The Firm

Christopher J. Hessler

Mr. Hessler has more than 15 years of state government and congressional experience during which time he managed environmental and energy policy issues for elected officials and corporate and non-profit clients. Mr. Hessler represents a diverse group of clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to non-profit policy organizations.

Previously, Mr. Hessler served as the Deputy Staff Director for the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. There he was the principle staff member for issues related to the Clean Air Act, global climate change and energy. He also participated in a broad range of activity related to many other environmental statutes as well as highway, water, and other infrastructure funding issues.

Prior to his service in the Senate, Mr. Hessler worked for Governor Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey as a Policy Advisor responsible for federal environmental and energy issues. Earlier he worked for Congressman Dick Zimmer (R-NJ) first as the field director on a successful underdog race for Congress and later as a Senior Legislative Assistant for science and technology. Mr. Hessler started his career as a consultant in the New Jersey public affairs firm of Holt, Ross, and Yulish, Inc. where he served clients including Ciba Geigy, Union Carbide, and McDonald’s Corp.

In both the private sector and public sector, Mr. Hessler has built a reputation for his expert knowledge of environmental law and his ability to forge solutions to politically thorny environmental and energy issues. He led and participated in successful efforts to amend the Clean Air and to develop and pass other federal legislation related to energy policy, environmental protection, and infrastructure development. chris.hessler@ajwgroup.com

Sarah M. Wade

Ms. Wade has more than 15 years experience working in state government, the private sector and the non-profit arena on public policy development, implementation and response. In particular, she has focused on the use of incentives and other market structures to achieve environmental, energy and economic objectives. Ms. Wade has significant experience in air quality issues; emissions trading for SOx, NOx, GHG; and in assisting private companies in developing and implementing emissions trading programs.

Most recently, Ms. Wade was the Director of the Keystone Center's Energy Program. She worked on several public policy facilitation projects including the Keystone Dialogue on Global Climate Change, Developing Best Practices in Cross-Border Emissions Trading for the Commission on Environmental Cooperation, and Assisting the Department of Energy in developing stakeholder groups and outreach plans for carbon sequestration in geologic formations. Prior to that post, as an economist for Environmental Defense, Ms. Wade worked with major multi-national companies to develop climate change programs and she worked to assess the performance of the Clean Air Act’s Acid Rain Trading Program; with the strategic consulting firm Hagler Bailly, Ms. Wade helped utility clients to comply with the acid rain program and she participated in the development and implementation of corporate strategy under electricity deregulation.

Ms. Wade started her career with jobs at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Quality Engineering and then the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. Ms. Wade completed graduate degrees in Public and Private Management and in Environmental Studies at Yale University.  sarah.wade@ajwgroup.com

Ted Michaels

Mr. Michaels has 15 years of experience in federal and state government affairs during which time he served on Capitol Hill and for trade associations representing both the public and private sectors. Prior to joining AJW, Mr. Michaels served for four years as President of the Energy Recovery Council (ERC), the national trade association representing the waste-to-energy industry. ERC promotes the use of waste-to-energy technology as a key component of community programs to manage solid waste. Mr. Michaels’ responsibilities included the legislative, regulatory, research, education, and technical services offered to ERC’s more than 50 members.

Prior to joining ERC, Mr. Michaels served for five years as the Staff Director of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Superfund and Waste Management, under the chairmanship of Senator Lincoln D. Chafee of Rhode Island. In this capacity, Mr. Michaels worked extensively on the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act, which was signed into law on January 11, 2002.

Prior to serving in the Senate, Mr. Michaels worked for five years as a Policy Analyst in the Natural Resources Group of the National Governors’ Association. In this capacity, he assisted in the development of policy positions adopted by the nation’s Governors and advocated on behalf of those positions.

Mr. Michaels received a Masters of Arts in American History from Fordham University and a Bachelors of Arts in History from Providence College. ted.michaels@ajwgroup.com

Michael Stafford

Michael Stafford has more than 30 years of professional experience including government relations, public affairs, communications, association management, marketing and strategic planning in a wide array of interest areas including energy, environment, health care and tax policy. Mr. Stafford has extensive experience in working with media consultants, survey researchers and public relations organizations in developing and directing national public affairs and communications campaigns. He has designed and directed numerous national, regional and state level government relations education, outreach and advocacy programs and related policy conferences and legislative workshops. Mr. Stafford served nearly a decade on Capitol Hill as Chief of Staff to Members serving on the House Committee on Ways and Means, Public Works and Transportation, and the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. In 1992, he served on the Clinton-Gore National Campaign Staff as Deputy Director of Research and Policy. Mr. Stafford attended George Washington University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and has a Bachelors of Arts in Banking and Finance from the University of Arkansas. mstafford@ajwgroup.com