Johanna Polsenberg

Dr. Polsenberg possesses a unique combination of legislative, scientific and business expertise, with experience that ranges from working on energy issues in the U.S. House of Representatives to conducting field research on the role of Australasian mangrove estuaries as coastal buffer systems. Her on-the-ground scientific knowledge, combined with an inside-track understanding of legislative development in Congress and training in business strategy and globalization, makes her exceptionally qualified to successfully pursue federal policy initiatives on behalf of clients with interests related to energy, the environment, natural resources, oceans, international conservation, agriculture and many other issues. Dr. Polsenberg joined Cassidy & Associates after serving for almost four years as a Senior Legislative Aide to Representative Tom Udall of New Mexico. Dr. Polsenberg supported the Congressman in his engagement as a member of the Interior Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee and a member of the House Resources Committee by collaborating with senior-level leaders representing business and industry, labor, federal agencies and environmental advocacy groups. During her tenure with Representative Udall, Dr. Polsenberg helped grow the bipartisan International Conservation Caucus, which has facilitated increased federal funding for and helped to develop policy in support of international conservation and sustainable development around the world. She also served as a Legislative Fellow for Congressman Sam Farr (D-CA), advising the Congressman on regional and national marine and environmental policy issues. During this time, she was a U.S. Congressional delegate to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa and testified before the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Dr. Polsenberg served in various scientific positions including: project leader for Operation Wallacea in Sulawesi, Indonesia; teaching assistant and lecturer on various ecological and marine science-related topics at Stanford University; biological observer onboard fishing boats in the Bering Sea; underwater photographer for a humpback whale protection project in the West Indies; and, collaborator on the development of a drug targeted against breast cancer. Dr. Polsenberg received her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences and Ecosystem Ecology from Stanford University and her M.B.A. from the University of Maryland. She received her B.S. in Agricultural Biochemistry with honors in Chemistry, cum laude, from the University of Vermont.