Led by CEO Steve Scofes, our professionals possess decades of combined experience working with key Michigan legislators of both political parties as well as legislators on Capitol Hill. Their reputation—as a firm and as individuals—is as valuable an asset as the collective knowledge, resources, and expertise they put at every client’s disposal. Stephen G. Scofes - Chairman/CEO Elise A. Lancaster - Senior Director for Government Affairs & Public Sector Procurement Roland Harmes - Senior Director for Environmental and Energy Affairs Teresa Baker - Director for Communications and Legislative Affairs Reggie Ball (Of Counsel) - Senior Director for Public Safety / Information and Technology George S. Scofes - Consultant / Special Projects Manager Linda K. Pung - Executive Assistant Sam Boumis - Legal Counsel / Lobbying Advocate and Liaison Dan Gustafson (Of Counsel) Daniel M. Schuster - Consultant    Stephen G. Scofes Stephen G. Scofes is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Scofes & Associates Consulting, Inc. He has been in the governmental affairs process since 1983. Mr. Scofes has had a distinguished career in the legislative, business development and association field. He began his career as Director of Governmental Affairs and Dental Care Programs at the Michigan Dental Association. He then moved on to direct the Highway Users Federation as its Regional Director of Governmental Affairs for Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and on Capitol Hill, which led him to head up the Governmental Affairs Division for the Michigan Merchants Council for seven years that led to the formation and partnership of Government Policy Consultants where he served as Partner/President prior to forming Scofes & Associates in 1995. Mr. Scofes’ primary areas of expertise include legislative and political strategy, as well as business development, providing clients a sound strategy in the procurement of local, state, and federal contracts. He currently represents and has represented some of the largest companies in the United States. Those companies include Toyota, Kroger, Koch, Eli Lilly, Nascar, Donald Trump, Sprint, Baxter, and has included work in the areas of tax, environment, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, gaming, and transportation. Mr. Scofes and his firm have posted some major returns for its clients over the past 15 years, resulting in their continuing loyalty to Scofes & Associates and its abilities. In 2006, Scofes & Associates was successful working on behalf of its clients on two of the three top issues in the state of Michigan; the Toyota land sale and Michigan International Speedway/ISC, Transportation Infrastructure. These two issues were not only very important to S&A’s clients, but vital to Michigan’s economy. Mr. Scofes’ reputation and abilities caught the attention of three former cabinet members of President Clinton--James Lee Witt, General Wesley Clark, and Rodney Slater, former Secretaries of FEMA, Transportation and the board of NATO, respectively. Mr. Scofes was retained by James Lee Witt Associates to help provide its business opportunities throughout the country in the areas of Emergency Preparation, Urgent 911 and disaster recovery. General Wesley Clark and Mr. Scofes have formed a partnership to represent U.S. and international companies within the Congress and the Department of Defense in helping consult those companies in the military procurement process. In 1993, Mr. Scofes was voted the number one, single interest lobbyist in the state of Michigan by legislators, administrative staff, and the news media. He was also rated as one of the top 20 best lobbyists in Michigan. In the 2001 Inside Michigan Politics lobbyist rankings, Mr. Scofes ranked fourth out of 1,300 individual lobbyists; and under the ranking with the most positive ratings, he ranked number two. In 2006, Mr. Scofes was again rated as one of Michigan’s top ten individual lobbyists and was also listed in the national publication, ABL [America’s Best Lobbyists]. Additionally, the prestigious Crain’s Detroit Business publication has ranked Scofes & Associates in the top seven lobbying firms for the last ten years, consecutively. Mr. Scofes was also chosen by Lansing Magazine as one of Michigan's most influential people in the legislative arena. He has a BA in telecommunications and political science from Arizona State University. Mr. Scofes' civic and professional boards include Michigan Capital Medical Center, Area Eight Special Olympics, Joe Dumars Children's Hospital Foundation, Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Foundation, the Matthew Kelly Foundation, Ele’s Place Foundation for grieving children. email: Steve@ScofesConsulting.com Elise A. Lancaster Prior to her recent appointment as Senior Director for Governmental Affairs & Public Sector Procurement at Scofes & Associates Consulting, Inc., Elise A. Lancaster worked as a consultant to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation's (MEDC) Defense Contracting Center.  She helped businesses understand how to identify, bid on, and win government contracts, primarily within the defense industry, and collaborated with state and federal government officials to help create and improve supply chains for access to government contract programs.  She also served as the MEDC’s Liaison to Michigan’s state-wide network of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers. Prior to consulting, Lancaster served as the Director of Purchasing Operations for the Michigan Department of Management and Budget (DMB), the buying agent for the State of Michigan.  She ensured a welcoming and fair environment for vendors to bid on state contracts while demanding aggressive competition with best value for the State.  As Purchasing Director, she oversaw and managed a diverse portfolio of over 2,200 contracts valued at more than $23 billion. She worked closely with all state agency procurement staff and executives to understand their contracting needs, and served as a liaison with the State Administrative Board in their role in approving contracts.  She met frequently with vendors to discuss specific contracts of interest and the procurement process in general.  She was elected by her peers nationwide to serve on the Board of Directors of the National Association of State Purchasing Officials (NASPO), a professional association dedicated to public purchasing integrity and efficiency, and she chaired the State and Federal Relations Committee.  She continues to participate in NASPO as an Honorary Member. Prior to joining Purchasing Operations, Ms. Lancaster was a Government Relations Professional with Dykema Gossett, PLLC, in Lansing.  She lobbied before the Michigan Legislature, Michigan regulatory agencies, and the Executive Office on behalf of clients.  Areas of focus included public purchasing, education, health, municipal, and gaming issues. Prior to joining Dykema Gossett, Ms. Lancaster was Director of Constituent Services for Governor Jennifer M. Granholm.  In this role, she worked closely with state departments, government agencies and other Executive Office divisions to ensure that the Governor’s office was accessible and responsive to the needs of the public. Before joining the Governor’s office, Ms. Lancaster served eight years as Chief of Staff to State Senator Gary C. Peters of Oakland County, Michigan.  She worked on a broad range of legislative issues, particularly those of concern to the health, judiciary, education, and finance committees. Federal government experience includes serving seven years as a Regional Director for United States Senator Donald W. Riegle, Jr, where she focused on community and economic development issues.  Ms. Lancaster also spent two years on Capitol Hill as a legislative assistant, and worked as Program Coordinator for the Michigan Political Leadership Program at Michigan State University. Ms. Lancaster has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. Email:  Elise@ScofesConsulting.com       Teresa Baker Prior to her appointment as Director of Communications and Legislative Affairs at Scofes & Associates Consulting, Inc., Teresa Baker worked for the Michigan House of Representatives for five years as Legislative Assistant to State Representative Brenda Clack. Ms. Baker has extensive experience in the public policy areas of Education and Human Services. While working for the Michigan House of Representatives, she served as the legislative point person for House Standing Committees for both Education and Families and Children's Services.  Ms. Baker is a graduate of Central Michigan University where she received her Bachelor's in Political Science and Master's in Public Administration.  She lives in Southfield with her husband, David. email: Teresa@ScofesConsulting.com     Roland "Rollie" Harmes Roland Harme is Senior Director for Environmental and Energy Affairs at Scofes & Associates Consulting, Inc. Mr. Harmes has over 30 years of experience with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources where he served as Director from 1991 to 1995, Division Chief of the Real Estate Division from 1981 to 1991, Acquisition Supervisor of the Lands Division from 1976 to 1980, Review Appraiser of the Lands Division from 1975 to 1976, and Land Appraiser of the Lands Division from 1965 to 1975. Prior to that he served as a Forester for the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks from 1964 to 1965. Mr. Harmes has extensive knowledge of federal, state, and local government regulations; real estate law; and the federal and state legislative processes. He has vast experience in working with Congress, state legislators, and local units of government in soliciting support for state environmental and natural resource projects including expansion, development, and mitigation. Mr. Harmes is a graduate of Michigan Technological University where he received his BS in Forestry in 1964. Mr. Harmes resides in Okemos. email: Rollie@ScofesConsulting.com     Reggie Ball (Of Counsel) Reggie Ball (OC) is the Senior Director for Public Safety / Information and Technology for Scofes & Associates Consulting, Inc's Detroit office. He also consults to major corporations throughout the country in the areas of Homeland, corporate, and personal security. Mr. Ball spent 22 years in the profession of international security and law enforcement within the United States Secret Service. He retired in 1997 as the Assistant to the Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service Detroit Field Office. While working for the Secret Service, Mr. Ball was accountable for a number of responsibilities including the coordination of the advance security at the World Economic Summit for the President of the United States with senior foreign national security organizations. He also led the security detail for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Mr. Ball has had extensive experience in the areas of Homeland Security. He served in the Secret Service from 1975-1997 and was a part of the Presidential Protective Division. Also while serving in the Secret Service in Washington D.C., he served as the Counter Assault Team Leader. In the Michigan area, he was a member of the Ann Arbor Police Department from 1973-1975. In Detroit, he served as a Special Agent in the Criminal Investigator Detroit Field Office, as well as the Assistant to the Special Agent in Charge. Mr. Ball is a member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, as well as a member of the University of Michigan M Club and Dugout Club. email: Reggie@ScofesConsulting.com   Sam Boumis Sam Boumis is our In-house Legal Counsel at Scofes & Associates Consulting, Inc. He also acts as a Lobbying Advocate and Liaison for our clients. Prior to joining S&A, Mr. Boumis worked as an Attorney for Abro P.C., a Farmington Hills law practice. While in Law School, he worked as a Law Clerk for Church, Kritselis & Wyble, P.C., a Lansing based law practice. He has also clerked for the Michigan Supreme Court under the auspices of Justice Elizabeth Weaver. Mr. Boumis is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor. He also holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Western Michigan University. While earning his Masters Degree, he worked for the Lansing Police Department's Public Information Officer Division as a civilian Relations Advisor. He also interned as a Crime Analyst for the Michigan State Police's Criminal Justice Information Center. In addition to being Legal Counsel and a Lobbying Advocate at S&A, Mr. Boumis acts as a Liaison with Greek businesses, government entities, and individuals. He is fluent in the Greek language and grammar. email:  Sam@ScofesConsulting.com   Linda K. Pung Linda K. Pung is Executive Assistant at Scofes & Associates Consulting, Inc. She performs office management, administrative support, and scheduling functions. Ms. Pung served in state government for 28 years prior to joining S&A. Her previous positions included Senior Executive Management Assistant to the Deputy Director for Programs and Regulations at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Executive Secretary to the Chief of the DEQ’s Waste Management Division, Secretary to the Director of the Office of the Great Lakes in the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Secretary to the DNR Legislative Liaison, and Secretary to Governor James Blanchard’s Environmental and Agricultural Advisors. Ms. Pung resides in Dewitt with her husband, Dale, and daughter, Tori. email: Linda@ScofesConsulting.com   George S. Scofes George S. Scofes is a Consultant/Special Projects Manager for Scofes & Associates Consulting, Inc. He handles projects with the Liquor Control Commission; the Department of Community Health’s WIC [Women, Infants, and Children] Program; Food Stamps; Lottery Commission, and assists with international clients. Mr. Scofes brings a solid and varied business experience that included owning and operating his own restaurants and entertainment businesses. He served as the Food Service Director for the Michigan Department of Corrections for ten years. He also served as Sales Agent for commercial and residential properties. From 1989 to the present, he has been consulting in the Food and Beverage Industry and has lectured at Michigan State University ’s School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management. He served in the United States Air Force and the Michigan Air National Guard as a Commissioned Officer. Mr. Scofes' civic and professional associations are abundant--including Kiwanis International and Masonic Lodge #33 of Lansing, Michigan. He founded and started the South Lansing Business Association and served as its President. He was a member of the Greater Lansing Chamber of Commerce; a member of the Restaurant Association - National, State and Local and served as President of Local and Board of Directors of State; was a Member of the Michigan State University Presidents Club, Honorary Coaches, and Alumini Association. Mr. Scofes is an Honorary Member of the Commander's Club of Michigan under the Michigan Naval Militia and serves on its Board of Directors. He is a member of Lansing Eastern High School "Alumni Foundation" Founders Group, and serves on its Board of Directors and Retired Officers Association - National and Local. Mr. Scofes lives in Okemos with his wife, Georgia. email: George@ScofesConsulting.com    Dan Gustafson (Of Counsel)    Mr. Gustafson is a former legislator in the Michigan House of Representatives.  He served first as the Chairman of the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, and then as Executive Director of the Michigan Gaming Control Board. Both regulatory agencies required the interpretation and implementation of the controlling legislative acts and their corresponding administrative rules. He guided these agencies with the understanding that the state was a partner with their customers and worked to find solutions to problems facing industry players. Daniel M. Schuster (Consultant) Daniel M. Schuster is a consultant to Scofes & Associates Consulting, Inc. He has been instrumental in working with S&A to bring Italian companies to the United States market. Mr. Schuster was appointed consultant for the Italian Government by Frank D. Stella, President of the National Italian American Foundation in 1997. Since 1999, he has been on the advisory board of the Institute for Diversity in Business Services, an institute of Eastern Michigan University. Mr. Schuster was appointed Advisor for Fiat in Afghanastan in 2002, and in 2003 was appointed Advisor for International Relations of the Ministry of Public Works in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Light Industries and Food Stuff in Afghanistan, and the Afghanistan Ministry of Frontiers.