30+ Years of Legislative Experience

The insight I’ve gained while creating and launching robust government affairs, advocacy and stakeholder engagement programs over 30+ years, can help me discern issues of concern for you. My clients have described my work with legislative monitoring and reporting as insightful, detailed, diligent and on point! I’ve been lucky to work on some great issues in high stakes industries with incredible teams and clients. 

For example, as part of the senior management team, I successfully led our effort to build from the ground up the government / public relations program of the $4+ billion Prairie State Generating Company / Energy Campus (Prairie State). This included its state and federal legislative and regulatory efforts and its related communications program with local, state and federal officials, the media, stakeholders and the community. We had successful outcomes in all of our public policy efforts – to accolades by ownership and the senior management team. 

“Sheri is a high energy, strategic thinker. She has an extremely broad and deep knowledge base that she uses to manage legislative and government affairs. I have worked with her on a wide range of issues that impact power plants and developed a high level of trust in both her analyses and work product.”

~Mark Shepherd, Corporate Director of Environmental Health & Safety / Member of Senior Management Team for PSGC at the time 

The Prairie State project made it to successful completion and today remains a ground-breaking public-private partnership providing power to more than 2.5 million families and businesses across 180 communities in eight states! I was honored to be a part of the team.

 “Sheri has established herself as a leader and dynamic team member among some of the best and brightest in the public policy and advocacy business. Her unique skill set including public and government affairs, crisis management, coalition building and community engagement make her an invaluable team member. Her creative problem solving, tedious execution and follow through in a high pressure and high stakes environment places her on the cutting edge of her profession. Having managed and worked with Sheri in several capacities over the last decade, I highly recommend her for any of your consulting needs.”

~TRAVIS H. BROWN, STATE & FEDERAL LOBBYIST AND ENTREPRENEUR

  Proven Success:

• This is where I live and thrive – public policy and advocacy! It is my passion! I have built a successful 30+ year career leading transformative public policy issues on the local, state and federal level with great teams. 

• Decades of reading, studying, interpreting and commenting on legislation, amendments and regulatory proposals at all levels of government has developed my skills to look at a piece of legislation and quickly discern key points of concern or opportunity – even for issues /industries that are new to me. I have a proven record of being a quick study and can jump in and hit the ground running to support your efforts.

• Working on intense and challenging issues and industries has honed my skills to a laser-focus. I’ve worked on development, coal / power, telecommunications, infrastructure, education reform, tax reform, health care, elder issues and economic development, among other issues. And while issue knowledge matters, an effective strategist (like me!) can quickly deconstruct the key points of concern, creatively problem solve and identify threats and opportunities to / for your business or organization regardless of the issue area.

• This experience has given me the ability to translate technical details of legislation into language that stakeholders can understand. If you don’t know about it or can’t understand it, it’s a complete mystery!

• In addition to consulting, I have served as a government / public affairs department head and lobbyist for several organizations, a public policy advocate, a contract lobbyist on the ground in the Missouri Capitol Building representing multiple clients and more. I’ve had the privilege to work for and with business organizations, trade associations, non-profits and corporate interests at every level of the organizations.

I would love to bring this experience
to help you take your public policy efforts
to the next level!

Are you ready to:

• Have more time available to focus on the parts of your gig that you love

• Feel a sense of relief that you’ll have early warning of potential threats to your biz and opportunities

• Be aware of what’s going on and “in the know” and be the go-to person for your stakeholders

• Have the comfort of knowing that I have your back and that you have the help and support that you need 

• Feel more clarity and have a sense of balance so you can focus on your own creative solutions / strategies

• Uncover the mystery of the legislative process! To know this animal, get a read on it, understand its nature – with me to help you. To have a map to the magic of the legislative terrain.  

• If you’re an overwhelmed lobbyist, are you ready to offload some of that pressure with the details, so you can better focus on the big picture and critical needs of your clients, and

• Have a newfound ability to enjoy the roller coaster of intensity that comes with the public policy process with flexibility and ease?

...Then I’m your girl!

“

I have worked with Sheri Bilderback for the past three years on proposed legislation and she has been invaluable. Her recommendations regarding language to be used in the proposed bill that communicates the consensus of our working group and that is accommodating and reflective of compromises made with diverse groups has been superb. Sheri has impeccable insight into and the ability to clarify positions of diverse groups to enable them to reach consensus. I have seen her ability to negotiate and work with legislators to gain support for proposed legislation and with patience, clarity and solid interpersonal communication skills bring together disparate groups.

”

DEBRA K. SCHUSTER, Attorney, Paule, Camazine & Blumenthal, P.C.

WORKED DIRECTLY W/SHERi at DIFFERENT COMPANIES (SBCC, HCDM COALITION, VOYCE), while with DEBRA K. SCHUSTER & ASSOCIATES, ELDER & DISABILITY LAw

Proof it Works:

Effective legislative monitoring and reporting are a critical part of the legislative process. And it works! It helps you know about issues before they become law and gives you the chance to prepare your biz / organization or to educate legislators about the impact of specific legislative language to your issue / industry. Let’s look at one success story…

Partnering with our volunteers, I created and launched from scratch the advocacy / public policy, communications and engagement program of VOYCE, a non-profit organization serving the needs of seniors. One important role was to monitor and track state legislation to keep the staff, board members and volunteer leaders informed, while also finding key legislative language that required crucial education and advocacy steps. For example, I found unintended language in a physical and chemical restraints bill that would have been harmful to seniors, partnered with stakeholders and led the organization’s advocacy efforts to educate legislators on the language. This advocacy effort was a great success and resulted in changes to the state legislation that ultimately was Truly Agreed to and Finally Passed and signed by the Governor. VOYCE’s new advocacy efforts were so successful that I wrote an unheard of winning second grant application to continue funding for VOYCE’s advocacy program!

Bronze

Be in the know.

Lay the groundwork for future advocacy

You don’t have big needs and just want to know what’s going on. Perhaps you’re just starting out or you want to keep your board informed. Maybe you have a non-profit, want to be educated and up-to-speed on the issues. Maybe you’re laying the ground work for a future advocacy program. There may be one or two issue areas that you’re interested in or want help to track.

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Silver

Watching several issues.

Be ready to mobilize and take action

You’re watching several issues or have more potential issues that may impact your biz or organization. You need to stay on top of things and monitor to take action on issues before the legislature in a timely basis and to be notified of critical steps in the process so you can mobilize your team.

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Gold

It's all hands on deck!

Hot issues & watching "all the things"

You’re in an intensive industry, with hot issues or sensitive subject matter that requires quick action and a delicate touch. Maybe you’re partnering with coalition members on legislative language and need to stay on top of “all the things” that could impact your efforts. You must be informed on what’s happening so you can act quickly to immediately mobilize your advocacy efforts.

($$$)