Dao Nguyen joins the firm after previously serving as executive director of Future Forum and senior policy advisor to Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy (D-FL)
Cornerstone Government Affairs announced the addition of Dao Nguyen to its federal government relations team today. Dao possesses nearly a decade of experience on Capitol Hill, where she has successfully advanced bipartisan legislation through a divided Congress. She has provided strategic counsel to Democratic members of Congress on a wide range of policy issues through different political vantage points.
Dao most recently served as the executive director of Future Forum, a generational caucus of young House Democratic members of Congress previously chaired by Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) and founded by Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA). In this capacity, she oversaw the organization’s expansion from 25 to 50 members and worked closely with congressional offices and stakeholders to develop coalition support for initiatives focused on engaging young Americans, empowering the next generation of public service leaders, and promoting innovative public policy. Under her tenure, the caucus collaborated with prominent influencers and private sector leaders to raise awareness on issues such as paid family leave, student loan repayment, and data privacy.
“We are thrilled to be adding Dao to our team,” said Cornerstone President and Managing Director Geoff Gonella. “She has a tremendous reputation on and off the Hill, significant subject matter expertise and a bipartisan network of relationships that will immediately bring value to our clients and our team.”
“As the daughter of refugees, it has been an honor to serve on Capitol Hill for nearly a decade and advance federal legislation that has made a meaningful difference in the lives of families like mine,” said Dao Nguyen. “I look forward to hitting the ground running at Cornerstone, working alongside a distinguished team of bipartisan policy and advocacy experts to deliver for our clients and help them successfully navigate an unprecedented time in our nation’s history.”
Prior to leading the Future Forum and during her tenure as a senior staffer to Congresswoman Murphy, a co-chair of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition and a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, Dao worked across the aisle to increase access to capital and federal contracts for women and minority-owned small businesses and technology start-ups. Additionally, she led a successful bipartisan strategy to pass a measure effectively lifting the 22-year ban on federally sponsored gun violence research.
Dao also previously served as a senior policy advisor to Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and an ex-officio member of the House Appropriations Committee. In this role, she managed a broad policy portfolio, including health care, immigration, education, women’s rights, and criminal justice. Dao authored bipartisan legislation providing youth-serving nonprofit organizations with affordable access to FBI background checks and guided bicameral negotiations, ultimately resulting in passage of the bill and enactment into law.
Dao’s Capitol Hill career started in the office of Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA), a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. She is a past board member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Staff Association, a professional development organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander Hill staff, and a past board member of the Unbroken Horizons Scholarship Foundation, a nonprofit that provides access to higher education for LGBT youth. She currently serves on the board of the California State Society, a nonprofit organization that creates networking opportunities for Californians living in Washington, D.C.