People

James H. Davidson

For nearly two decades, Jim Davidson has helped companies and business associations define and achieve their goals in the legislative and regulatory arenas of the federal government. Prior to founding Davidson & Company, Mr. Davidson’s service on Capitol Hill included Chief Counsel and Staff Director for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative Practice and Procedure and Chief Counsel of the Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations. Among his legislative achievements he was the principal staff author of the federal Privacy Act. He also helped enact legislation reorganizing the Department of Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, amendments to the Freedom of Information Act, the Regulatory Flexibility Act, and rules to create the Senate Intelligence Oversight Committee. Mr. Davidson also oversaw legislation to reform the federal agency regulatory process.

Mr. Davidson’s Capitol Hill service was recognized in a chapter of Unelected Representatives: Congressional Staff and the Future of Representative Government. He was Special Assistant and Press Secretary to Missouri Senator Stuart Symington, Administrative Assistant and Acting Deputy to Missouri Secretary of State James C. Kirkpatrick. He also was editor of the Fredericktown (Missouri) Democrat News.

Mr. Davidson is a graduate of the University of Missouri Schools of Journalism and Law, and served as an adjunct Professor of Law at the American University School of Law. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar, the Missouri Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. He was a Fellow of the American Council on Germany and was a Conferee at the Chief Justice Earl Warren Conference on Advocacy at the University of Virginia.

Mr. Davidson is the author of “A Publisher’s Guide to Tax Reform,” which appeared in Folio magazine. He was described by Broadcasting & Cable magazine as heading an outside firm that provides “extra political firepower” to the National Association of Broadcasters.

Martin Frost

Former Congressman Martin Frost is a shareholder in Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus and works directly with Davidson & Company. Mr. Frost is a keen observer of national politics who held a number of leadership positions in the House of Representatives, and was the Ranking Member of the Committee on Rules and previously had been the Chairman of the Democratic Caucus, the third highest leadership post.

From 1979-2005, Mr. Frost served in Congress, representing the Dallas-Fort Worth area in north Texas. During the 1996 and 1998 election cycles, Mr. Frost was the Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, helping his party to a net gain of 14 House seats.

An innovative lawmaker with the ability to craft bipartisan legislation, Mr. Frost is a co-author of both the privacy provisions in the landmark financial industry deregulation statute, the 1999 Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and the 1992 Industrial Base and Defense Conversion Act, which enabled communities and individuals to respond to the downsizing of the defense industry. Mr. Frost was also the author of the National Amber Alert law that helps find children victimized by predators. From 1990-95, he also chaired a special House Task Force established to help Eastern and Central European nations transition to democracy after the fall of the Soviet Union. He has continued democracy-building efforts through work with the National Democratic Institute. He was also co-chair with former Rep. Jennifer Dunn, R- Wash., of the Bipartisan Working Group on Youth Violence and a co-chair with former Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Calif., of a bipartisan working group on continuity of government, which examined ways to ensure the continued operation of the federal government after a terrorist attack or a natural disaster.

Mr. Frost appears regularly on Fox News as a political commentator and writes a column for the Fox News Web site. He was a fellow at the Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University for the fall 2005 semester and was named a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in January of 2006.

Mr. Frost is a Member of the Texas and District of Columbia Bars and a former practicing lawyer in Dallas. A graduate of the Georgetown Law Center, where he was a member of the law review, he clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Sarah T. Hughes of the Northern District of Texas. Mr. Frost is a graduate of the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Journalism degree. After journalism school, Mr. Frost worked as a reporter for the Wilmington (DE) News-Journal and Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report in Washington before going to law school.

Anita Estell

Anita Estell is considered a pioneer among lobbyists in Washington, D.C. Ms. Estell was the first African American woman partner to be hired by a major independent lobbying firm in the nation’s Capital. As a principal at Polsinelli, Ms. Estell is responsible for client development and managing annually more than $1 billion in project requests for municipalities, state agencies, transportation systems, urban school districts, corporate entities, the nation’s predominantly and Historically Black Colleges and Universities, other institutions of higher education, national coalitions and some small nonprofits. Duties include interfacing with high-ranking administration officials and staff, members of congress and their staff; researching, drafting and submission of legislative/appropriations recommendations, colloquies, white papers, and testimony; and orchestrating necessary Hill, White House and government agency contacts. Areas of expertise include appropriations generally, with a focus on issues related to community development, criminal justice, defense, education (elementary, secondary and higher education), environment, minority health, HIV/AIDS, homeland security, international development, science and technology, transportation and federal contracting/grant opportunities. Other strengths include facilitation of public/private collaborative and grassroots advocacy.

She is a former Clinton Administration appointee serving as Chief of Staff to Dr. Johnnetta Cole on the Clinton/Gore Transition Team and as a Senior Advisor to Secretary Richard Riley of the U.S. Department of Education. While at the Department of Education, Ms. Estell coordinated the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the reauthorization of the Office of Education Research and Improvement. She also worked closely with the White House on several initiatives, including the Drug-Free/Safe Schools and Empowerment Zone proposals.

Prior to working with the Clinton Administration, Ms. Estell served on the House Appropriations Committee. She was appointed to that position in 1987 by Rep. Louis Stokes, D-Ohio and served five years. In that capacity, Ms. Estell monitored and managed the VA-HUD-Independent Agencies and Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bills, as well as other legislative initiatives related to the budget and national security. Her portfolio included responsibility for more than $1 trillion in federal programs cutting across the federal spectrum.

In addition to her experience in Congress and with the Clinton Administration, Ms. Estell spent her early years as an attorney practicing communications law at Gage & Tucker in Kansas City, Missouri, and the National Association of Broadcasters, located in Washington, D.C. She gained extensive experience in managing cases related to telecommunications policy, contract negotiation, minority ownership and First Amendment issues. Prior to becoming an attorney, Ms. Estell worked as a reporter and anchor in both television and radio.

Her civic involvement has included co-founding a number of nonprofit advocacy and philanthropic organizations, and serving as a Board Member at the Johnnetta B. Cole Institute for Global Diversity & Inclusion, the Center of Congress (founded by former Congressman Lee Hamilton), the Rainbow/PUSH HIV/AIDS Advisory Board, LIFEbeat, The Music Industry Fights AIDS Advisory Board, the Board of Directors for the Constituency for Africa, the National Museum of Women's History, the American Civil Liberties Union (DC Affiliate), the African American Women’s Fund, and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Spouses Scholarship Fund. She has provided pro bono consulting to a number of organizations, including the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute and the Mark Twain Museum. Ms. Estell’s “Political Watch” column appears regularly in Turning Point Magazine.

She received her Journalism and Law degrees from the University of Missouri.

Teddy Eynon

Teddy Eynon joined Davidson & Company after serving nearly four years as a Vice President and Director of the Taxes, Trade, Healthcare & Financial Services Practice Group for the lobbying firm DCI Associates. At DCI, he was also the team lead for numerous appropriations clients – including two large western universities and hospitals – and co-lead for a city and county.

Prior to DCI, Mr. Eynon served as the Deputy Chief of Staff to Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz. His responsibilities included overseeing a legislative staff of ten, while working with the Chief of Staff to manage and coordinate the Congressman’s House Energy and Commerce and Financial Services Committees’ assignments.

Mr. Eynon has also worked as an Associate Independent Counsel for the Office of Independent Counsel David Barrett. From 1997-98, he served as an Investigative Counsel to the House Government Reform Committee and worked for Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Calif.

Mr. Eynon received a B.A. in History and Political Science from Denison University, and a J.D. and LL.M. from Pace University School of Law. He is a member of the Bar in New York State and the District of Columbia.

Jordan Haas

Jordan Haas comes to Davidson & Co of Polsinelli with a track record of success in the communications, legislative and policy aspects of Capitol Hill. Most recently he served as Legislative Director for Congressman Henry R. Cuellar (D-TX), where he headed an active legislative staff of seven. During this time Mr. Haas drafted numerous bills and amendments, and worked successfully to secure their floor passage. This includes the overwhelming passage of bipartisan legislation he drafted aimed at improving the federal government’s customer service.

Mr. Haas spent nearly five years on the Democratic Staff of the House Committee on Small Business. During that time, he built active coalitions within Congress and the business community to mobilize on behalf of issues and legislation. He worked on topics as diverse as trade, federal contracting and immigration. Mr. Haas helped manage the debate on the House floor for legislation aimed at easing the health care burden, expanding opportunities for minorities, and restoring funding for business loans. To accomplish these victories he fostered close working relationships with the bipartisan House leadership as well as with individual Members’ offices.

He started his service on Capitol Hill with the Democratic Technology and Communications Committee of the U.S. Senate, where he helped to organize and coordinate mass media events to gain public support for the passage of legislation. Prior to this, Mr. Haas worked for the Electronic Industries Alliance, Benghiat Communications and Henry J Kaufman Public Relations.

Mr. Haas is a native of Cleveland, Ohio. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Communications from American University and is an alumnus of the Semester at Sea program. He has volunteered on numerous political campaigns in Ohio, Maryland, Virginia and Connecticut.

Edda Collins Coleman

Edda Collins Coleman is the Legislative Director for Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus PC. Ms. Coleman began her professional career as Special Assistant to Governor Mark Warner in the Virginia Liaison Office on Capitol Hill. While there, she handled legislation concerning the environment, labor, and natural resources. After leaving that post, Ms. Coleman worked on former House Democratic Majority Leader Dick Gephardt’s 2004 Presidential Campaign as the Operations and Budget Director in the fundraising department.

Ms. Coleman also served as the Operations Manager in the finance department of the Democratic National Committee for the 2004 Kerry Presidential Campaign. In this capacity, she helped manage and direct financial reporting and transaction processing in excess of $100 million. In addition, Ms. Coleman has a health care background, and notably, has worked for America’s Health Insurance Plans. Prior to joining Polsinelli, she worked at the American Academy of Pediatrics where she advocated for the health needs of children and adolescents.

Ms. Coleman is a member of several organizations including the Board of Trustees of the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation, Board of Directors of Prevention Connections and the Advisory Council of the Medical Care for Children Partnership.

Ms. Coleman received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Hampton University and is a graduate of the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership Program. Ms. Coleman is currently pursuing a graduate degree at Georgetown University.

Perrin Cooke

Perrin Cooke serves as a Legislative Assistant at Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus, providing administrative, as well as legislative assistance to the Polsinelli team. Prior to joining Polsinelli, Mr. Cooke provided similar support to Anita Estell at Van Scoyoc Associates. While the newest Washingtonian on the Polsinelli team, Mr. Cooke brings outreach and campaign experience gleaned through his work with Rock the Vote throughout the 2006 election cycle. Rock the Vote is a non-profit, non-partisan organization committed to engaging youth in the political process by incorporating the entertainment community and youth culture into its activities.

A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, Mr. Cooke graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in May 2006, with a double major in English and Philosophy, and a minor in Mathematics. While at Penn, Mr. Cooke worked for more than two years in the Office of the University Secretary, providing administrative and Trustee-outreach support.

Karen A. Blitz

Karen A. Blitz is Director of Legislative Resources for Davidson & Company and develops and manages the firm’s legislative and administrative operations, which include grassroots programs and meetings, fact-finding tours and travel for congressional staff, in-house publishing and distribution of briefing books and issue papers for clients, members of congress, and federal agencies. She is responsible for planning and coordinating Davidson & Company’s political fundraising activities.

Ms. Blitz is also the Office Manager for Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus in Washington, D.C. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communication, with a minor in Political Science, from the University of Florida.