Our Firm
Carpi & Clay helps clients develop communications and legislative strategies that advance their public policy and business development objectives. We have extensive experience in representing clients in transportation and infrastructure, natural resources, environmental regulation, public finance, healthcare, housing and community development, safety and security, education, and international trade.
We are a hands-on team that values integrity, honesty, and hard work.
Team
Ken Carpi
David Wetmore
Julie Minerva
Laura Morgan-Kessler
Capabilities
Carpi & Clay has been providing strategic counsel and implementing effective government relations programs at the federal level for over 25 years.
Our success as federal advocates is grounded in a straight-forward and transparent process of developing and implementing realistic strategic plans that embrace each client’s unique profile. Equally important is our desire to establish and maintain productive communications that make you an integral part of the strategy and to ensure we are meeting your expectations.
We have broad experience in representing clients in transportation and infrastructure, natural resources, environmental regulation, public finance, healthcare, housing and community development, safety and security, education and international trade and commerce. Quite often it’s about acquiring designated federal funding for projects and programs. We have obtained millions in federal funding for our clients. But throughout our decades of experience, we have found sometimes it’s not all about the money. Often a legislative, regulatory or administrative change provides invaluable assistance to your policies, programs and objectives.
Clients
We have achieved unprecedented results for our clients, which include:
- Anchor QEA
- California Earthquake Authority
- California Independent Petroleum Association
- California Marine Affairs and Navigation Conference
- California Travel and Tourism Commission
- City of Anaheim
- City of Barstow
- City of Encinitas
- City of Newport Beach
- City of Norwalk
- City of Santa Barbara
- City of Vista
- County of Kern
- County of Los Angeles
- County of San Joaquin
- County of Tulare
- Indio Water Authority
- Long Beach Water Department
- Mission Springs Water District
- Morro Bay Harbor
- Multnomah County Drainage District
- National Association of Foster Grandparents
- Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District
- Packard Children’s Hospital
- Port of Long Beach
- Port of San Diego
- Port of Santa Cruz
- Port of Stockton
- Port San Luis Harbor District
- Sacramento Regional Transit District
- San Diego County Water Authority
- San Diego State University Research Foundation
- Santa Clara Valley Water District
- Sutter Butte Flood Control Agency
- Stanford Healthcare
- Town of Apple Valley
- Transbay Joint Powers Authority
- Ventura Port District
- Western States Tourism Policy Council
Ken Carpi
Ken Carpi manages the Carpi & Clay Washington, D.C. office and legislative activities. With more than 25 years of experience in the public sector, including more than 20 years at the federal level, he plays a major role in developing and implementing effective federal legislative and regulatory strategies. He directs a staff that works to craft successful approaches and develop strategic partnerships that meet, and often exceed, client expectations.
Under Ken’s leadership, the company has been in the forefront of public infrastructure, water resources, port operations, and transportation improvement efforts nationwide. The firm’s clients have benefited from hundreds of millions of dollars in federal appropriations for critical projects.
As legislative director for U.S. Senator Pete Wilson, Ken spearheaded and directed all legislative efforts on behalf of the nation’s largest state. He supervised a large professional staff focused on natural resources issues, transportation funding, housing, and public works projects – all of key importance to the legislative program. Ken also served as the Senior Policy Assistant to Pete Wilson during his tenure as Mayor of San Diego. Ken has a degree in Public Administration from San Diego State University and has completed graduate work in Urban Studies. He holds the rank of Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve.
Ken is also active in local Washington, D.C. civic affairs. He serves on the board of directors of Green Door, a non-profit provider of behavioral health services to over 1200 people in need.
David Wetmore
David Wetmore brings 25 years of hands-on government and Congressional relations experience to our clients along with a record of providing strategic guidance to elected officials on a bipartisan basis. His professional career in government service and private practice has been at the intersection of federal-state-local relations. His experience and expertise include the legislative process, public policy and issue management/development, and strategic planning and communications. David is a direct liaison to the Executive Branch, the Congress, the nation’s governors and their senior staff, industry representatives, trade associations, and corporate officers. He has actively participated in major federal legislation and regulatory decisions impacting states and local governments.
David joined Carpi & Clay in 2007 following twenty years in senior government positions and as director of a national trade association representing state officials. His leadership on behalf of our clients has produced notable success in securing funding, regulatory relief and legislative achievements in health care, defense, infrastructure, public lands management and research and development, to name a few. David is the only person to have served as the chief Washington, DC representative for two California governors, spanning eight years, working for Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger. As the State’s chief federal policy advisor, he was the frontline resource and liaison to California’s 55-Member Congressional delegation and the White house. He coordinated all aspects of California’s federal policy agenda and directed specific strategies that secured changes in federal law that achieved policy objectives and boosted California’s share of federal funds. Early on, David honed his local government experience and issue expertise as Senator Pete Wilson’s chief liaison to California’s state local government leaders and elected officials.
In addition to his California experience, David has 6 years’ experience directing all government relations and federal regulatory activities for a national association of public officials, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. In this capacity, he represented all the states’ elected and appointed insurance commissioners at the state, federal and international level on health care, tax policy, financial services legislation, catastrophe and terrorism risk insurance programs, and trade agreements.
David graduated with a double major in Political Science and French from San Diego State University. He is also a graduate of the Institute d’Etudes Politiques, Aix-en-Provence, France. David serves on the Board of Directors of the California State Society.
Julie Minerva
Julie Minerva has experience in assisting local government navigate federal policy and funding opportunities with a focus on large water and transportation infrastructure investments.
Her water infrastructure work covers all aspects of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ mission, including flood damage risk reduction, navigation, environmental restoration, shoreline protection and FUSRAP. She also has experience assisting clients with FEMA’s mapping process and the National Flood Insurance Program. At the national level she provided the Washington perspective from 2009 to 2010 on water resource issues as a monthly columnist for Floodplain Management and Liability Reporter. Julie got her start in the water infrastructure world as a legislative assistant for Congressman Robert T. Matsui of Sacramento, California, where her Capitol Hill service focused on securing an ultimate solution to Sacramento’s flood control needs.
Julie is also active in the transportation community and devotes a great deal of time to assisting clients achieve their transportation priorities. This includes an array of modes such as bus and rail transit and high-speed rail. She is coauthor of the New Starts Handbook – a guide for congressional staff navigating the Federal Transit Administration New Starts process – and provided extensive legislative research and analysis for a report on the Major Capital Project Pipeline for the American Public Transportation Association.
Julie’s local government clients look to her to develop and implement successful federal advocacy agendas. Her broader work for cities, counties and transit agencies and JPAs across the country ranges from law enforcement and public safety initiatives to the reuse of former military installations.
Laura Morgan-Kessler
Laura Morgan-Kessler has more than a decade of experience advocating for public entity and association clients on a wide range of issues including water quality and infrastructure, flood control, transportation, public safety, and the environment. She provides them with timely and strategic intelligence on Congressional and federal agency actions and helps develop and implement federal advocacy strategies to accomplish specific goals.
Laura is known for developing partnerships with clients, and her dedication to – and passion for – their issues has proven to be an effective combination for success. She maintains strong working relationships with Members of Congress and their staff, Congressional Committees, and federal agencies including the Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. She also works closely with national organizations such as the National Association of Counties, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the National League of Cities.
Previously, Laura spent time on Capitol Hill as a legislative staff member for Senator Dianne Feinstein. During her tenure with the Senator, she focused her efforts on issues of importance to Californians such as transportation, water, energy, and the environment. She also supported the Senator’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee portfolio.
A native of Southern California, Laura received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Wake Forest University. She and her husband live in Northern Virginia with their daughter.
Privacy Policy
At Carpi & Clay we respect and protect the privacy of our customers and those who use our website. The following Privacy Statement provides details about how your personal information is collected and used.
Information Collection and Use
Carpi & Clay is the sole owner of information collected on this site. We will not sell, share, or rent this information to others in ways different from what is disclosed in this statement.
Sharing and Usage
We will never share, sell, or rent your personal information with third parties for their promotional use. Occasionally, we enter into contracts with third parties so that they can assist us in servicing you. The contracts prohibit them from using any of your personal information for their own purposes, and they are required to maintain the confidentiality of the information we provide to them.
Links
Our site may provide links to third-party websites. Because Carpi & Clay does not control the information policies or practices of these third parties, you should review their privacy policies to learn more about how they collect and use personally identifiable information.
Notification of Changes
If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on www.carpiclay.com so our users are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it.