Prior to joining Polaris, Jon spent nearly five years at a large public affairs and government relations firm and over a decade in the U.S. Congress and White House. During his time at the firm, he managed a number of accounts representing a broad group of Fortune 100 public companies and trade associations on a range of issues, including taxes, financial services, appropriations, technology, telecommunications, transportation, immigration, and energy. Jon has a track record of accomplishing his clients’ goals through a strong command of policy, politics, and the parliamentary rules mastered during his years on Capitol Hill.
A respected Capitol Hill veteran, Jon spent more than a decade working at the highest levels of our government in both the Senate Republican leadership and at the White House. In his role as Deputy Chief of Staff and Policy Director to then-Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl, Jon served as the Senator’s lead policy and legislative strategist. During 2011, Jon was Senator Kyl’s Chief Policy Advisor to the Biden deficit group, which led to passage of the Budget Control Act and creation of the subsequent Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, then better known as the “Super Committee.” Jon also represented Senator Kyl in negotiations that extended the “Bush” tax policies that were originally enacted in 2001 and 2003.
Previously, Jon served as the deputy associate director at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) within the Executive Office of the President for three OMB Directors: Josh Bolten, Rob Portman, and Jim Nussle. In that role, he served as the chief OMB liaison to the U.S. Senate for all OMB-related legislation, regulations, and nominees. Prior to working at OMB, Jon was the appropriations and budget policy counsel under Kyl when he chaired the Senate Republican Policy Committee. Prior to his time in the Senate, Jon worked in the U.S. House of Representatives as Legislative Counsel to Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen where he focused on the Congressman’s work on the Appropriations Committee.
Jon earned his law degree from the University of Denver College of Law and did his undergraduate work at the University of Colorado at Boulder. During law school, Jon clerked for Judge John L. Kane, U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Colorado. Jon is a member of the Colorado and District of Columbia Bars.