Lobby Land

Lobby Land is excited to welcome Jason Damen to the show. 

Tune in as our host and Jason discuss growing up in Austin, his career path (including working with our host some 20+ years ago), his love of hunting, fly-fishing and much more. Jason is endlessly entertaining, as always.  He provides fun insight and perspective into what it means to work in the Capitol for a Senate Chairman, a freshman House member and the Governor.

We are excited to welcome Ben Stratmann (with two n’s) to the pod.

Ben has worked in politics for over 15 years. He’s done it all — been a bag man (if you don’t know what this is, then you definitely need to listen), ran successful campaigns, served as chief of staff and of course, now a lobbyist. We discuss all of this plus leadership, Ben’s amazing sense of direction, Soup Peddler favorites and golf.

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Lobby Land is excited to welcome Brandy Marquez to the show.
 
Hailing from San Antonio, Brandy has spent over two decades working in Texas politics.  She started her career as an intern in the Texas House of Representatives and worked her way to become Chief of Staff for former Governor Rick Perry, with several stops in-between. She also spent some time as a Commissioner at the Public Utility Commission. We talked about al...

We are excited to welcome Whitney Whitmire and Lindsay Munoz to Lobby Land.

This episode has it all. Whitney and Lindsay discuss their career paths, from their early days to their current venture together at Whitney Munoz LLC. The two discuss having a recognizable last name, being married to a rocket scientist, the amazingly kind capitol community, their love of Jason Bateman, and clogged shower drains…another typical Lob...

We are thrilled to welcome Deirdre Delisi to kick off Season Two of Lobby Land. 

Deirdre relives her first foray into politics on the first Lamar Alexander presidential campaign, her time working for Governor Rick Perry -- running one of his campaigns for Governor and working on his first presidential campaign -- and her tenure as Chairman of the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT). We also cover her experience in t...

Lobby Land is excited to welcome Jake Posey to the show. 

Tune in as Jake discusses growing up in a small southeast Texas town, his journey from business consulting to law school, and then on to the Capitol.  Jake and our host (who happen to have gone to high school together) also look back on an infamous senior trip. 

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We are excited to welcome Marsha Jones to Lobby Land.

Listen in as Lobby Land contributor Stephanie Simpson and Marsha discuss having generic last names, being part of the Capitol “humanity,” Marsha’s work with nuns, and some advice for all lobbyists. Marsha also covers being mistaken as Julia Roberts and her favorite cocktail.

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Lobby Land is excited to welcome Denise Rose to the pod this week.

Tune in to hear about Denise’s unconventional path from pre-med major to AmeriCorps, to law school, to lobbyist. Denise talks organic chemistry, dispenses advice for all lobbyists on how to stay sane and unplug, and of course, Denise and our host Stephanie Simpson discuss their favorite topic: wine.

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Lobby Land is pleased to welcome David Whitley to the show.

Hailing from Alice, Texas, David has over 15 years of service in state government, mostly working with Attorney General and now Governor Greg Abbott. Tune in to hear David discuss his tenure as Secretary of State, how being from a small town has shaped his approach to politics, and the importance of preserving relationships. We also discuss “Test Prep Guy,” being...

Lobby Land is excited to welcome Buddy Garcia to the show. 

Buddy has been working in politics for over 30 years. Come hear him talk about it all, and if you know Buddy, then you understand he can talk about it all. We discuss his time with Senator Lucio, Governor Perry, our time together at TCEQ and his work now. We talk about his family, share old TCEQ stories, and of course, backyard BBQ and beer.

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We are excited to welcome Amy Whited to Lobby Land.

Amy is a veteran campaign staffer and lobbyist. But she might be more known for the creation of Pink Granite and now the Pink Granite Foundation. Tune in to hear her discuss her journey from campaign staffer to city council staffer to lobbyist, as well as the creation of and her work at Pink Granite and all the stops in between.

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Lobby Land is happy to welcome Amy and Steve Bresnen to the pod.

Listen in to hear how these now veteran lobbyists got their start in the Capitol and how they work together as a married couple. We also discuss social media and  the local Austin camping ordinance. You don’t want to miss this.

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Lobby Land is excited to welcome Dr. Brian Smith to the pod. Brian is professor of political science and Associate Dean of the school of Behavioral and Social Sciences at St. Edward’s University in Austin.

Tune in to hear Brian discuss his path to becoming a tenured professor in political science. We also discuss growing up in the northeast, navigating the current political climate with his students, political commentatin...

Lobby Land is pleased to welcome Scott Stewart. Scott  is well known around the capitol after working in the House before becoming a lobbyist.

Tune in to hear about Scott’s path from a kinesiology major to a lobbyist for the American Council of Engineering Companies of Texas, and all the stops in between.  Scott talks about meeting his wife during a job interview, his love of history and sweaty donuts and warm orange juice...

Lobby Land welcomes Brian Yarbrough.

Brian is a Senior Principle at Erben & Yarbrough, which is an established governmental affairs consulting practice. Come hear Brian discuss his 20 plus years of working in and around the Capitol, his work on nuclear issues, his time doing campaign and ethics work for Governor Perry and his work with the Terry Foundation.

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Lobby Land is excited to present Power Hour, featuring electric industry veterans Michele Richmond, Katie Coleman, and Jason Ryan.

Electricity has been a major legislative focus since the February winter storm.  Tune in to hear these three experts discuss their path to becoming lobbyists, their experiences during the winter event, and their take on the most active electricity session in decades. We also discuss tips on tes...

Lobby Land is pleased to welcome Sam Gammage. Sam is well known around the capitol after working in the Senate, the House, and a state agency before becoming a lobbyist.

Tune in to hear about Sam’s path from a psychology major to a lobbyist for the Texas Chemical Council, and all the pit stops in between.  Sam tells us about being a "fly on the wall" as a Senate Messenger, and carrying car parts through the capit...

Lobby Land is excited to welcome JD Hale. 

JD is currently Director of Government Affairs with the Texas Association of Builders. Join us to hear about his career path from the piney woods of east Texas, to his time as a staffer in D.C. and Austin.  JD shares his thoughts on leadership, karaoke, shoveling manure, and former state Rep. Fred Head.

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Crystal Brown visits Lobby Land.  Crystal is a public policy advisor at Locke Lord. In 2021, Capitol Inside ranked her 58th in the state in its list of Hired Guns. In 2017, she was ranked No. 6 on Capitol Inside’s Rising Stars list.

Hear how Crystal transitioned from a House staffer to a lobbyist, what it's like to work for members from different parties, and the value of being diligent no matter what.  She also educ...