Paul F Welday

In 2011, he joined Watts Partners, a leading Washington, D.C. based government affairs consulting firm as Senior Counsel to the firm. He was formerly partner and co-founder of companion government affairs consulting firms Strategic Federal Affairs and Strategic Public Affairs. Additionally, Mr. Welday is the President of Renaissance Strategies, Inc., a leading public affairs consulting firm and Superior Capitol Consulting, LLC, a state government affairs firm based in Lansing, Michigan. In January 1993, Mr. Welday began serving as Chief of Staff for Republican U.S. Representative Joseph K. Knollenberg from Michigan’s Eleventh Congressional District. A 1981 graduate of James Madison College at Michigan State University with a B.A. degree in Justice, Morality, and Constitutional Democracy, Mr. Welday began his professional career as a legislative assistant in Washington, D.C. to U.S. Representative Jack F. Kemp (R-NY). In 1982, he began his political career as a state-wide organizer for gubernatorial candidate Richard Headlee.In 1985, Welday formed The Welday Group Inc., a public affairs and public relations consulting firm in Farmington Hills, Michigan. In the late 1980’s, Mr. Welday moved west where he served as Chief of Staff to Mayor P.J. Morgan of Omaha, Nebraska. In 1992, Mr. Welday left Omaha’s city hall and returned to the national political scene working as campaign manager for U.S. Senator Robert W. Kasten, Jr. of Wisconsin and as senior consultant to other GOP candidates, including businessman Joe Knollenberg. Mr. Welday went on to manage both the Capitol Hill and Michigan district offices of Congressman Knollenberg since the beginning of the first term. After serving as campaign manager for the second of two Ronna Romney for US Senate campaigns in 1996, Mr. Welday served as Washington Partner and Vice President for Public Affairs at the firm of Market Strategies. In 1997, Congressman Knollenberg appealed to Mr. Welday to return to his congressional office and he began his second tour of duty. Due to reapportionment, Congressman Knollenberg went on to represent the Ninth Congressional District of Michigan. In 2002, Mr. Welday left government service to launch his partnership business ventures, Strategic Federal Affairs and Strategic Public Affairs. In December of 2002, Mr. Welday was elected Chairman of the Oakland County (MI) Republican Party. He was the Republican nominee for the Michigan House of Representatives in 2008 and a leading candidate for Congress in Ninth Congressional District in 2010. A virtual lifelong resident of the Farmington, Michigan area, Mr. Welday is father of two children, Nicholas and Natalie. He is married to Valerie Knol who recently concluded a term as Mayor, and currently serves as a Councilmember for the City of Farmington.