Charles M.
Brain, President of Capitol Hill Strategies, LLC, has over twenty-five years of
experience in Washington, D.C. Beginning his career as a Legislative
Assistant to a freshman Member of Congress, he eventually served President
Clinton as his Director of Legislative Affairs. He has also represented
the interests of numerous clients in his almost decade of private sector
experience.
As the
President's chief of congressional relations, Brain participated in the
development of the Administration's legislative agenda and was responsible for
devising and implementing the strategy for securing its passage. He is
widely recognized on Capitol Hill for his excellent relationships in both the
House and the Senate and with both Democratic and Republican Members of
Congress.
Subsequent to leaving the
White House, Brain served as Special Assistant to Ways and Means Committee
Ranking Democrat Charlie Rangel. Brain helped the Committee Democrats
organize for the 107th Congress and developed a system through which they could
have continued access to policy experts, including officials of the previous
Administration.
This Ways and Means
Committee service complimented Brain's long tenure with the Committee under
Chairman Dan Rostenkowski. He had also served as Deputy Chief of Staff and
was active in all legislative matters before the Committee, including taxes,
trade, health, social security and budget matters. In all he worked for
thirteen years on the staff of the Ways and Means Committee, serving also as
Assistant to the Chairman and Staff Assistant on the Subcommittee on Social
Security. Prior to joining the Committee, he was Chief Legislative
Assistant to Congressman Jim Shannon (D-MA) and Legislative Aide to Congressman
Doug Walgren (D-PA).
Brain's
previous experience outside of government was with the firm Bergner, Bockorny,
Clough and Brain from 1994 -1998 and with Bergner, Bockorny, Castagnetti,
Hawkins and Brain from 2001 - 2003. Capitol Hill Strategies, LLC was
founded in 2003.
With his
Ph. D. from the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Brain also received his B.A. and
M.A. degrees from Boston College. He is the author of Social Security
at the Crossroads (Garland Press), an analysis of the role of public opinion
in the legislative process. He currently teaches at Boston University's
Washington Program and lectures regularly at American University's Center for
Congressional and Presidential Studies.
