Heather Podesta
Heather Miller Podesta | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 8, 1970 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Virginia School of Law (JD) University of California, Berkeley |
| Occupations |
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| Spouse | |
Heather Miller Podesta (born January 8, 1970)[1] is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and contemporary art collector based in Washington, D.C.[2] She is the founder and CEO of Invariant, a leading bipartisan government relations and strategic communications firm.
Career
[edit]Podesta received her J.D. degree from the University of Virginia Law School and graduated with honors from the University of California, Berkeley.
Podesta worked as a congressional aide to members of Congress, including U.S. Representatives Robert Matsui and Earl Pomeroy, and US Senator Bill Bradley.[3] She also served as assistant general counsel at the Air Transport Association and general counsel at the Airlines Clearing House.[4]
In 2007, Podesta founded Heather Podesta + Partners,[5] which, as of 2012, was the nation's largest woman-owned government relations firm.[6] The firm's lobbying clients include companies in energy, finance, healthcare, retail, real estate, education, transportation, and weapons.[7]
In 2010, the National Law Journal ranked Podesta as one of "Washington's Most Influential Women Lawyers".[8] In 2012, National Journal ranked Podesta as one of "Washington's Most Influential Women"[9] and GQ named her one of the "50 Most Powerful People in Washington".[10] The Hill has repeatedly named her one of its "Top Lobbyists".[11]
Podesta was once known for supporting and advising Democratic candidates across the country.[12] In the 2012 federal election cycle, Podesta and her colleagues bundled more than $300,000 on behalf of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Senate Majority PAC, and individual Democratic candidates.[13]
On March 29, 2017, Podesta renamed her firm from "Heather Podesta + Partners" to "Invariant". She began to hire Republicans.[14][15][16]
The firm has since lobbied for large insurance corporations such as Prudential and New York Life.[17]
Podesta sits on the National Advisory Council of the Institute of Governmental Studies. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of Ford's Theatre and serves on the Washington D.C. Police Foundation Board.[18]
Art collection
[edit]Podesta, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, is an avid collector of contemporary art.[19] In 2009, Podesta donated Shepard Fairey's iconic Barack Obama "Hope" poster to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.[20]
She was named one of the "Philanthropic 50" by Washington Life in 2010.[21] She was named by ARTnews as one of the 200 top collectors in 2012 and 2013.[22][23]
Personal life
[edit]Heather Podesta grew up as Heather Miller, one of two daughters of Sanford Miller, a distinguished professor of mathematics at SUNY Brockport, and Leslie Jill Miller, an executive with Xerox.[24]
In 2012, Podesta was named by Washingtonian as a "Style Setter."[25]
She married Tony Podesta in 2003; they divorced in 2014.[26]
References
[edit]- ^ TAMMY HADDAD. "Heather Podesta's 40th birthday". politico.com.
- ^ "Married, With Art". Washington Post. September 23, 2004.
- ^ "The Making and Unmaking of Tony and Heather Podesta's Power Marriage - Washingtonian". 2014-08-11. Retrieved 2025-04-19.
- ^ "Podesta, Heather". OpenSecrets.
- ^ "Heather Podesta + Partners - Washington, DC Government Relations & Public Affairs". heatherpodesta.com.
- ^ "Capital Dames: 10 Powerful Women in DC". Elle. March 19, 2012.
- ^ Podesta relative earned six-figure fees lobbying Clinton's State Dept. during his tenure there, October 27, 2016
- ^ "Washington's Most Influential Women Lawyers". National Law Journal. June 28, 2010.
- ^ "NJ's Most Influential Women". National Journal. July 12, 2012. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015.
- ^ "The 50 Most Powerful People in Washington*". GQ. February 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-10-05. Retrieved 2017-09-09.
- ^ "Top Lobbyists 2013". The Hill. October 30, 2013.
- ^ "Female Fundraisers Aid Super PACs". Newsweek. July 16, 2012.
- ^ "Heather Podesta & Partners". OpenSecrets.
- ^ Weiss, Amy (March 29, 2017). "Heather Podesta + Partners Changes Name to Invariant". Invariant Press Release / Politico.com.
- ^ Weaver, Dustin (2017-03-29). "Lobby firm Heather Podesta + Partners rebrands". TheHill. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
- ^ Invariant. "Invariant". invariantgr.com. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
- ^ "Prominent Democratic Fundraisers Realign to Lobby for Trump's Agenda". The Intercept. June 23, 2017.
- ^ "Washington DC Police Foundation". dcpolicefoundation.org.
- ^ "Museum of Contemporary Art elects 4 new members to board of trustees". Los Angeles Times. October 22, 2014.
- ^ "Fit for a T: Portrait Gallery Gets Obama 'Hope' Collage". The Washington Post. January 7, 2009. Archived from the original on December 9, 2013.
- ^ "The 2010 Philanthropic 50: Visual Arts". Washington Life. June 11, 2010.
- ^ "The 2012 ARTnews 200 Top Collectors". ARTnews. June 26, 2012.
- ^ "The 2013 ARTnews 200 Top Collectors". ARTnews. July 9, 2013.
- ^ "The D.C. power player with Rochester roots". Rochester Beacon. November 2, 2020.
- ^ "DC Style Setters 2012". Washingtonian.
- ^ "Heather and Tony Podesta reach divorce settlement". The Washington Post. June 9, 2014.
External links
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