Reed Skaggs, Ph.D.
Dr. Reed Skaggs, Lewis-Burke’s dynamic Chief Strategy and Business Operations Officer, combines a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry with decades of federal defense expertise to deliver strategic brilliance to clients. With a stellar track record of serving the national security S&T enterprise (Deputy Assistant Secretary of Army Research and Technology, Army Research Laboratory, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)) Reed is a force in shaping national policies and securing unique funding opportunities.
As the go-to expert in defense and national security R&D, he spearheads initiatives to elevate clients’ federal presence and capitalize on emerging opportunities. With a passion for emerging technologies like quantum information sciences and infectious diseases, Reed is not just a leader but a visionary in navigating the evolving federal landscape of national security.
Vital Statistics: Reed grew up in southern VA, attending Hampden-Sydney College followed by his pursuit of an advanced degree in physical chemistry at George Washington University. Off-duty, you’ll find him on the golf course or cheering on his beloved Ravens and Nationals with his wife Jennifer and two daughters.
Miriam Quintal
Miriam Quintal boasts fourteen years of advocacy and client success at Lewis-Burke, managing the federal relations portfolios for large academic institutions, scientific societies, and facility management organizations. As Managing Principal, she oversees the firm’s client engagement and issue practices to ensure success and advancement across the firm. 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.
Bill Ruch
Technology Based Economic Development Practice
Bill Ruch is the Chair of Lewis-Burke’s Technology-Based Economic Development (TBED) Practice, which provides strategic support to clients on commercializing research from lab to market, launching new entrepreneurial assistance programming, forging public-private partnerships, shaping innovation policy, and pursuing regional economic development opportunities. In addition to these efforts, Bill’s diverse portfolio covers federal interests across the research and development spectrum, including serving as one of the firm’s top experts in federal social and behavioral science and domestic security efforts. Bill leverages over a decade of experience supporting clients as they seek to pursue and advance opportunities throughout the federal research, innovation, tax, appropriations, and workforce spaces.
Through the TBED Practice, Bill meets clients where they are in their commercialization/ecosystem-building journey through actionable intelligence on future federal direction, support for the development of sensible federal policies and programs, and direct connections with key decisionmakers. These efforts have led to success for our clients in extraordinarily competitive programs and numerous policy wins.
Bill's day-to-day can include providing in-depth analysis on federal trends, targeted advocacy on Capitol Hill and at federal agencies, and coalition building with relevant stakeholders to bolster messaging.
Issue Expertise: Appropriations, economic development, technology transfer, social and behavioral sciences, criminal justice, homeland security, National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Commerce, Department of Treasury, and STEM education.
Additional Experience: Prior to joining Lewis-Burke, Bill accrued valuable state and local government experience at the Michigan House of Representatives and was involved in various political campaigns.
Vital Statistics: Bill is a proud land-grant graduate, having attended Michigan State University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a concentration in Pre-Law. Outside of work, Bill enjoys distance running and American League baseball.
Amber Cassady
Amber leads Lewis-Burke's national security practice and spearheads both client-specific and firm-wide efforts in defense appropriations, defense authorization, and engagement with the Department of Defense (DOD) and Military Services. Amber is especially involved in the national security R&D ecosystem related to manufacturing, microelectronics, and emerging technologies. She also leads the firm’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) portfolio, most recently keeping a pulse on “CHIPS”-specific opportunities and funding from the landmark CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. Amber is an active member of the Coalition for National Security Research (CNSR), which advocates for basic and applied research funding on behalf of many Lewis-Burke research universities and organizations.
Issue Areas: Defense, national security, manufacturing, microelectronics, emerging technology, defense health, standards and technology.
Additional Experience: Prior to joining Lewis-Burke, Amber worked as a Research Assistant at the Bertelsmann Foundation, a transatlantic think tank where she covered European Union-U.S. policies in artificial intelligence, technology, manufacturing, and the future of work. Amber also worked as an Education Outreach Assistant at the Center for European Studies, at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. She interned with the Department of State in politics and economics section at the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal.
Vital Statistics: Amber earned a B.A. in Global Studies and Contemporary European Studies from the University of North Carolina (Go Heels!). She earned a M.A. in Political Science at both UNC and Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain, during which she was awarded two Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) scholarships by the U.S. Department of Education, and she now serves on UNC’s Transatlantic Masters Board. Amber revels in being one of the firm’s resident foodies and can be spotted most evenings at D.C. restaurants with her husband and friends.