Mark Valente III, a Michigan native, is the President of Valente & Associates, a bipartisan, D.C.-based, government affairs consulting firm. As the grandson of four Italian immigrants, Mr. Valente has always maintained strong ties to his Italian heritage. Mr. Valente has been involved with the National Italian American foundation for over three decades, and now serves on the Board of Directors. He chairs the Government Relations and Public Policy Committee, where he uses his position to be a voice for Italian Americans in Washington, DC, and reinforces the Foundation’s mission to strengthen and empower ties between the United States and Italy. Mr. Valente’s government experience began when he was elected City Councilman in Grosse Pointe Park, Mich., and continued to develop through his service in the Office of Public Liaison in the Reagan White House, as well as Director of Congressional Relations for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) during the George H. W. Bush Administration. Mr. Valente is a graduate of Villanova University’s College of Commerce and Finance, as well as the University Of Detroit School Of Law. He and his wife, the former Claudia Marie Barker, reside in North Springfield, Virginia.