Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Well-Known Think Tank Heads Turn to Lobbying, Consulting

Two big names in the think tank world are turning to a new and likely more profitable career: lobbying and consulting.

One is Ed Feulner, the founder and former president of the Heritage Foundation, who will sit on the advisory board of a newly-created lobbying firm called Potomac International Partners.

The other is Michele Flournoy, co-founder and former CEO of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), who, along with several other former Obama Administration officials, is launching a strategic advisory firm called WestExec.  [Apparently, the firm will do no lobbying.]

In 2015, as CEO of CNAS, Flournoy was paid a salary of around $360,000.  In 2016, Feulner made around $200,000 as a trustee of Heritage.

As well-known figures with deep connections in Washington, the two will likely be able to help land big clients and generate large sums of money for their firms.

It will be interesting to see if Flournoy and Feulner bring in any clients who are donating to the think tanks they founded...