Prior to joining Blank Rome, Mr. Nesmith served as Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations. In that capacity, Mr. Nesmith was a Sub-Cabinet Member and Principal advisor to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary and senior staff on legislative affairs, Congressional relations, and policy matters affecting Federal, state, and local governments as well as public and private industry groups. In addition, Mr. Nesmith has served at the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA) as the Deputy Assistant Secretary where his management responsibilities included the Offices of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs, Public Relations, National Technical Research, the Auditing Division, and Executive Secretariat functions. As a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce Senior Executive Team, Mr. Nesmith served as the Agency's principal representative with the White House, OMB, Capitol Hill, and other Federal agencies. A native of Pennsylvania, Mr. Nesmith received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and his Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from the American University.