ACUITAS - Key Persons
Carson Gatt brings first-hand legislative experience, passion, and leadership skills to his position as a legislative director at Acuitas.
Gatt grew up in Farmington Hills where he attended Detroit Catholic Central High School. He is a graduate of the James Madison College at Michigan State University and a former defenseman on the MSU Varsity Hockey team. During his senior year he was even selected to serve as team captain.
After graduating from MSU, Gatt began his political career working on several campaigns and gaining crucial experience in the field. During that time he learned about campaign strategy and outreach.
Gatt has a true passion for the work Acuitas does and does not shy away from new territories. He says, "My favorite part of the government relations industry is the opportunity to learn about new things every day."
Gatt joined the office of House Majority Floor Leader Triston Cole at the start of the 2019-2020 Legislative term and served as both Legislative Assistant and Legislative Director.
He gained extensive knowledge of the legislative process from his time with Majority Floor Leader Cole and is excited to bring exceptional insight, knowledge, and work ethic to the Acuitas team.
In his free time Gatt enjoys being outdoors and spending time on Higgins Lake.
Job Titles:
- Director of Strategy and Legislative Affairs
Danielle Devine brings extensive leadership, healthcare, and policy expertise to her position as Director of Strategy and Legislative Affairs at Acuitas.
Devine has held several prominent leadership roles in both the private and public sector. Her most recent experience comes from her time spent serving on Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey's executive leadership team as the Director of Legislative Strategy.
In addition to her work with the Michigan Senate, Devine has expansive private sector experience; working primarily in healthcare operations. With her unique combination of interpersonal and analytical skills, she focused on promoting growth, efficiency, and compliance for the Michigan lines of business at Meridian Health Plan, where she was employed for six years.
Devine is a graduate of Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Care Administration. She is native of Hartland and the greater Metro Detroit Area.
Her hobbies include traveling, spending time with family and friends, watching sports, and participating in anything competitive.
Native to Grand Rapids, Michigan, Kailey graduated from Michigan State University in 2011. During her four years at Michigan State, Kailey participated as a member of the varsity co-ed cheerleading team. Kailey has worked in various capacities in downtown Lansing since 2009. She was the Director of Operations at Acuitas from 2013-2019 when she left to take on the role of Stay at Home Mom. She enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband, Polo, and their three young children. Kailey is passionate about volunteer work and is a supporter of many Michigan-based charities.
When Kevin is not with his daughter Kate and black lab Cooper, he brings tireless effort and passion, exceling in strategy and solutions. He has been ranked one of the most effective lobbyists in Lansing by Inside Michigan Politics.
Kevin's clear vision has guided campaigns, start-ups and Fortune 100 firms. Previously, Kevin served as the Director of Government Relations for the Michigan Chamber of Commerce - one of Michigan's premier trade associations. As Vice President for the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, Kevin advised business leaders from some of Michigan's largest companies, philanthropic community and non-profit associations.
Honored to serve State Representative Ken Sikkema (R- Grand Rapids) and U.S. Senate campaign of the Honorable Spencer Abraham, Kevin has deep roots in the legislative and political process.
A native of Ironwood, Michigan. Kevin graduated with honors from Michigan State University with a Masters Degree in Labor & Industrial Relations and received a BS in Political Science degree from Western Michigan University.
Nealie Andrews joins Acuitas after spending the past five years in campaign management roles for Representative Andrews. Her past positions included campaign manager - Friends of Joey Andrews (Win) 2022 , campaign manager- Chokwe Pitchford for 79th State Representative (2020) campaign manager-Joey Andrews for State 79th (2018) She received her undergraduate degree from Grand Valley State University-2016 B.A English Minor Political Science and is currently pursuing her M.A. in English.
In her free time she enjoys spending time with her 3 horses, including showing them and spending time with her dog named Frank. She also enjoys regular visits with her niece, Violet.
Sarah is known as one of the leading legislative strategists working in Michigan government relations and has been recognized by Inside Michigan Politics. Before joining Acuitas, Sarah spent 17 years at the Detroit Regional Chamber, where she led advocacy efforts on behalf of over 20,000 firms in southeast Michigan before local, state and federal government stakeholders.
At Acuitas, Sarah is well known for her collaborative approach to tough client challenges. Her network of contacts across non-profits and the business community provide clients access to much more than her knowledge and understanding of the legislative process.
Sarah's proactive approach to relationship-building with government officials begins long before they are sworn-in to office. The Acuitas team works to meet future public officials before they are overwhelmed by the work of Lansing and continues the relationship as they ascend to positions of leadership.
Prior to the Chamber, Sarah spent 3 years as a Legislative Assistant in the Michigan House of Representatives with former State Representative Willis C. Bullard Jr. (R - Highland Township).
Sarah received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan, Master of Public Administration from Western Michigan University and Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
She formerly served on the Board of Directors of the Public Affairs Council, the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, the Woodrow Wilson Centers' Canada Institute, and the University of Michigan Alumni Association.
Sarah gives much of her time in public service through her role as a University of Michigan Regent. She was elected to an eight-year term in 2020 and serves without compensation.
Crain's Detroit Business named Sarah in their "40 Under 40" class as well as a "Woman to Watch" in recognition of her work on behalf of businesses in the Detroit region.
Tony's proficiency as a client advocate stems from working with both the Michigan legislature and the federal government. Prior to joining Acuitas, Tony worked in Washington D.C. for one of the nation's top lobbying firms advocating for corporate, non-profit, international, and coalition clients. Tony worked with offices within the Administration and Congress to promote client interests in regulatory, judicial, security, healthcare, commerce, and energy areas. During this time, Tony managed projects through a presidential transition and large turnover in government agencies while building relationships with newly appointed and elected officials.
Along with conventional government affairs, Tony has extensive experience coordinating grasstops advocacy campaigns aimed at influencing both state and federal policy. Tony has worked with local and national organizations to drive coalition efforts to educate and inform policy makers of issues impacting client needs. In addition, Tony has managed the formation of several business advocacy groups and promoted their interests within the legislature.
Tony is a Michigan native with a Bachelor of Arts in public policy from Michigan State University's James Madison College and an additional degree in Psychology.
Job Titles:
- House Majority Floor Leader
- Majority Floor Leader