McGuireWoods Consulting LLC
McGuireWoods Consulting is a full-service public affairs firm that is a wholly owned subsidiary of the McGuireWoods LLP law firm. Founded in 1998, it offers a wide range of services to businesses, nonprofit organizations, governmental bodies, and educational institutions.
McGuireWoods Consulting operates across all 50 states and has a strong presence at both the state and federal levels, a key differentiator from many public affairs firms that focus solely on Washington D.C. They often work with the legal expertise of their parent firm, McGuireWoods LLP, to provide a comprehensive approach to client issues. SCALA collaborates with the Columbia, South Carolina office as our consultant and lobbying representatives.
The firm’s core services include:
Government Relations:
Providing direct lobbying services at the federal, state, and local levels of government. They have a bipartisan team with connections to key government officials and agencies.
National and Multistate Strategies:
Assisting businesses with multi-state operations by providing government relations programs and business development services across the U.S.
Infrastructure and Economic Development:
Helping clients with site selection, negotiating incentives, and securing favorable legislative or regulatory changes.
Strategic Communications and Public Relations:
Offering services like media relations, crisis communications, message development, and public advocacy campaigns.
Coalition Building and Grassroots Mobilization:
Designing and managing programs to build support for a client’s policy goals.
Procurement:
Aiding clients in selling goods and services to government entities.
Susan Bowling
Sr. Advisor, State Gov. Relations
McGuireWoods Consulting LLC
Susan serves as a senior vice president of state government relations for McGuireWoods Consulting in South Carolina. She possesses extensive knowledge and experience in health and human services, budgetary and legislative matters, having served as Deputy Director of Health Services and Acting Director of the SC Department of Health and Human Services and Director of the SC Children’s Foster Care Review Board.
Prior to joining McGuireWoods Consulting, Susan was a principal at Kerr & Company, Incorporated, a management consulting firm specializing in providing research and analysis, strategy development, and governmental communications for clients. In addition to over thirteen years of private sector experience, Susan dedicated almost thirty years to public service in the areas of child welfare and health and human services. While working in state government, Susan earned a Certified Public Manager credential from the SC Budget and Control Board and graduated from the SC Executive Institute.
Sara Brown Vernon
Vice President, State Government Relations,
McGuireWoods Consulting LLC
Sara Vernon is a vice president of state government relations, assisting clients with advocacy, lobbying, and government relations in South Carolina.
She works with clients across a variety of industries with a focus on healthcare, education, energy, technology, and real estate. Sara also has experience assisting clients with multi-state legislative tracking on a variety of policy issues.
Sara joined McGuireWoods Consulting after six years with the SC Association of REALTORS® as their director of political affairs. In that capacity, she managed the SC REALTORS® Political Action Committee Board of Trustees, fundraising, finances, disbursements, ethics reporting, independent expenditure campaigns, and public policy campaigns.
Prior to that she served as executive assistant/scheduler to U.S. Congressman Tom Rice in Washington, DC. Her previous experience also includes campaign fundraising for multiple members of the South Carolina General Assembly and members of Congress.
Sara has a public relations degree from the University of South Carolina and a Master’s of Business Administration from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina.
