H. Stewart (Stu) Van Scoyoc

Stu Van Scoyoc is Chief Executive Officer of Washington, D.C.’s largest independent government affairs group, the Van Scoyoc Companies. Starting in 1990 with only two other employees and eight clients, Stu has created an unparalleled team of 90 professionals serving more than 300 clients in their interaction with federal and state governments. His successful methodology combines an outside-the-beltway corporate approach with an insider’s expertise in government policymaking. National Journal says, “K Street colleagues consider Van Scoyoc a brainy Washington insider who sweats the details.”

The outstanding story about the Van Scoyoc Companies began in 1990 when Stu founded Van Scoyoc Associates (VSA) with a focus on congressional appropriations and taxation. VSA quickly developed more than twenty practice areas, ranging from agriculture, biotechnology, defense and education, to areas such as financial services, energy, homeland security, transportation and telecommunications.

In 1994, he established The Implementation Group (TIG) to provide professional assistance in the implementation and evaluation requirements of publicly funded programs. TIG specializes in opportunity identification and capture strategies for federal grants and contracts.

In 2000, Stu created Capitol Decisions, Inc. (CDI) to provide government relations and public affairs counsel in the specialties of health care, grassroots advocacy, and community development.

Finally, in 2002, Stu formed the law firm of Van Scoyoc Kelly PLLC (VSK) to be strategically allied with his other government affairs firms. VSK provides counsel for military and other government contractors, in addition to innovative legal solutions for acquisition, procurement and regulatory issues.

Stu’s consulting expertise is based on several career highlights. Prior to the establishment of the Van Scoyoc Companies, Stu was a founding partner of Winburn, Van Scoyoc & Hooper government relations firm. In addition, Van Scoyoc spent eight years as vice-president at the prestigious Charles Walker Associates, where he specialized in tax, energy, insurance and environmental matters.

Corporate experience is an invaluable part of understanding the client, and Van Scoyoc fortunately worked with some of the best at the DuPont Company. Stu first worked in various DuPont engineering assignments while earning his law degree at night from the University of Maryland. He then continued his career in DuPont’s Washington office working on a variety of legislative and regulatory issues.

While earning his Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Lehigh University in 1969, he also received the Alpha Phi Omega award for leadership and outstanding service to the University.

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Carol McDaid

Carol McDaid serves as Principal at Capitol Decisions, Inc. She brings to the firm over twenty years of federal legislative experience in Washington, representing business and nonprofit interests in health, employee benefit, telecommunications and related tax areas.

Before joining the firm, McDaid served for seven years as senior vice president at R. Duffy Wall & Associates, (RDWA) a Washington D.C.-based government relations consulting firm. At RDWA, she managed the health care practice and represented hospitals, providers, insurers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and cancer research interests. Prior to R. Duffy Wall & Associates, McDaid served as senior Washington representative at the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, and as a manager in the Employee Benefit Services Group of PriceWaterhouseCoopers Washington National Tax Service.

Currently, McDaid provides her clients with strategic legislative and public affairs consulting on issues that span the breadth of the health care delivery system, including Medicare, Medicaid and private sector reimbursement issues, emergency medical services, prescription drug coverage, Medicare supplemental health insurance, and other issues. She also assists clients with strategies to address services including universal service, E-911, WI-FI, health IT, telemedicine, and emergency services communications.

A North Carolina native, McDaid graduated from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia in 1982, where she majored in political science. The focus of her graduate work was in legislative affairs at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Her time is divided between Washington and Richmond, Virginia, where she lives with her husband and daughter.

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Holly Merbaum

Holly Merbaum serves as Legislative Assistant at Capitol Decisions, Inc. (CDI). Merbaum’s primary responsibilities include conducting research and coordinating advocacy efforts to help achieve CDI-clients’ legislative and regulatory objectives.

Prior to joining CDI, Merbaum interned for the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS). While at NOFAS, she designed and implemented an outreach campaign to create awareness among Wheaton College students about the risks associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Prior to her internship at NOFAS, Merbaum served as an intern at the Connecticut Attorney General’s office and the Washington, DC office of Senator Joseph I. Lieberman. During her internship in Senator Lieberman’s office Merbaum assisted staff by drafting constituent correspondence.

Formerly of Harwinton, Connecticut, Merbaum graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Wheaton College in Norton, MA in 2002.

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Gwendolyn O'Brien

Gwendolyn O’Brien serves as Manager, Government Relations at Capitol Decisions, Inc. (CDI), with a special focus on public affairs strategy for health care service providers. She creates and implements lobbying campaigns through advocacy and third-party coalition building. O’Brien complements these public affairs strategies by organizing and overseeing media events, press outreach, Internet-based legislative campaigns, and hands-on congressional site visits and legislative hearings with a special focus on U.S. drug policy and managed care issues.

O’Brien joined Capitol Decisions after advising the White House on social marketing and health promotion strategies for the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. For this White House campaign, she was one of two in-house consultants and facilitated all special communications to Director Barry R. McCaffrey. She also designed and implemented national outreach programs, conducted national media tours and carried out national press outreach on behalf of the Media Campaign. O’Brien designed and launched the country’s first Internet-based nationwide employee benefit program for drug prevention education within the workplace.

Before the White House assignment, O’Brien worked at R. Duffy Wall and Associates, a Washington, D.C.–based government relations firm in their health care practice. Her background also includes fundraising and development consulting for non-profit organizations, corporate event planning and new business strategy and development for both the service and publishing industries.

A native of the United States Virgin Islands, Gwen O’Brien received her bachelor of arts degree in English from the University of San Francisco in 1994.

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Jenna Denton

Jenna Denton joins Capitol Decisions, Inc. as legislative and administrative assistant to CDI Principal "J.R." Reskovac and Vice President Brook Simmons.

Prior to this, and following graduation from Elon University, Denton became office manager for the Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. During her tenure, she was promoted to operations assistant to the Clerk and then assistant to the Clerk. Her many responsibilities included working closely with the Clerk and with the House and Senate leadership offices on special projects.

Jenna graduated from Elon University, North Carolina, with a bachelor of arts degree in international relations.

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John "J.R." Reskovac

John Reskovac serves as a Principal of Capitol Decisions, Inc. (CDI). Reskovac represents various states and communities across the nation in their efforts to obtain federal appropriations for projects ranging across the entire spectrum of government. In some instances, he provides counsel and strategic planning to communities in their efforts to retain their neighboring military installations through the base closure process by maximizing an installation's mission potential and identifying the corresponding economic development opportunities the process provides. Reskovac also lobbies for a number of Fortune 500 corporations who have business before the federal government. In each of these roles, he has been directly involved in a number of successful economic and business development projects, emphasizing the key role private/public partnerships play in municipal and academic institutional growth.

Previously, Reskovac served as the Professional Staff Member assigned to the Military Installations and Facilities Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC). His duties on the subcommittee included assisting the Subcommittee Chairman with the annual authorization of more than $19 billion for military construction projects worldwide and conducting key oversight of the base closure process.

Reskovac graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts degree with General Honors in 1985 from the University of Oklahoma. He holds a Master's Degree in Legislative Affairs from the George Washington University, Washington, D.C. Reskovac currently serves as a Member of the National Advisory Board of the Carl Albert Research and Congressional Studies Center at the University of Oklahoma. He is Past President of the Oklahoma State Society.

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Brook Simmons

Brook Simmons serves as Vice President at Capitol Decisions, Inc. where he focuses on corporate representation, economic development, federal appropriations, and public affairs.

He joined CDI in September 2004, following a 12-year career as a high-ranking staff member in the Senate and House of Representatives.

Simmons most recently served as Legislative Director in the office of U.S. Senator Don Nickles of Oklahoma where he was a key strategist on legislative, media and political fronts.

In addition to managing the legislative and public relations staff for Nickles' personal office, Simmons also directed appropriations work and was instrumental in Senate leadership's media strategy during Nickles' tenure as Assistant Majority Leader.

During the 106th Congress, Simmons spearheaded the successful media campaigns to overturn job-killing federal ergonomics regulations and defeat health policy efforts that would have forced millions of Americans into the ranks of the uninsured.

In 1996, Simmons served as spokesman for Kentucky Congressman Ed Whitfield of the House Committee on Energy & Commerce in Washington and in Kentucky during Whitfield's bellwether re-election effort.

In 1995, Simmons directed media relations for the American Sportfishing Association -- a trade organization representing U.S. and foreign manufacturers of recreational fishing equipment and their partners in the conservation, boating, and resource management community.

Simmons is a native of Ardmore, Okla., and a 1989 graduate of the University of Oklahoma. He worked as a journalist before coming to Washington in 1991.

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