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Former Hogan official opens lobby office, Maryland Chamber of Commerce appoints vice president for government affairs

Former Hogan official opens lobby office, Maryland Chamber of Commerce appoints vice president for government affairs

A senior official of former Governor Larry Hogan (R) is starting a lobbying and consulting firm.

Jeanne Haddaway-Riccio joins forces with Robert Rauch to form R & R Solutions, a lobbying and consulting firm. The new firm will be led by four principals, including Haddaway-Riccio, Rauch, Ryan Snow and Jennifer Williams.

Haddaway-Riccio is a former Republican state delegate from the East Coast who served as Hogan’s deputy chief of staff for three years. She was later appointed by Hogan to serve as secretary of the Department of Natural Resources in 2019, a position she held until Hogan leaves office in 2023.

Rauch, a civil engineer, is chairman of the board of Rauch Inc. He also served on the Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland.

Former Secretary of Natural Resources Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio. File photo by Danielle E. Gaines.

Snow also held positions in the Hogan administration, including director of intergovernmental affairs. He also served as project manager for economic development and tourism in Talbot County. He currently works as a consultant specializing in economic development and infrastructure.

Williams, a former president of Talbot County Council, is a lawyer and real estate agent.

In a statement, Haddaway-Ricco said the company will focus on legislative advocacy, regulatory issues, grassroots mobilization, strategic consulting and grant writing.

“Our team’s deep knowledge of local, state and federal issues, combined with our strategic approach to advocacy, puts us in a unique position to create real change,” Haddaway-Riccio said in her statement. “We are committed to driving meaningful policy progress for the good of our state and our nation.”

Chamber hires Wiggins for government affairs

The Maryland Chamber of Commerce announced that it has named Grason Wiggins as its new vice president for government affairs.

Wiggins comes to the 7,000-member organization from lobbying firm Harris Jones & Malone, where he worked closely with lawmakers and the Moore administration on policies affecting the state’s economy, according to the chamber. Previously, he was senior manager of government affairs at the Maryland Multi-housing Association and director of legislative and regulatory affairs at the Maryland Department of Labor.

Wiggins holds a law degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law.

“His knowledge of Maryland’s legislative landscape makes him an ideal advocate for our members,” Chamber President and CEO Mary D. Kane said in a prepared statement. “Grason’s work will be critical to developing policies that strengthen our state’s economy and improve our communities.”

Wiggins replaces Andrew Griffin, who served as the chamber’s senior vice president for government relations for the past five years before leaving the chamber last week to join lobbying firm Providence Strategies.

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