Independent Banker - October 2017 - 31
Grassroots
LOBBYING
Fighting hard on the Hill
ICBA's newest lobbyists, Amy Forester Roberti and Steve Keen, explain
why they relish the fi ght for community banks-and why, even in the most
turbulent of political environments, they hold tight to their principles.
By Molly Bennett
I
CBA's congressional relations
team is at the sharp end of
the association's mission to
create an environment where
community banks fl ourish. Its
lobbyists, based in Washington, D.C.,
navigate the wilds of Capitol Hill to
advocate for community banks and
further ICBA's legislative agenda.
Two additions boosted the team
this year: Amy Forester Roberti and
Steve Keen, who joined in February
and June, respectively, as vice presidents,
congressional relations. They
bring a wealth of lobbying experience
and an enthusiasm for the community
banking cause-as well as an
ability to roll with the punches.
To an outsider, D.C. looks like
a pretty interesting place at the
moment, with established norms
being turned on their heads and
sometimes-contradictory messages
par for the course. But to a lobbyist,
it's all in a
day's work.
" Every Congress
is different, " says
Roberti. " The players
are constantly
changing, and the
political environment
is constantly
changing, so
you are always
adapting to those
different elements. Your principles
stay the same, and your methods are
consistent, and you stick to that and
everything else changes around you. "
Keen concurs. " For us to be successful,
we have to operate in all sorts
of different environments, " he says.
" I've worked in Republican majorities
and Democratic majorities, and
in Republican administrations and
Democratic administrations. And
everyone has a different strategy. "
Insider knowledge
Keen's career to date gives him some
insight into the current occupant of
the White House. " For me personally,
" A lot of what [I] worked
on was access-to-capital
issues-small-business
lending. So it was a
natural fi t to come to
ICBA, where community
banks are really the
engine of that. "
-STEVE KEEN,
ICBA
" As lobbyists, we're really
just the mouthpiece for
community banks here in
Washington. We're here,
but we're always telling
their stories. "
-AMY FORESTER ROBERTI,
ICBA
I spent a lot of time
at the Heritage
Foundation,
and President
Trump has
hired a lot of staffers
from there. So I
have sort of a personal insight into it,
because of some of the connections
that I have. In a previous job, I had
the opportunity to go to the White
House to meet President Trump
and Vice President Pence and work
with them. So while it's different, I
think it has some opportunities and
some challenges. "
In addition to the Heritage Foundation,
a conservative think tank,
Keen worked for lawmakers including
Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Penn.), the
late Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio)
and Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.). His
fi rst job as a lobbyist was with the
National Federation of Independent
Businesses, a trade association for
small businesses.
" A lot of what we worked on was
access-to-capital issues-smallbusiness
lending, " Keen says. " So it
was a natural fi t to come to ICBA,
where community banks are really
the engine of that. ICBA has an
independentbanker.org
ICBA IndependentBanker
31
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Independent Banker - October 2017
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Independent Banker - October 2017
Table of Contents
Independent Banker - October 2017 - Intro
Independent Banker - October 2017 - Cover1
Independent Banker - October 2017 - Cover2
Independent Banker - October 2017 - Table of Contents
Independent Banker - October 2017 - 2
Independent Banker - October 2017 - 3
Independent Banker - October 2017 - 4
Independent Banker - October 2017 - 5
Independent Banker - October 2017 - 6
Independent Banker - October 2017 - 7
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Independent Banker - October 2017 - 33
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Independent Banker - October 2017 - Cover3
Independent Banker - October 2017 - Cover4
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