Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Policy strategist.
Operator.
Gap closer.

I build what situations require — legislative campaigns, operational systems, organizational infrastructure, market entry strategy — often for the first time and without a playbook. Fifteen years at the intersection of policy, communications, and execution in Louisiana and the Gulf South.

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How I work

I am not a specialist waiting for a defined role. I am the person organizations call when the situation is novel, the stakes are real, and the institutional playbook does not exist yet.

That pattern has held across disaster response, legislative campaigns, operational turnarounds, and firm-building. In each context, the work required reading a complex environment, identifying who controls the outcome, and building the infrastructure — relationships, systems, strategy — that the moment demanded.

The mechanism is consistent: close the gap between what you know and what the situation requires. Move faster than the environment expects. Hold the line on the things that matter.

I am fluent in Louisiana politics and the Gulf South regulatory environment, but the underlying competencies transfer — I have applied them to operational turnarounds, capital formation, AI-native systems design, and private sector market entry.

  • StrategyLegislative campaign design and execution
  • StrategyMarket entry and regulatory navigation
  • OpsOrganizational systems built from zero
  • OpsAI-native operations and workflow design
  • IntelPolicy risk assessment and monitoring
  • IntelStakeholder mapping and coalition strategy
  • CommsNarrative development for complex policy
  • TechWeb application development (Node.js/Express)
  • CapitalGovernment affairs for energy investment
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Selected work

Legislative · Resilience · 2023

Louisiana Fortify Homes Program

Designed and executed the legislative campaign to create a state-funded home fortification grant program. Navigated competing interests across insurance, construction, and environmental stakeholder groups to secure passage of Act 533.

$30M in annual resilience funding secured
Legislative · Energy · 2022

Offshore Wind Leasing Framework

Led the advocacy effort to establish Louisiana's first statutory framework for offshore wind leasing in the Gulf of Mexico. Act 443 created the legal architecture for offshore wind investment in Louisiana waters and positioned the state for federal lease revenues.

First offshore wind statute in Louisiana history
Disaster Response · Operations · 2016–2021

Flood Relief Operations

Built multiple nonprofit organizations from zero in the weeks following Louisiana's historic August 2016 flooding. Designed intake, triage, and resource allocation systems under active disaster conditions. Sustained operations across four years and multiple disaster events with no established playbook.

4.5 years of sustained disaster relief operations
Operations · AI · 2024–Present

AI-Native Firm Operating System

Designed and built a complete AI-native operational infrastructure for a solo professional services firm — client portal (Node.js/Express/Stripe), branded web presence, custom AI skill packages, session continuity protocols, and automated document workflows. Built without a prior technical background.

One-person firm operating at team-level output
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Experience & background

2019 — Present
Principal & Founder
Virgil Strategies, LLC · Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Solo-operated government affairs and policy intelligence firm. Practice verticals: energy and grid modernization, healthcare AI, market entry advisory, insurance and resilience, nuclear energy. Selected legislative wins: Act 443 (offshore wind), Act 533 (Fortify Homes), Act 752 (hemp regulation). Representative task force placements: Clean Hydrogen Task Force, EV Task Force, Louisiana Grid Task Force, Offshore Wind Roadmap.

2018 — 2022
General Manager & Strategy Consultant
Counterspace · Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Built operational systems, team culture, and customer frameworks during launch year as General Manager. Transitioned to retained strategic consulting role through 2022. Led complete brand and operational pivot during COVID-19, maintaining customer loyalty while competitors closed. Advised on strategic direction across four years of 100%+ annual revenue growth.

2016 — 2021
Co-Founder & Operations Lead
Flood Relief Nonprofits · Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Founded and operated multiple disaster relief organizations in the aftermath of Louisiana's historic August 2016 flooding. Designed intake, triage, and resource allocation systems under active disaster conditions. Maintained operations across multiple disaster cycles over 4.5 years. Field observations directly informed subsequent legislative priorities including the Fortify Homes Program.

2010 — 2019
Strategic Communications Practitioner
Independent Practice · Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Nine years serving nonprofits, advocacy organizations, and businesses requiring communications expertise for policy advocacy, regulatory proceedings, and public affairs. Core competency developed: translating complex technical and policy content into persuasive narratives for specific decision-makers.

Education
Bachelor of Arts, English
Louisiana State University

Research Assistant to an internationally recognized arts policy scholar.

Policy & Government
Legislative strategy Regulatory navigation Coalition building Stakeholder mapping Task force management Market entry advisory
Operations & Systems
Organization building AI-native ops design Process architecture Crisis operations Workflow automation
Technical
Node.js / Express SQLite Stripe API HTML / CSS / JS Render / GitHub Microsoft 365
Sector Fluency
Energy / Grid Nuclear Offshore wind Healthcare AI Fintech / Payments Insurance Disaster resilience
download résumé ↓
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Let's talk

I am open to roles that require someone who builds what the situation demands. If you are looking for an unusual operator profile, I would like to hear from you.