Joe Herrbach
Joe Herrbach joins Lewis-Burke after nearly a decade of experience on Capitol Hill advising Members of Congress on education, workforce development, appropriations, and oversight issues. Drawing on senior policy roles in both the House and Senate, Joe provides clients with strategic insight into the legislative process, federal funding opportunities, and the evolving policy landscape affecting education, workforce, and research programs.
Prior to joining Lewis-Burke, Joe served as an Education Policy Advisor to Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), where he managed a broad portfolio spanning early childhood education, K-12 education, higher education, workforce development, and Labor-HHS-Education appropriations. In that role, he advised the Senator on legislation, oversight, nominations, and budget matters before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the Appropriations Committee. Joe also worked closely with state and local stakeholders across Washington state to advance federal education and workforce priorities.
Before joining Senator Murray’s office, Joe served as a Legislative Assistant to Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA), where he advised the Senator on appropriations, education, workforce development, labor, and housing issues. Prior to joining Senator Warnock’s office, Joe served as Professional Staff for Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) on the House Education and Labor Committee, helping develop and advance legislation related to K-12 education programs. Joe began his Capitol Hill career in the office of then-Representative and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Marcia Fudge (D-OH), where he managed a broad domestic policy portfolio spanning education, appropriations, housing, national security, and economic issues. This experience provided the foundation for his later specialization in education and workforce policy.
Issue Expertise: Education policy, workforce development, appropriations, federal research and innovation policy, congressional oversight, and federal budget and funding processes.
Vital Statistics: Joe earned a bachelor’s degree from THE Ohio State University and a master’s degree from Dartmouth College. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, he now lives in Washington, D.C., where he enjoys exploring the city, following college athletics, Cleveland sports, and spending time with family and friends.
Driving Agency Collaborations to Create New Education Research Opportunities
Over several years, the education research community was frustrated by the lack of collaboration between the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education, leading innovative research to be underutilized by practitioners and making scaling of NSF-funded discoveries difficult. Lewis-Burke recognized an opportunity to confront this challenge with congressional focus on competitiveness and learning loss from the COVID-19 pandemic, and Administration changes bringing attention to translation of research results. Lewis-Burke worked with a client coalition interested in this issue, securing authorizing language in the CHIPS and Science Act that created a new NSF center scale program for partnership and education translation, as well as FY 2022, 2023, and 2024 appropriations language encouraging these partnerships and the specific creation of the center scale program.
Elevating Innovation at a Less-Research Intensive System Campus
A less research-intensive campus within a larger university system client developed and launched an innovative fast-track education program, incorporating elements of cooperative learning, industry partners, and social improvement for students. As the program gained early attention, Lewis-Burke developed an appropriations strategy for the Department of Education to use its Experimental Sites authority to support various regulatory flexibilities for the program and ensure student aid dollars would be able to flow without issue. Collaborating with a senior Senator in the client’s delegation, Lewis-Burke developed an appropriations request and assisted with a multi-member letter to the Appropriations Committee that ultimately led to the Experimental Site designation being included in the FY 2024 spending package.
Increasing Funding For and Securing Reauthorization of Aviation Workforce Programs
Lewis-Burke worked closely with a university client to identify priority areas for the year, which included increasing funding and expanding project eligibility for FAA’s premier aviation workforce development grant program by securing language in the FAA Reauthorization Bill. The Lewis-Burke team developed a reauthorization strategy to advocate for funding increases, expand the eligibility of specific projects within the program, and ensure its longevity through reauthorizing legislation. The firm achieved success by securing authorizing language that expanded project eligibility within the program and a 200 percent funding increase for the program in the authorization legislation that was passed and signed into law.
Expanding and Forging New Workforce Policy Frontiers
In the face of declining enrollments, questions about Return on Investment (ROI), and sharp policy critiques in higher education, Lewis-Burke's Talent and Workforce Development Practice Group has taken a leading role in shaping a vision for four-year higher education institutions. This vision positions them as crucial players in meeting tomorrow's workforce development needs. Through firm efforts, several clients have gained prominence in a domain traditionally dominated by two-year institutions. Additionally, Lewis-Burke experts have been called upon to provide legislative and policy recommendations to multiple congressional committees and offices. These recommendations have influenced legislative efforts, including the Higher Education Act (HEA), the National Apprenticeship Act (NAA), and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
Shaping Higher Education Regulations
Working alongside a higher education society, Lewis-Burke leveraged in-depth knowledge of the federal regulatory space to shape federal regulations that would impact the society’s primary program of study. Lewis-Burke was able to navigate the client through the relevant U.S. Department of Education regulatory process as well as provide strategic advice on engaging with the agency that would allow for the society to influence the forthcoming policies from the Department. As a result of the effort, the Department noted the society’s concerns/perspective on the regulations in its official response, and the society’s recommendations for the education regulations were included in the final proposed regulations. Lewis-Burke continues to sustain strategic relationships within the Department to track the impact of the regulations for the society’s membership.
Mikaela Turner
Mikaela Turner supports Lewis-Burke by utilizing her background in legal research, higher education, and professional development, to provide insights on programs and policies within the Department of Education, Workforce Development, and Transportation.
Issue Expertise: Education, workforce, transportation.
Additional Experience: Mikaela has two years of experience in legal research, professional writing and editing, and public speaking as a Judicial Intern for district courts in Colorado and Texas.
Vital Statistics: Mikaela graduated from Western Colorado University with her B.A. in Politics and Government, Pre-Law with a minor in English and a Technical Writing Certificate. During her time at Western, Mikaela served on the Student Government Association as a Senator and Vice President of Internal Affairs, as well as President of Pi Sigma Epsilon, a nationally recognized business fraternity. She is originally from Dallas, TX and in her free time, she enjoys skiing and hiking.
Amitai Cammy
Amitai Cammy utilizes his background in humanities and social science to monitor and assess issues related to international affairs, education, immigration, and the current landscape of social science research. Amitai tracks emerging priorities and opportunities within the Department of Education (ED), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of State (DOS), the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities (NEA/NEH), and international research partnerships sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Issue Expertise: Immigration, homeland security, higher education, international research collaborations, humanities and social sciences
Additional Experience: Prior to joining Lewis-Burke, Amitai interned for Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro in her Capitol Hill Office, where he assisted staff on a variety of issues including defense, education, and emergency preparedness. He additionally interned for the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress, where he helped visiting scholars with research and assisted with Kluge Center events. His interest in U.S. foreign policy led him to intern for a non-profit in the Middle East, along with a fellowship at Israel Policy Forum in his final year of university.
Vital Statistics: Amitai is from Western Massachusetts and graduated with distinction from Cornell University with a B.A. in history and Near Eastern Studies. In the summer after his third year, he was a recipient of the Sandy Berger Summer Experience Grant, awarded to students working in public service. He was also recognized as a Merrill Presidential Scholar, honoring students who demonstrated academic excellence and community leadership. In his free time, Amitai enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, exploring monuments and museum exhibits around the DMV, and improving his golf swing.
Shanni Silberberg
Dr. Shanni Silberberg serves as a Principal at Lewis-Burke Associates, providing strategic expertise to the firm's defense portfolio. With a unique background spanning neuroscience research and federal science policy, she brings a deep understanding of the intersection between scientific advancement and national security priorities. Dr. Silberberg is an expert in navigating federal regulatory environments, developing legislative strategies, and building coalitions to advance science and innovation. Dr. Silberberg spent five years advising the Director of Basic Research at the Department of Defense, where she shaped policy on research protection, international talent retention, STEM education, and scientific integrity initiatives. She was instrumental in developing DoD's research protection policy for fundamental research, working across federal agencies, Congress, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Issue Expertise: Defense science and technology, research security, basic research policy, STEM immigration, international scientific collaboration, research protection, scientific integrity, and federal R&D funding mechanisms, neuroscience, and genetics.
Additional Experience: Prior to her work advising DOD, she worked in the Engineering Division at the National Science Foundation, identifying research gaps and creating scientific funding programs to address critical challenges in biological and chemical engineering. Her experience also includes monitoring and evaluation of development programs at the United States Agency for International Development. Throughout her career, she has successfully secured federal grants for research, created grant programs within the federal government, and reviewed federal grant proposals from universities.
Vital Statistics: Dr. Silberberg holds a B.S. in Neurobiology and Physiology from the University of Maryland College Park and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of California San Francisco. She was a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the United States Agency for International Development and the National Science Foundation. When not advocating for science policy, she spends time in nature, makes wearable art, and travels (aiming to visit all 50 states with her kids by 2050).