Carrie D. Wolinetz, Ph.D.
Health Bioscience Innovations Practice
Carrie D. Wolinetz, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized science and health policy expert and former senior government official who brings decades of experience to serve and advise the clients of Lewis-Burke. As a leader inside and outside government, Carrie has successfully led efforts to increase funding for biomedical research, prepare the country for potential future pandemics, promote the bioeconomy, increase health and gender equity, and expand access to the products of federally funded research. In her role as Principal and Chair of the firm’s Health and Bioscience Innovation Policy Practice Group, Carrie leverages deep knowledge and a wide-ranging network to develop strategies for the research and healthcare communities towards effective solutions in areas of health policy, health systems and response, the bioscience ecosystem of the future, and efforts to accelerate biomedical innovation.
Throughout her career, Carrie has employed big picture vision to create blueprints for achievement of advocacy and policy goals, across the legislative and executive branches of government, ranging from coalition building to communication and lobbying campaigns to report and recommendations development. She uses her extensive experience working with Congress, the interagency, regulatory agencies, and across the breadth of the biomedical and health stakeholder communities to create achievable short and long-term objectives and ambitious goals in service to the research and healthcare community. As a prominent leader in biomedical and health policy, Carrie is a sought out and trusted expert across public and private sectors for seeing and creating new opportunities or defining critical issues and assets for the life science innovation ecosystem.
Issue Experience: Basic and clinical research (National Institutes of Health, ARPA-H, HHS, VA, USDA); biomedical research policy (human participant protections, data sharing, rigor and reproducibility); bioeconomy and biomanufacturing; biosafety, biosecurity and research security; emerging biotechnologies; medical research regulation (FDA, CMS, CDC, USDA); appropriations; healthcare policy; telemedicine; graduate education; international science policy; diversity, equity, and inclusion policy.
Additional Experience: Prior to joining Lewis-Burke, Carrie spent nearly a decade in public service, leading the inaugural Health and Life Sciences division in the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy, heading the Office of Science Policy at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as NIH’s Associate Director for Science Policy, and serving as Chief of Staff to NIH Director, Dr. Francis Collins. She has decades working with and advocating for the university and scientific communities, covering biomedical and agricultural policy issues for the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), as well as serving as President of United for Medical Research. Carrie is a trained scientist, with degrees in Animal Science and a research focus in reproductive physiology and has spent her career leveraging her scientific experience to inform science and health policy issues.
Vital Statistics: Carrie has slowly been making her way south, from growing up in Syracuse, New York where she began her professional career as a zookeeper to her beloved undergrad alma mater, Cornell University (where she met her husband), followed by her doctoral degree at The Pennsylvania State University, before settling in long-term in DC. She loves nothing more than to travel all over the world with her husband and two sons, hiking with her dogs, cooking for family and friends, or curling up on the porch with a good book. For the future, Carrie and her family dream of retiring to their midlife crisis spontaneous purchase, a dog-friendly B&B in coastal Delaware, which is where they can often be found on the weekends.
Matthew Kopfer
Matthew Kopfer supports Lewis-Burke by providing research and up-to-date information on international and security, energy, and social sciences landscape and opportunities across the federal government. Matthew specializes in extramural research and workforce programs at agencies including at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Department of State (DOS), Department of Energy (DOE), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Having studied politics and foreign affairs as an undergraduate and gained experience in the higher education sphere, Matthew brings a unique and passionate viewpoint to Lewis-Burke’s clients.
Issue Areas: Workforce development, international research collaborations, higher education, homeland security, emerging technologies, and social sciences.
Additional Information: Prior to joining Lewis-Burke, Matthew interned for U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), researching, and assisting staff in tracking and analyzing clean energy, economic development, foreign affairs, and national security developments and events. Through this experience, he gained a thorough understanding of the many different priorities of federal agencies and became skilled at researching and analyzing federal policy. Additionally, Matthew gained valuable business and administrative insight in Senator Warner’s office, giving him useful skills to interact with clients.
Vital Statistics: Matthew was born and raised in Williamsburg, Virginia and received his Bachelor’s degree a year early with distinction from the University of Virginia, where he majored in Foreign Affairs and Politics. For his third year of college, Matthew studied abroad at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and the University of Virginia: Valencia in Spain. Matthew is a Master’s in Project Management candidate at Georgetown University, interested in leveraging new mechanisms and emerging technologies to maximize organizational structure and output. Outside of the office, Matthew spends his time supporting University of Virginia athletics, especially during basketball season. He also enjoys listening to music, reading political theory journals, and running. Matthew is an avid enjoyer of researching and analyzing realist and neorealist theory, UK and EU politics, and development in Africa and Latin America.
Madison Lambert
Madison Lambert uses her background and education in public health to provide clients with federal health and biomedical research insights on funding opportunities and emerging legislation in the health and biomedical field. The federal agencies she primarily consults on include the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Madison’s background in public health allows her to provide clients with in-depth information on emerging opportunities, policy updates, and ways to promote health through science and technology. Her professional passions include improving public health outcomes, expanding the healthcare workforce, and bridging the gap between communities and researchers.
Issue Areas: Biomedical Research, Public Health, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Preventative Medicine, Maternal Health and Education
Additional Information: Prior to joining Lewis-Burke, Madison worked as a Program Assistant for The National Institutes of Health (NIH) at the Children’s Inn Non-Profit sector. Here she did program coordination for children undergoing clinical trials for ultra-rare diseases, worked alongside medical teams to assist international patients and families during their research, and facilitated grants and donations for the organization.
Vital Statistics: Madison graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a B.S. in Public Health concentrating in behavioral and community health as well as maternal and child health. She is a Maryland native, and an avid foodie who enjoys exploring the many tastes of Washington D.C. in her spare time.
Jackson Clark
Jackson Clark supports Lewis-Burke clients by tracking and researching federal agencies and legislative updates that are related to biomedical research, health, biosecurity, and biotechnology. At the firm, he focuses on opportunities and updates at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), among others.
Prior to joining Lewis-Burke, Jackson found his passion for federal health policy working as an undergraduate research assistant at the University of Minnesota. In that role, he assisted Professor Michael Minta in his research analyzing the United States’ preparedness for pandemics over time. Through this experience, he gained an understanding of the many different priorities of federal agencies and became skilled at researching and analyzing federal budgets. Additionally, Jackson gained valuable experience at the ground level of health policy interning for Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN). In that role, he assisted constituents with casework relating to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, which allowed him to better understand how to interact productively with federal agencies and how policy impacts Americans.
Issue Expertise: Health and hospitals, biomedical research, infectious diseases, pandemic preparedness and response, biotechnology, and defense health.
Vital Statistics: Jackson was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama and received his bachelor’s degree with distinction from the University of Minnesota, where he double majored in Political Science and Philosophy. Outside of the office, Jackson spends his time supporting University of Minnesota and Alabama athletics, especially during football season. He also enjoys cooking, reading historical non-fiction, and biking around the city.
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Elizabeth Stulberg, Ph.D.
Dr. Elizabeth Stulberg advises clients in the areas of food, agriculture, and life sciences. Elizabeth has worked in Congress, the White House, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and holds an AB with Honors in Biology and German Studies from Brown University and a PhD in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from Yale University. Elizabeth uses her deep subject matter expertise and broad experience working within the federal landscape to advocate for science, leverage federal programs, and enhance clients’ scientific and technological endeavors.
Recently, Elizabeth used her expertise and experience in USDA and Congress to facilitate $20 million in infrastructure funding for a university client.
Issue Expertise: Food and agriculture policy, microbiome science, higher education, plant and soil science, genetics and biotechnology.
Additional Experience: Elizabeth started her career in science policy with an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Congressional Science Policy Fellowship supported by the American Society for Microbiology. As a Fellow, she worked in the office of Congresswoman Louise Slaughter of Rochester, New York, where she advised on issues of agriculture, public health, genetics, and food safety. She then moved into the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy with a fellowship from the American Phytopathological Society, leading initiatives on microbiome science and agriculture workforce development and earning the position of Senior Advisor for Food and Life Sciences. Elizabeth gained agency experience as an Agricultural Science Fellow in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Chief Scientist before spending five years with the Agronomy, Crop, and Soil Science Societies of America. In this role, she supported food, agriculture, and natural resources research programs.
Vital Statistics: Elizabeth lives in Northeast Washington, DC with her husband and two beautiful children. She has a passion for food, both cooking and eating, and is thrilled that her career lets her dive deeply into issues dealing with the food system, from plant biodiversity to nutritional inequities. She also loves snowboarding and science fiction.
Sierra Cato, J.D.
Sierra Cato is a Principal in the Energy Policy Practice at Lewis-Burke Associates LLC. As a trusted advisor, Sierra helps clients advance legislative priorities in Congress, protect their interests, secure federal funding, navigate challenges in the political landscape, and raise their profile in Washington. Prior to joining Lewis-Burke Associates LLC, Sierra served in leadership appointments at the U.S. Department of Energy, including Acting Staff Secretary to Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette where she led cross-agency coordination and preparation of the Secretary’s briefing materials for both domestic and international engagements. Sierra also served as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Executive Secretariat where she oversaw the Department’s response to high level communications and policy actions from the White House related to energy policy and national security and spearheaded legislative reform efforts across DOE. Lastly, in her capacity as Senior Advisor on Minority Education, Sierra was the DOE liaison for White House initiatives advancing STEM equity and educational excellence for all minority-serving institutions and HBCUs.
Sierra received a Secretary’s Appreciation Award from Secretary of Energy Rick Perry for exceeding expectations in the strategy and creation of the Department of Energy Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office in September 2019.
Issue Expertise: Energy Sciences, Physical Sciences, Applied Energy, Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Fossil Energy, Nuclear Security and Nonproliferation, Nuclear Energy, DOE National Laboratories, Transportation, Appropriations, Artificial Intelligence, Technology Transitions, Grid Resilience and Modernization, Cybersecurity, Workforce Development and STEM
Additional Experience: During her career, Sierra gained sound knowledge of the inner workings of Congress while serving in various positions in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, including serving as a law clerk for Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, as well as a Legislative Staff Assistant and Intern for former Senator David Vitter and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, respectively.
During her time in the Senate, Sierra was Co-Chair of the Community Service Committee for the Senate Black Legislative Staff Caucus. In addition to a strong appreciation for service, Sierra values the importance of building strong relationships and working in a bipartisan manner.
Vital Statistics: Sierra earned her Bachelor of Science in Applied Sociology at North Carolina State University. She received her Juris Doctor from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. Sierra was born and raised in Whiteville, North Carolina. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and spending time outdoors.
Sharon Eshelman
Sharon Eshelman is a strategic planning and stakeholder management professional with two decades of hands-on government service and consulting experience, most of which has been focused on national security policy. At Lewis-Burke, Sharon serves as a strategic advisor to clients helping to advance their defense, cybersecurity, and homeland security engagement and research priorities. Sharon joins Lewis-Burke after spending two years as Senior Advisor in the Office of Legislative Affairs for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where she guided the Department’s response to a myriad of Congressional oversight investigations and served as the primary liaison with Capitol Hill on Intelligence matters. Ms. Eshelman previously served as the National Security Subcommittee Staff Director for the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee, overseeing more than 35 investigations into the Departments of Justice (DOJ), Homeland Security, State, Veterans’ Affairs, Defense, and the Intelligence Community.
Issue Expertise: Defense and national security, homeland security, immigration, criminal justice, cybersecurity, counterterrorism, congressional oversight.
Additional Experience: From 2009 to 2017, Ms. Eshelman worked as a professional project manager, first at Deloitte Consulting and then Sentinel HS Group, where she supported strategy and policy clients within the Homeland, Justice and Treasury Departments. Prior to becoming a consultant in 2009, Ms. Eshelman served five years with the federal government, assuming various policy and legislative roles in both DHS and the White House. Throughout her career, she has contributed to a variety of federal initiatives such as: the White House Strategy (and Implementation Plan) for Pandemic Influenza; national disaster and COOP planning; various criminal justice and civil enforcement plans; federal fraud, waste and abuse investigations; victim support initiatives; federal program, planning, budgeting and execution (PPBE) efforts; state and local law enforcement outreach campaigns; government re-organizations and has written pieces included in the President’s Daily Briefing Book.
Vital Statistics: Ms. Eshelman received a B.S. in Business Administration from American University in Washington, DC, and a M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, RI, and has completed additional coursework in political science and education.
Beyond her professional and academic accomplishments, Ms. Eshelman has volunteered with the Anne Arundel County Public School System, Junior Achievement, National Youth Leadership Forum and College Summit organizations, and continues to look for ways to support youth development initiatives in the National Capital Region.
Sharon is originally from the Greater Philadelphia area and is an avid Eagles, NASCAR and cheesesteak fan. She enjoys playing golf and frisbee, jogging, swimming, and spending time outside with her husband and three energetic children.
Griffin Reinecke
Griffin is a passionate advocate for science and technology policy. An expert in space, energy, and transportation issues, he leverages his experience working on Capitol Hill and relationships with congressional staff to provide Lewis-Burke clients with insight on potential congressional action and upcoming federal funding opportunities.
Issue areas: Civil space research and policy, fundamental and applied energy research and development, environmental research, transportation and infrastructure, and aeronautics.
Additional Experience: Prior to joining Lewis-Burke Associates, Griffin worked on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, where he served on the full committee and more recently on Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee. During his time on the Committee, he developed an in-depth knowledge of space and science policy issues while building relationships with key stakeholders at relevant agencies, in academia, and industry. Griffin also worked as an intern in the office of Ron Wyden.
Vital Statistics: Griffin was born and raised in Bend, Oregon and earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and sustainability from the University of Michigan. When not supporting Michigan athletics, Griffin spends his free time outdoors skiing, hiking, or playing golf.
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.
Informing Faculty to Enable Grant Success
NSF developed a new funding mechanism for accelerating development of technology in agency priority areas. Lewis-Burke engaged with the agency repeatedly to help shape the new mechanism and obtain early intelligence. Once a pilot competition was announced, a university client wanted to prepare a broad group of faculty to compete for awards. Lewis-Burke prepared a webinar for interested faculty, which gave them insights into the larger context for the program, key features of the mechanism and how it differed from typical NSF programs, and best practices for success. Ultimately, a faculty group from the university won a $1 million award in the competition and now has the opportunity to obtain additional, much larger awards as part of the program.
