Washington, DC – Global law firm K&L Gates LLP is pleased to announce that Dr. Alexis Gutierrez, a seasoned legislative and public affairs strategist with more than 20 years of federal experience, has joined the firm’s Public Policy and Law practice as a Government Affairs Advisor in its Washington, DC office.

Gutierrez brings deep experience at the intersection of policy, science, and government affairs, having led high-level legislative and public engagement strategies across both the executive and legislative branches. Her career includes more than 20 years at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), where she most recently served as Supervisor for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs at NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations.

Throughout her career, Gutierrez successfully secured more than $3 billion in funding to support NOAA missions, including the largest supplemental appropriation in NOAA’s history. She led legislative campaigns to secure funding for ship and aircraft construction, asset maintenance and repair, critical maritime infrastructure, hurricane prediction technologies, fisheries science, and disaster relief, while strengthening NOAA’s presence and visibility on Capitol Hill.

Her federal career also includes a key assignment as a NOAA Legislative Fellow to the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, where she helped shape major legislation including the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022, Coast Guard and Maritime Administration authorization bills, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. During this period, she also worked on the development and advancement of other fisheries and maritime legislation.

Michael Scanlon, a leader of K&L Gates’ global Policy & Regulatory practice area, commented: “Alexis brings a unique blend of experience in the maritime, natural resource, and fisheries sectors that fits very well with our long-standing maritime and seafood industry practice areas. Her two decades of experience at NOAA and her track record of shaping major maritime and fisheries policy will enable Alexis to provide unmatched insight and advocacy to our clients.”

The addition of Gutierrez is complemented by the recent firm hire of former NOAA lawyer Michael Heard Snow and follows other strategic hires in the firm’s Washington, DC office this year, including nuclear law partner Tison Campbell, healthcare and FDA partner Mark Ogunsusi, public policy and law lawyers Marne Marotta, David Skillman, Varun Jain, and Tara Ganapathy, energy partner Thomas Allen, and the firm’s first national security advisor Marissa Cloutier.

“Alexis’s substantive experience, scientific background, deep understanding of legislative and federal agency processes, and proven record on policymaking in key industry sectors of the practice will be an invaluable asset to our clients,” said David Wochner, managing partner of the Washington, DC office. “We are pleased to have Alexis bolster our team that has been advising maritime and seafood industry clients for more than 50 years.”

With a significant team of bipartisan lawyers and policy professionals who have more than 500 years of combined government experience, members of K&L Gates’ Public Policy and Law practice work with clients through the entire policy life cycle—from legislation to regulation and dispute resolution. The group is one of the largest public policy practices of any global integrated law firm.