I am excited to share that the NSGC Board of Directors has selected Faegre Drinker Consulting as the lobbying firm to represent NSGC and advocate for the passage of the Access to Genetic Counselor Services Act.

Our Process

In July, the NSGC Board of Directors issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a new lobbying firm for a refreshed strategy to ensure we are using every opportunity and resource we have available to us toward enactment of the bill. We were overwhelmed with the response to our RFP and we want to thank every one of you who shared it with your networks.  We received 32 proposals and we were excited by many of the ideas and strategies put forward. An ad hoc small group of Board members conducted interviews with six finalists and the entire Board reviewed the interviews and selected Faegre Drinker. The decision was exceptionally difficult due to the numerous amazing firms and proposals.

Who is Faegre Drinker Consulting?

Faegre Drinker is a firm designed for clients. With 1,200 experienced attorneys and consulting professionals licensed in nearly every state in the U.S., and with strategic offices in London and Shanghai, Faegre Drinker has the strength and reach to solve clients’ most complex transactional, litigation and regulatory challenges, wherever they may arise. Faegre Drinker Consulting, the firm’s advisory and advocacy division based in Washington, D.C., brings decades of experience in solving policy problems on behalf of health and life sciences clients. Their bipartisan team dives into legislative and regulatory advocacy strategy with clients and brings extensive experience with the policy and political process and health policy subject matter. The Faegre Drinker team looks forward to partnering with NSGC to achieve its federal policy goals, to ultimately ensure that genetic counseling services are accessible to all who need them.

The Board was very excited about the proposal Faegre Drinker submitted and felt an immediate chemistry during our interview. Although Faegre Drinker Consulting is a large firm, one of the aspects we appreciated was the personalized feel of the core team we will be working with.

What to Expect Next?

We signed a contract with Faegre Drinker as of October 1, 2024. We have begun onboarding with the firm and will continue to do so over the next several weeks during the Congressional recess, so that when Congress returns after the election we can hit the ground running. Once onboarding is complete, we will engage them with the appropriate committees, staff, and volunteers so you can meet them and learn how we will all work together moving forward.

To ensure an effective and coordinated approach, and to avoid duplication of effort, the Board also made the tough decision to move our federal advocacy work, in its entirety, to our new lobbying firm.  We would like to thank John Richardson for building  NSGC’s advocacy program over the last 18 years and thank you to all of you who have participated in our advocacy efforts and pushed for recognition of genetic counselors on the federal and state levels.  

Click here to watch a short welcome video from our Faegre Drinker team. We will also host a live webinar with them immediately after the NSGC Annual Business Meeting on December 3rd from 12-1pm CT so that you can hear directly from our Faegre Drinker team  about our refreshed strategy for advancing the Access to Genetic Counselor Services Act and how you can help. You can submit questions for the Annual Business Meeting or for the webinar with Faegre Drinker in advance here.

Additionally, we are currently recruiting names of individuals who are interested in helping and will follow-up with you once we have finalized our new strategy for advancing the bill. If you are interested in helping, please sign up here. 

Colleen Campbell, NSGC President, on behalf of the NSGC Board of Directors

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