accomplishments on behalf of our clients, this funding will have a direct impact on communities across the country.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to impact our nation and local communities over the past year. As the challenges continued, we worked with our clients to address their needs and understand the support coming from Washington. In response to the historic opportunity presented by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) passed in November 2021, we successfully advocated for the inclusion of client priorities in the package to ensure our clients have as much direct access to that funding as possible. Furthermore, we responded to this new opportunity by more than doubling our grants team and continue to recruit to meet the rising need.

I look forward to highlighting the incredible work our clients are doing in their communities in the next edition my letter. Thank you for joining me!

Contact: Alexandra Yiannoutsos, The Ferguson Group, Phone: (202) 331-8500, [email protected]

SOURCE The Ferguson Group, LLC