George Stafford

George Stafford’s work as a lobbyist draws on more than 14 years’ political experience and consensus building (1996-2010) derived from his service as a senior member of former U.S. Senator Sam Brownback’s staff, primarily in the role of Deputy Chief of Staff in Kansas. George served as a key political advisor and conduit between the former Senator and business and civic organizations, chambers of commerce, and municipalities from across the state. He also managed and coordinated federal appropriation requests submitted by diverse entities, and worked with these organizations when the acquisition of such federal dollars was deemed appropriate. George previously served as Brownback’s Director of Commerce and Industry. In this capacity, he represented the Senator throughout the state, while building strong coalitions of public and private groups that informed the Senator about key industry issues and concerns. The seeds of George’s political and legislative journey that led him to Kansas are rooted in Washington, D.C., where he had a stint as a post-university intern for Amnesty International, followed by a legislative cycle with the Republican National Senate Committee (RNSC), wherein he honed his skills as an adept fundraiser. In 1996, coming off Phil Gramm’s presidential primary campaign, he joined the staff of then-Congressman Brownback as a legislative assistant, before moving to Kansas to manage fundraising and help run the campaign for Brownback’s U.S. senatorial race. Throughout his career, George was a chief political fundraiser and advisor during Brownback’s subsequent elections. Prior to the Governor’s inauguration in early 2010, he finished his tenure as a member of the transition team to help support the Governor’s newly formed administration. He worked directly with the transition team to help implement Brownback’s “Roadmap to Kansas” into effective legislative policy. Along with forming Parallel Strategies with David Kensinger and Riley Scott, George is the sole proprietor of Stafford Consulting, LLC, serving clients in utility, telecommunications, healthcare, gaming, finance, technology, and education industries throughout private and public sectors. George’s strong political and state legislative experience is an important asset to Parallel Strategies’ current and prospective clients. He also offers federal lobbying capabilities, with strong relationships among the federal delegation from Kansas and their staffs. George holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of New Hampshire (Durham, NH). He and his wife, Clare, a Topeka native, live in Johnson County with their elementary-aged children – Owen and Helena.