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Marda Robillard
Marda Robillard specializes in the most important area of federal government relations: people. After spending nearly 30 years working in Washington and for some of the most significant members of Congress, Ms. Robillard knows whom to see to get things done.

“It’s what I do best,’ she said, “helping people find the right people.”

Since 2007, Ms. Robillard has been a vice president at Van Scoyoc Associates, Inc., representing clients in such varied fields as telecommunications and pharmaceuticals. But the key to her success, regardless of topic, is her encyclopedic knowledge of Washington’s movers and shakers.

“I’m fortunate to have good friends on both sides of the political aisle. It’s all about building relationships,” she said.

Coming from Michigan to Washington, Ms. Robillard worked side-by-side with the titans of that important state’s delegation, including Sen. Carl Levin, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, former-Rep. Howard Wolpe, a scholar as well as legislator, and Rep. John Dingell, the dean of the House of Representatives and one of the most powerful men in Congress.

After helping with Sen. Levin’s successful run for office in 1978-1979, Ms. Robillard helped set up his state offices and then shared media relations duties in Washington for seven years. Moving to the role of chief of staff, she ran Rep. Wolpe’s office from 1987-1993, as the congressman was establishing his credentials as one of the House’s foremost foreign affairs experts, especially regarding Africa.

She continued as chief of staff for Rep. Dingell for another seven years, coordinating and directing all of his staff’s activities, developing policy, working with Michigan business leaders, and frequently standing in for the congressman.

As chairman of the House Commerce and Energy Committee, Rep. Dingell has oversight of virtually every company and interest group doing business with the federal government — a power the congressman has shown no reluctance to wield.

After her rich career in Congress, Ms. Robillard continued working on Capitol Hill as a Washington representative for two important but different organizations. She was senior vice president in charge of government relations for Sun Healthcare Group, Inc., a nursing home corporation with facilities in 25 states. Later, she served as assistant vice president for federal affairs for Wayne State University, lobbying on behalf of this 33,000-student urban research university in her home state.

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