Kiana Newman
Kiana supports Lewis-Burke by providing valuable insights to clients in the fields of biomedical research, biotechnology, and economic development. Her expertise involves tracking legislative and agency developments and offering tailored assistance to clients based on their individual requests. Among the federal agencies she focuses on are the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), Small Business Administration (SBA), and Economic Development Administration (EDA). With a background rooted in medicine, Kiana brings a unique perspective to each subject. This has allowed Kiana to work with clients and agencies to facilitate the implementation of cutting-edge strategies and transformative approaches in biomedical research and biotechnology.
Issue Areas: Biomedical research, biotechnology and bioengineering, health research, economic development, public-private partnerships, and technology.
Additional Information: Prior to joining Lewis-Burke Associates, Kiana was a legislative policy research intern at Advanced Continuing Education Association, where she honed her skills in analyzing and tracking policy developments. Her experience in this role gave her a keen understanding of the intricacies of legislative processes and their impact on various sectors, including healthcare. She spent part of her undergraduate experience participating in biomedical engineering research labs, analyzing complex scientific journals to extract key information for audiences. Additionally, Kiana worked in a hospital setting, gaining firsthand knowledge of the challenges and opportunities within the healthcare industry. This diverse background has equipped her with a comprehensive perspective that she now applies to her work, providing valuable insights to our clients.
Vital Statistics: Kiana was born and raised in the DMV area, receiving her bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia, where she double majored in Biology and African American Studies. Outside the office, Kiana enjoys playing volleyball, exploring the city, and skiing!
Bruno Freitas
Bruno Freitas is a passionate and respected former federal government professional with over a quarter century of combined experience working in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives. He has cultivated long standing relationships with Members of Congress, congressional staff, and federal agency leadership. Bruno leverages his experience to provide clients with detailed policy advice and tailored comprehensive advocacy strategies to achieve desired results.
Issue Expertise: appropriations, budget, economic development, energy, environment, financial services, infrastructure, and innovation policy
Additional Experience: Prior to joining Lewis-Burke, Bruno worked on Capitol Hill for 28 years, most recently serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for Senator Elizabeth Warren. In that role for Senator Warren, he led and managed several policy teams and spearheaded the Senator’s state and local priorities. During his tenure he covered a wide array of federal policy areas including energy, environment, climate change, infrastructure, transportation, appropriations, budget, tax, economy, commerce, small business, defense, and financial services. Bruno was part of the Senator’s team that secured accomplishments in several critical legislative acts such as the American Rescue Plan, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act. He also managed numerous high profile federal projects and on behalf of the Senator obtained billions of dollars for critical infrastructure and economic development.
Vital Statistics: Bruno grew up in Massachusetts and attended Bridgewater State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, all things Boston sports, and cooking Sunday dinner for his wife and two daughters.
Mia Luckett
Mia Luckett delivers timely insight, detailed research, and federal agency and congressional updates to Lewis-Burke clients. Mia specializes in monitoring and analyzing agency and legislative activity related to the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Defense (DOD), and the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Issue Expertise: Technology, Engineering Communities, Social Science, and Public- Private Partnerships.
Additional Information: Before joining Lewis-Burke Associates, Mia was a legal administrative assistant to a criminal defense and real estate attorney. Mia also interned with the district office of Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), where she gained an understanding of education policy and aided incarcerated constituents in utilizing government agencies. Mia was previously an Eben Tisdale Public Policy Fellow with the Fund for American Studies. As a fellow, she interned with lobbying firm Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas and worked with the Technology CEO council. During this time, Mia gained expertise in high-tech public policy, the latest innovations in science and technology, and conducted research on the effectiveness of bipartisanship.
Vital Statistics: Originally from the southern suburbs of Chicago, Mia graduated magna cum laude from Hampton University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. While attending Hampton, Mia also joined Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and often does community service with other organization members. Mia is a self- proclaimed foodie and loves trying out a new recipe, or the latest and trendiest restaurants. In her free time Mia also enjoys traveling, reading, and working out.
Rapid Deployment of COVID-19 Resources and Support for Small and Medium-Sized Firms
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic sparked large scale challenges for associations and societies who urgently needed to provide value to their members or risk losing financial stability.
As part of one membership-based organization’s strategy, Lewis-Burke rapidly developed and delivered a webinar early in the National Emergency to support the client’s ecosystem of more than 300 members and partners, primarily small businesses.
The webinar provided stakeholders with comprehensive information regarding federal guidance for grantees and contractors who do business with the federal government, as well as detailed information on small business loan programs, unemployment insurance, paid sick leave and other resources available to help mitigate the economic impacts of COVID-19.
The following week, an updated webinar was offered at the request of a federal agency organization that serves thousands of small- and medium-sized manufacturers across the country. Additional follow on webinars targeted specific subsets of the organization’s membership, including its top tier members and board of directors.
As a result of the webinars, small and large businesses and academic institutions were better prepared to access critical resources for weathering the outbreak and the client was seen as an essential partner of its members and the federal government.
Forging Meaningful Partnerships
Lewis-Burke has worked closely with a major research university on its partnership with other universities and a large corporation to build an Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Zone.
The project combines university-led advanced manufacturing research, community college-led workforce training, and industry-led factories to spur economic development, commercialization, and manufacturing innovation in a depressed rural region.
Lewis-Burke provided strategic advice to the group on federal funding opportunities and alignment of the Zone with emerging priorities. Lewis-Burke also arranged for key members of the university’s congressional delegation to be briefed on the partnership and secured the attendance of a member of Congress at the Zone’s groundbreaking.
In addition, Lewis-Burke helped facilitate a meeting of key representatives of the partnership with over 30 agency and White House officials. This meeting provided valuable contacts across the government as the Zone sought federal support.
Seeking Opportunities and Capitalizing
Lewis-Burke was aware of the development of a provision in the 2018 tax bill to create Opportunity Zones, or census tracts with high unemployment rates, to qualify for investments from up to $6 trillion in untapped capital gains.
Realizing the potential for universities, Lewis-Burke forged new connections with the program officers at the Department of Treasury and outside organizations to inform the development of comprehensive strategies for clients on or near qualifying census tracts to engage with their governors for designation.
When the Treasury Department announced the designated Opportunity Zones later in the year, regions near several client campuses received certification. As a result of this proactive action, many of Lewis-Burke’s clients remain on the front-end of significant regional investment opportunities and priority consideration for federal funding opportunities across agencies.
Reed Skaggs, Ph.D.
Dr. Reed Skaggs serves as Chief Strategy and Business Operations Officer at Lewis-Burke Associates, where he integrates deep technical expertise with executive leadership to translate research and business priorities into strategic outcomes.
With more than 25+ years at the intersection of national security science and federal budget execution including senior roles at the Army Research Laboratory, as Deputy Assistant Secretary-level leadership within Army Research & Technology, and at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Reed has built and managed S&T portfolios spanning basic research to advanced development.
Reed serves Lewis-Burke’s national security team by creating defense R&D portfolio intelligence that align research domains with acquisition pathways, appropriations mechanics, and strategic modernization priorities. Reed’s focus is to help institutions compete, scale, and contribute to national Security S&T. Reed also serves as the Chaiman of the National Defense Industrial Association’s Science, Engineering and Technology division.
For Lewis-Burke he has orchestrated firm growth, expanded client portfolios across defense and research sectors, and secured millions in federal R&D funding through strategic advocacy, legislative language development, and portfolio positioning. His work bridges technical literacy across emerging technologies with high-level policy and acquisition strategy.
Reed earned his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from The George Washington University and his B.S. in Chemistry, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Hampden-Sydney College. A native of southern Virginia, he resides Alexandria with his wife, Jennifer, where outside of work he can be found on the golf course or cheering on the Ravens and Nationals.
Miriam Quintal
Miriam Quintal boasts seventeen years of advocacy and client success at Lewis-Burke, managing the federal relations portfolios for large academic institutions, scientific societies, industry, and other research organizations. As Division Leader for Issue Driven Organizations, she continues to work across the firm’s portfolio but is leading a new effort to enhance engagement, connections, and success with philanthropy, coalitions, associations, and other clients looking to engage on national issues and profile-raising activities. Previously she was the Managing Principal for the firm, overseeing the firm’s client engagement and issue practices. Miriam fiercely protects client priorities, leveraging her unique combination of scientific training with political insight.
Miriam is a prominent leader in National Science Foundation advocacy, co-chairing the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) and working closely with the higher education and research advocacy community to guide policy for and champion the Foundation. Her wealth of knowledge and federal research enterprise acumen provides value to all components of client interests: supporting executives and university leadership, shepherding research initiatives, and shaping policy across a range of issues. Major advocacy efforts have included successfully guiding large-scale science projects through the appropriations process, restoring funding for key programs proposed to be eliminated in the President’s budget request, establishing new agency funding for research infrastructure, and creating opportunities for clients to showcase research and leadership in Administration initiative areas.
Issue Expertise: Basic research (National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, Department of Energy Office of Science), STEM education, computing and computational science, math and physical sciences, engineering, and space and astronomy.
Additional Experience: Miriam has twice served as NSF lead for the Association of American Universities (AAU) Innovation Task Force. Before joining Lewis-Burke, Miriam gained policy experience as a Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow with the Board on Science Education at the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. At the Academies, she contributed to several projects, including a review of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s education programs and a study of gaming and simulations for science education.
Vital Statistics: Miriam developed her passion for politics while growing up in the DC region, before venturing north to get an undergraduate degree in chemistry with highest honors from Smith College and a Masters Degree in Organic Chemistry from Harvard University. She has been a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and a Fulbright Fellow. Miriam loves raising her son in DC alongside her wife. She is deeply engaged in her community, serving as a Founding Trustee and coordinator for Minyan Segulah, a local independent prayer community.
Leland Cogliani, J.D.
Leland Cogliani has over 20 years of experience advancing science and technology priorities for research institutions. Leland works closely with congressional authorizing and appropriations committees and federal research agencies on behalf of academic institutions, scientific societies, facility management organizations, and energy startups to create new research initiatives and programs, advance science, and energy infrastructure projects, and increase federal research funding.
As the firm’s Energy Practice lead and Co-Chair of the Energy Sciences Coalition, Leland is a leading voice in the higher education and research advocacy community to advance basic and applied energy research and development programs, especially at the Department of Energy (DOE). Leland also uses his substantive subject matter expertise in nuclear security and nonproliferation science and technology issues to grow the participation of institutions of higher education in addressing national security challenges. Leland is currently a board member of the Arms Control Association and is a frequent speaker at science and technology forums.
Prior to joining Lewis-Burke, Leland was the lead Senate Appropriations Committee staff member, with budget and oversight responsibility for $17 billion in federal programs, including the DOE Office of Science, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), DOE intelligence programs, and DOE national laboratories.
Issue Expertise: Appropriations and congressional budget process, basic and applied energy research (DOE Office of Science; ARPA-E; renewable, energy efficiency, fossil, carbon management, nuclear, and grid-related research); emerging technology areas, including artificial intelligence, quantum science and technology, microelectronics, advanced computing, and biotechnology; energy infrastructure investments; DOE national laboratories; nuclear security and nonproliferation (National Nuclear Security Administration)
Additional Experience: Prior to the Senate, Leland was a Senior Analyst in the Natural Resources and Environment Division at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) with oversight responsibilities over U.S. nuclear weapons and nuclear nonproliferation programs. He authored more than a dozen reports to Congress on science and national security issues, including life extension programs of nuclear warheads, the U.S. fusion program, and the International Atomic Energy Agency nuclear safeguards activities.
Vital Statistics: Leland earned his Bachelor of Arts in International Studies at Boston College and his Master of Arts in International Affairs at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs. He received a Juris Doctor from Catholic University Columbus School of Law. Leland is a proud father of two daughters and enjoys traveling with his family around the country and the world seeking new adventures. Leland is a fourth-degree black belt in taekwondo and continues to train twice a week. Born in Rome, Italy, Leland is a native Italian speaker.