Before joining The Cormac Group, Jonathan Slade served as the Director of the Washington office and as a Senior Vice-President in the MWW Group. During his tenure at MWW, he helped major international companies and non-profit organizations achieve their goals in Washington. Both as a Hill staffer and in the government affairs world, Jonathan has developed a well-known reputation for resolving complex legislative issues and regulatory matters.

He currently represents municipalities, non profit organizations seeking to change current US policies, law firms, and well major companies Jonathan is particularly known for his expertise in helping both for-profit and non-profit institutions and companies impact the Higher Education Act. He also works with several well-known South Florida entities including one of the several of the state’s largest cities, trade associations and businesses

Prior to joining the MWW Group, Jonathan worked for the Keefe Company, which is another major lobbying firm. He also had his own public affairs company that focused on helping Florida companies and organizations achieve their objectives in Washington. Before entering the government affairs arena, Jonathan worked as a legislative assistant for former Congressman Larry Smith (D-FL). While working on the Hill, he oversaw many foreign affairs, trade, communication and labor issues for the Congressman. Jonathan also served as Executive Director of College Democrats of America, in which he ran all the national student programs for the Democratic National Committee.

In addition to working at The Cormac Group, Jonathan served as an adjunct professor to the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University, where he tought courses on both state and local lobbying and advanced lobbying strategies. As part of his academic activities, he has been invited to give lectures throughout the US, Asia and Latin America on lobbying and public affairs including speaking before the Mexican Congress.

Jonathan received his B.A. in political science from George Washington University with honors and his Juris Doctor from the National Law Center at George Washington University as well. He resides in Potomac, Maryland with his wife Suzanne.

Jim Link is a Partner with The Cormac Group, LLP, bringing over two decades of lobbying experience as well as eight years of Capitol Hill experience to the firm. He joined The Cormac Group from the American Capitol Group, LLC and prior to that from Fleischman and Walsh, LLP where he served as a partner and government affairs counsel. While at the American Capitol Group and Fleischman and Walsh, Jim built an impressive lobbying practice comprised primarily of health care, non-profit and corporate clients. Jim’s diverse client base ranges from medical schools, hospitals, health professions to clients in high-tech and distilled spirits industries. Jim’s success on behalf of his clients has gained him the enduring respect of his peers and elected members of Congress in Washington, DC.

Jim led the government relations team at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores where he served as the association’s chief lobbyist as Vice President of Government Affairs. In that capacity, he developed and executed lobbying strategies on behalf of the association’s members, including CVS, Walgreen’s, Kroger, Target, Walmart and Rite-Aid on issues including Medicare reimbursement, Medicaid as well as labor, tax and trade issues. Prior to NACDS, Jim was co-manager of the Washington, DC office for The MWW Group and was the chief lobbyist for the American Iron and Steel Institute.

While on Capitol Hill, Jim spent nearly four years as a top aide in the Senate Republican Whip office and Legislative Assistant for Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY). He helped manage the Senator’s leadership and Senate floor responsibilities and participated in Republican leadership strategy meetings on pending business and future floor action. He also directed the Senator’s legislative initiatives relating to health care, labor, banking, commerce and telecommunications and was a primary speechwriter for the Senator. Jim’s other posts on Capitol Hill include serving as an aide to then Representative William Dickinson (R-AL), then Representative Dick Cheney (R-WY) as well as a fundraiser for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Jim holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Miami University (Ohio) and a Master of Business Administration in International Business from The American University in Washington, DC. Jim was a Bryce Harlow Scholar while attending The American University.

Jim and his wife Kristin reside in Bethesda, Maryland and have three grown children.

With over 20 years’ experience in various facets of politics and communications, Elizabeth Iadarola brings a wide range of capabilities to The Cormac Group. Starting her career in Washington, Elizabeth served on the staff of her home state Senator and a prominent think tank.

Elizabeth went on to serve as Deputy Director of Government Affairs at The MWW Group, a nationwide lobbying and public affairs firm, where she specialized in tax, trade, education and gaming issues. Subsequently, she was a Director of Marketing and Communications at The George Washington University where she oversaw recruiting, advertising and media affairs.

As Partner at The Cormac Group, Elizabeth lobbies Congress for a diverse group of corporate, non-profit and education clients, with a focus on higher education and veterans issues. In addition to Congress, she has addressed complex issues for clients within the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Education and Department of State. She secures federal appropriations and grants, and creates and implements strategic parallel grassroots campaigns to support legislative initiatives. Elizabeth is currently working with the Marines and their family members exposed to toxic water at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 to pass monumental legislation that would finally allow them to seek justice through the courts.

Iadarola holds a Master of Arts in Political Management from the George Washington University. She lives in Maryland with her husband and twin daughters.

Prior to joining The Cormac Group, Mr. Mueller was a Partner with Cardenas Partners LLC and Director of Government Affairs at Tew Cardenas LLP. During this time he worked on multiple client issues with a focus in Federal Appropriations, Healthcare, Telecommunications, Financial Services/Banking, and Aviation Transportation. Serving in both senior legislative and political positions he has over a decade of experience working for various members on Capitol Hill including: Senators Bill Nelson (D-FL), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Carl Levin (D-MI), and Mary Landrieu (D-LA).

Mr. Mueller spent over seven years on the staff of Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) working first as the Senator’s Finance Director for his 2006 re-election campaign and then as his Deputy Chief of Staff/Special Projects Coordinator. During this time, Mr. Mueller handled a myriad of issues on behalf of the Senator with a focus on Federal Appropriations, Aviation, Telecommunications, Healthcare, Indian Affairs, and Financial Services/Banking. Working with the relevant Senate authorizing and appropriations committees, Mr. Mueller was able to secure millions of dollars in Federal funding for a multitude of local municipalities, counties, universities, and non-profits throughout the state of Florida.

In the private sector, Mr. Mueller has been recognized as an industry expert in the area of Federal appropriations, grants, and contracts. His expertise and institutional knowledge of the appropriations process has garnered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of his clients in both the public and private sector. In FY22 Mr. Mueller was able to secure over $10 million in Community Project Funding for his clients. Furthermore, Mr. Mueller has successfully identified hundreds of grant and contracting opportunities across the Federal space for his clients. In this capacity he has represented multiple interests such as: Miami-Dade County, Broward County, City of Hollywood, City of Coral Gables, City of Doral, City of Sunrise, Magic Leap Inc., Nova Southeastern University, Easterseals of SWFL, Medical Services Los Angeles, The Kessler Foundation, U.S. Preventive Medicine, Preferred Care Partners, Palmetto Health Systems, Villages Regional Hospital, and National Baromedical Services Inc. He also works closely with a number of financial institutions advising them on Federal budgetary issues.

Outside of his appropriations and budgetary work, Mr. Mueller has been instrumental in helping healthcare organizations negotiate an ever changing political landscape. Specifically, during healthcare reform negotiations, he worked closely with members of the Senate Finance Committee to insert language within the Affordable Cares Act that lowered the MLR requirement, included quality bonuses, and extended the time period that Medicare Advantage Insurers had in order to meet the new MLR requirement. Once ACA became law, Mr. Mueller continued to work with various political and career CMS officials to define what private insurers could list as a cost attribute to their new MLR requirement.

Mr. Mueller holds an honors degree in Political Science from Rollins College and an MBA in Finance from George Mason Universities’ School of Management. He resides in Washington, DC and is a Volunteer Firefighter with the Arlington County Fire Department in his spare time.

John Timmons has decades of experience working on commerce, communications, transportation, alternative energy projects, health care, public lands, and Native American issues. As a Hill staffer, he worked for Congressman and then Senator John McCain (R-AZ) where he was ultimately Legislative Counsel. Mr. Timmons also worked on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation as Senior Minority Counsel after serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Government Affairs at the US Department of Transportation during the Reagan Administration.

As a lobbyist at Hill and Knowlton, Mr. Timmons played a key role in the passage of AIR-21, a revolutionary piece of aviation infrastructure and pro-competitive legislation. He was also a senior member of a crisis communications team involving the TWA # 800 disaster. He represented a vendor to the airline that was at the center of suspicion for having caused the disaster. Ultimately, his client was not found liable.

In his previous position as Vice President of Government Affairs for America West Airlines, he was the principal strategist for legislative and political issues at the federal level. After 9/11 Mr. Timmons helped America West navigate the perilous shoals the airline found itself on. As part of an industry effort to stabilize and restore confidence in our nation’s air transportation network, he was instrumental in constructing an emergency loan program for industry members and aided America West in receiving the first such loan which ensured the company’s survival.

While representing Sprint he participated in an effort to prevent AT&T from consuming T-Mobile in a merger that would have doomed Sprint. Sprint subsequently merged with T-Mobile saving a huge amount of value for Sprint investors.

Mr. Timmons received his B.A. from Albion College in Albion, MI and received a J.D. from the Washington & Lee University. He is proudest of having coached his and others’ children through 33 seasons of basketball, soccer and softball.

Mr. José R. Cárdenas is a Principal with the Cormac Group. He has thirty years of experience in the Washington political process and inter-American relations. He has served in senior positions in the U.S. Department of State, the National Security Council, and the U.S. Agency for International Development, where he served as Acting Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean and oversaw nearly $1 billion in U.S. development assistance to the region. He has served as a Senior Advisor to the Secretary General of the Organization of American States and as a Senior Professional Staff Member of U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

In addition to testifying before both the Senate Foreign Relations and the House Foreign Affairs Committees, he has written and spoken and been interviewed widely on hemispheric issues.

José is an advisor to the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba and a member of the Research Council of the Center for a Free Cuba. Additionally, he is a Course Coordinator at the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service Institute, and has been a participant in the State Department’s overseas Speakers Program.

Tom is a partner at the Cormac Group. Tom worked in Congress for 33 years. For twenty of those years, he was staff director and chief counsel of the House Budget Committee. He also held senior posts for two other House Committees. While at the Budget Committee, he played a critical role on the following budget negotiations: Simpson/Bowles, the Biden talks, the Super Committee, the successful Balanced Budget agreement of 1997 and the enactment of the Affordable Care Act.

Tom Kahn is a DISTINGUISHED Faculty Fellow at the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University and before that was an adjunct professor at George Washington University. At both schools, he has lectured on Congress, THE PRESIDENCY and federal budgeting.

Tom is an attorney and practiced law at Sullivan and Cromwell in New York before coming to Capitol Hill. He’s a magna cum laude graduate of both Georgetown Law School and Tufts University. At law school, Tom was an editor of the Georgetown Law Journal. He’s a LIFE member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Budgeting Roundtable, the American Jewish Committee’s Board of Governors and the Board of Directors of the National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry. Tom and his wife, Susie, are the proud parents of two sons, Ben and Daniel.

Yanet Brunet Perez is a seasoned government affairs professional with more than a decade of experience in political strategy, public policy, and stakeholder engagement. As Vice President at The Cormac Group, she advises clients on complex international and domestic policy matters, providing strategic counsel at the intersection of government, communications, digital strategy, and advocacy.

Yanet began her career in electoral politics, working on campaigns for local elected officials and serving as a Field Director during the 2016 presidential cycle. Her early campaign experience sharpened her expertise in grassroots mobilization, coalition building, political messaging, and voter engagement.

She later transitioned to public service, where she worked in both county and federal government, including roles with a Broward County Commissioner and a Member of Congress. In these positions, she developed deep experience in legislative strategy, constituent engagement, and policy development.

In addition to her government affairs work, Yanet brings significant expertise in social media strategy and digital communications management. She has led and executed integrated digital campaigns, built advocacy-focused platforms from the ground up, and advised clients on messaging strategies that effectively reach and mobilize key audiences. Her ability to align policy objectives with strategic communications enhances her clients’ visibility and influence.
At The Cormac Group, Yanet leads client strategy across a diverse portfolio, including foreign policy, trade, appropriations, regulatory matters, and public affairs campaigns. She is known for her strong political instincts, bilingual communications skills, and ability to navigate complex policy environments.

Yanet holds a Master of Arts in Political Management from The George Washington University. She resides in Maryland with her husband and son.

Andrew Rakaczki is a Vice President at The Cormac Group, where he focuses primarily on the higher education and financial services sectors. In this role, Andrew advises clients on government relations strategy, regulatory engagement, and navigating complex policy environments.

Prior to joining The Cormac Group, Andrew served as Senior Vice President, Government Relations at Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU). In that role, he led the association’s engagement with Democratic lawmakers and key stakeholders, while also providing members with strategic guidance on regulatory and compliance issues affecting the postsecondary education sector.

Before CECU, Andrew held senior government relations and compliance leadership roles at BankMobile, where he served as Vice President, Government Relations and U.S. Department of Education (ED) Compliance Officer. He was responsible for managing federal, state, and local engagement with policymakers, regulators, and trade associations, while also overseeing the company’s ED compliance monitoring program and advising on product development initiatives.

Earlier in his career, Andrew served as Vice President, Government Relations at Higher One. In addition to acting as the company’s lead government relations strategist, he held various business roles and contributed to the company’s growth from an early-stage startup to a publicly traded organization.

Andrew brings more than a decade of government relations, regulatory, and compliance experience in the higher education business sector. He holds a BA in Political Science from Loyola University Maryland and resides in Glastonbury, Connecticut with his wife, Emily.

Kathryn is from San Francisco, California, and has been at the Cormac group for the past 2 years. She graduated from the University of Oregon in 2021 and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Environment and International Affairs from Georgetown University.