Washington, December 4, 2024 – The Roosevelt Group (TRG) announced today that former Hill and Pentagon staffers Alycia Farrell, Jakob Johnsen, Ben Schultz and Nate Paukovits have joined the bipartisan government relations firm. These very accomplished individuals bring unparalleled expertise to our team with specialties spanning cybersecurity, federal budget, congressional appropriations, nuclear deterrence, energy and military infrastructure:

Alycia Farrell

Prior to joining TRG, Alycia worked for nearly 15 years as a Professional Staff Member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, most of those exclusively with the Defense Subcommittee. Her portfolio included the Missile Defense Agency, missile procurement for the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and Guard and Reserve programs. Upon leaving Capitol Hill, Alycia transitioned to training as a cybersecurity analyst, working shifts as a virtual Security Operations Center (vSOC) analyst while earning certification as a cyber compliance professional. During this time, she also established Gray Tarian, a consulting firm specializing in federal budgeting and policy within the cybersecurity, defense and aerospace industries. She currently serves on the board of an AI and cybersecurity global nonprofit (The Tortora Brayda Institute) where she helped create the first AI-focused Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (NAIC-ISAO), and is working on an effort to facilitate providing more cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure through public-private partnerships.

Reflecting on her new role, Alycia stated:

“I’m excited to join the extremely talented, diverse team that makes up TRG and hopeful my extensive Defense Appropriations experience from the Hill combined with my post-Hill pivot to working as a cybersecurity analyst will offer clients unique access to the trifecta of policy, budget, and operational expertise in cyber, AI/ML, and other emerging technologies. My training in the technical field of cybersecurity was to better understand the constraints and burdens policies may put on our cyber operators, which I hope to leverage to provide a better story for those who wish to build stronger, more resilient cyber policies and the budget that needs to support them. I very much appreciate the TRG Team for giving me this opportunity and look forward to supporting current and future clients in these spaces.”

Jakob Johnsen

Jakob has spent nearly fifteen years in state and federal government, and most recently served as Chief of Staff to Rep. Hal Rogers, the former Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations and current Dean of the House, Chairman of the Commerce, Justice, & Science Subcommittee, member of the Defense Subcommittee, and member of the GOP Steering Committee. In his capacity as Legislative Director, he managed all legislative and appropriations activities for the Congressman with a special portfolio of Defense, Milcon/VA, Homeland Security, Interior, and Energy and Water Appropriations and related issues. Jakob’s deep familiarity with the House Appropriations Committee, Republican leadership staff and the Pentagon brings a valuable perspective to TRG.  A former army officer, Jakob graduated from West Point in 2009 and served in Iraq in 2010 and 2011.

Jakob added:

“Throughout my career, I have focused on efforts to ensure our national security, and TRG’s clients do exactly that. I can’t wait to join the TRG team, and leverage my experience in uniform and in both state and federal government, including extensive work in the congressional appropriations process, to help our clients reach their objectives.”

Benjamin Schultz

Prior to joining TRG Ben served for over a decade in the Office of the U.S. Air Force’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration as a Technical Advisor. In this capacity, he was the principal lead for budget and programmatic issues pertaining to the Air Force’s Nuclear Deterrence Operations (NDO) portfolio. Previously he held senior legislative roles for three Members of Congress – Rep. John Fleming, MD (LA-04), Rep. Thelma Drake (VA-02) and Rep. Jim McCrery (LA-04).

Ben expresses:

“TRG is at the forefront of critical issues advocacy and delivering impactful outcomes in the national security space. I’m excited to join this exceptional team and apply my Pentagon and Capitol Hill experience towards helping the firm and its clients navigate change, foster innovation, and strengthen our national security.”

Nathan Paukovits

Nate brings a wealth of expertise with his technical background as a Navy Civil Engineer and specialties in environmental sustainability, energy, resilience, military construction, planning, and safety. Nate will be an integral part of TRG’s installations and defense communities team, driving impactful solutions and fostering strong partnerships with military stakeholders.  He most recently served as the Director of Energy and Base Operating Support at Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC), and as Director of Real Property at CNIC, where he oversaw the Navy’s building and land portfolio. 

“With the addition of Alycia, Jakob, Ben and Nate, we have expanded our legislative affairs team by a third to keep pace with our expanding client base. Their combined expertise will serve as a powerful force multiplier for our clients’ priorities in the 119th Congress and Trump Administration.”

John Simmons, Managing Partner of The Roosevelt Group