Client Successes
Repositioning to Unlock Funding
Shepherd Strategies helped MEVPAC secure a unanimous letter of support from the Trimble County Fiscal Court for its mobile EV power node, a critical step for unlocking state and federal grant funding. By reframing the project around infrastructure resilience and emergency preparedness, Shepherd built a compelling, unified case that won over local officials. With this milestone in hand, Shepherd and MEVPAC are now poised to replicate the strategy nationwide.
Protecting What Lives Below
The world’s leading AI-powered, expert-verified whale detection system has been deployed across global waters since 2020—logging over 300,000 whale detections, 300,000+ hours at sea, and 700,000+ nautical miles protected. Shepherd Strategies is engaged with this client to analyze active NOAA rulemaking, identify key stakeholders, and help position this proven technology within the policy conversations that will define how maritime operators meet their regulatory obligations going forward. The goal is straightforward: demonstrate that protecting whales and sustaining commerce are not competing priorities—they never had to be.
Support at a Local Level
Government strategy is so much more than federal policy and funding applications. One of the most important steps to success is simply showing up.
Our team had the honor of supporting Governor Kelly Ayotte as she toured New Hampshire this summer, visiting carnivals, concerts, and local businesses across the state. Watching a governor connect directly with the people and communities she serves (from the back of a farm truck at a rodeo to Main Street storefronts) is a reminder of what economic development looks like at its most human.
Tourism and small business are the economic backbone of states like New Hampshire. Shepherd Strategies is proud to support that work at the state level and beyond, building relationships, supporting local economies, and helping communities and the leaders who serve them move forward.
From Stigma to Legislation
When the nation’s oldest and largest UFO research network needed to be taken seriously in Washington, our team helped reframe the conversation, literally. Shifting the language from “UFO” to the more policy-appropriate “UAP” and building the bipartisan relationships necessary to drive federal action required considerable effort. Over three years, the team engaged more than 200 Members of Congress, dozens of committee staff, and 60 Senators, culminating in landmark provisions in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act requiring government investigation and record disclosure. It remains one of the most unconventional (and consequential) policy wins in the firm’s history.
Delivering Under Pressure
When a client had been given the runaround by other firms and couldn’t get in front of the right decision-makers, Shepherd Strategies delivered—securing eight senior Hill office meetings, a National Economic Council engagement, a Deputy Assistant Secretary meeting, and access to an invitation-only White House event in 48 hours. The difference wasn’t hustle. It was preparation, proven relationships, and a strategy built around clear, data-backed asks. That’s what it looks like when the right firm shows up for you in Washington.
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