The Potomac Alliance team members bring the insight and strategies that come from decades of experience in the legislative, regulatory, and communications arena.
Kevin McMahon - Managing Director
Kevin McMahon concentrates on serving clients in the fields of transportation, energy, manufacturing, and international trade. He has over two decades of experience representing corporations and business organizations before Congress, the Executive Branch, and state governments. McMahon has developed an expertise in legislative and regulatory affairs, public policy analysis, and strategic communications.
Prior to joining The Potomac Alliance, McMahon was a partner at a large law firm. He also served as vice president of government affairs for a Fortune 500 company – representing its interests in Washington for 14 years. He began his career as Legal Counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where his areas of responsibility included: commercial law, antitrust, bankruptcy, product liability law, and other civil justice issues.
As a recognized public policy expert, McMahon was appointed by both President Clinton and President Bush to serve on the Auto Parts Advisory Committee (APAC). He is an advocate for tort reform at the state and federal level and served as chairman of the American Tort Reform Association and remains active with this organization. McMahon is also an advocate for enhanced vehicle & occupant safety. In recognition of his commitment to auto safety, he was awarded the Public Relations Society of America “Silver Anvil” award, which acknowledges outstanding political advocacy campaigns.
McMahon completed his undergraduate studies in political science at the University of California. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law.
Scott Lane
Scott Lane concentrates on serving clients in the fields of transportation, international trade, energy and environment. He has been actively involved in the legislative process at the federal level for over 25 years and currently advises companies on a wide range of public policy matters.
Prior to The Potomac Alliance, Lane served as vice president of government relations for an international trade association where he lobbied on a variety of issues impacting the transportation industry such as energy, taxes, and trade before Congress, the White House, and key federal agencies. He also served another auto industry trade association as director of legislative affairs.
Active in national politics, Lane served as managing director of vice presidential operations for the 2001 Presidential Inaugural Committee. He has advised and assisted numerous political campaigns, including the 1996 and 1988 Dole Presidential campaigns, the 1984 Reagan/Bush presidential campaign, and the Baker presidential campaign in 1980.
Lane completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. He earned a Masters of Arts of Communications with an emphasis in Politics and Persuasion and a Bachelor of Arts in Diplomacy and World Affairs.
David Kelly
David Kelly has spent his career making the nation’s roadways safer. As the former Acting Administrator and Chief of Staff to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), he was instrumental in executing proven traffic safety strategies to increase safety belt use, decrease drunk driving, and mobilize law enforcement. Kelly also provided counsel and direction during the development of major NHTSA rulemakings on vehicle safety and fuel economy. He has testified before Congress on numerous occasions and appeared extensively in media forums.
As a professional with The Potomac Alliance, Kelly works directly with other team members to provide clients with both strategic guidance and hands-on advocacy on Capitol Hill and throughout the Executive Branch with a specific focus on transportation and energy sector matters. As former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Government Affairs for U.S. Department of Transportation for Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, Kelly negotiated with Congress on the Highway Reauthorization bill, which was passed and signed into law. He was also instrumental in working with Congress, Governors and local elected officials on the Secretary’s key safety priorities. Prior to joining the Administration, he was the Director of the National Safety Council’s Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign, a national model for public-private partnerships.
Along with The Potomac Alliance government affairs team, David Kelly provides critical assistance to clients navigating complex federal regulations, highway reauthorization, and safety compliance matters.
Michael G. Jackson
Michael Jackson concentrates on serving clients in California before federal, state, and local elected/appointed offices on a wide variety of public policy and regulatory issues including transportation and infrastructure, environment, manufacturing, and general business issues. He has over two decades of experience in Fortune 100 corporate government relations activities in both Washington, D.C. and California.
Prior to joining The Potomac Alliance, Jackson oversaw all of The Boeing Company’s California Government Relations legislative and political interests for over 10 years. He established the company’s presence as the state’s largest private manufacturing employer through an elaborate network of state and local business trade associations, subcontractors and suppliers, labor unions, and other third-party advocacy partners. Before Boeing, Jackson spent 15 years representing federal, state, and local government relations for TRW, Inc. in Washington, D.C. and California on complex legislative and regulatory issues.
Jackson’s extensive experience in California legislative and political affairs provides the Alliance with a well-recognized, bipartisan, and balanced approach in dealing with one of the country’s most challenging political environments. He obtained a Masters Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in History and English from California State University, Chico.
John Creamer
John Creamer provides The Potomac Alliance and its clients with unique capabilities in global business and public policy development. During his career, Creamer has lived and worked in Washington, New York, Tokyo, Brussels, and Paris. Creamer has held positions with the U.S. International Trade Commission, as the representative of the U.S. automotive supplier industry in Japan, and as a senior planning and development executive with a Fortune 500 corporation.
As a result, Creamer brings a 360 -degree perspective in leveraging public policy objectives to enhance global business growth, whether by channeling trade frictions to generate billions in new sales or aligning R&D programming and government objectives to energize the commercialization of new products and technologies.
Creamer’s global experience in government and industry enable him to appreciate and respect the goals and perspectives of these players and make him particularly adept at finding mutually satisfactory solutions that meet the short-term needs of clients while serving their long-term interests.
Creamer’s extensive cross-cultural experience and multilingual fluency helps clients navigate the complex regulatory and legislative environments of Brussels and Geneva, including in the development of European Commission Directives and in United Nations conventions for global regulatory harmonization.
Robert Gosselink
Rob Gosselink is a trade lawyer with over 15 years of experience in antidumping and countervailing duty trade law matters. In particular, he assists manufacturers and exporters in Asian countries comply with U.S. antidumping laws and regulations. Additionally, he has previously represented steel, fertilizer, agriculture, and food processing companies in China, the Ukraine, Russia, and Mexico.
Gosselink is also well-suited to represent U.S.-based companies seeking to enter China, through joint venture agreements, direct investments, or other methods. He routinely represents clients before trade-related U.S. government administrative agencies and courts.
Gosselink is a graduate of Oberlin College, Tufts University, and the Boston College School of Law.
Ann Browning
Ann Browning is an election law expert and a seasoned political operative in California. She focuses on legislative and regulatory issues arising in California that impact the business community. She has been involved with several political campaigns and has provided campaign finance guidance to federal and state candidates across the country. Ann is an active participant in the Republican National Lawyers Association, and provided professional services to the Board of Directors of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. Ann has held significant positions on every presidential election campaign in California over the last 20 years.