(Des Moines) – Cornerstone Government Affairs announced Tuesday the addition of Paige Thorson, former Deputy Chief of Staff to Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, to its government relations team as Principal and Counsel. At Cornerstone, Thorson will utilize her policy experience in insurance, health care, and energy and natural resources to assist the firm’s clients with their government relations objectives in Iowa.
Thorson served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Kim Reynolds from 2018-2021, overseeing the development of the Governor’s policy agenda and successfully leading efforts to enact the Governor’s proposals to expand and fund mental health services, build broadband infrastructure, remove workforce barriers and expand education opportunities. She also advised the Governor on the development of the state’s $8.4 billion general fund budget and provided counsel on some of Iowa’s most significant challenges in recent years, including the pandemic, civil unrest and a derecho.
Before being named Deputy Chief of Staff, Thorson also served as Health Policy Advisor to the Governor, advising on health care policy and acting as the liaison to the Department of Human Services and Public Health and the Iowa Insurance Division. In this role, she led the Governor’s efforts to stabilize Iowa’s $5.9 billion Medicaid program, negotiating directly with Iowa’s Managed Care Organizations and working with the legislature to ensure an appropriately funded program. In addition, Thorson served as Policy Advisor to the Iowa Departments of Human Services and Aging.
“We have known and worked with Paige for a long time and are super excited about her joining the team,” Cornerstone President Campbell Kaufman said. “We are fortunate to have someone with Paige’s experience and expertise to help us continue to service our existing client base at the highest levels and to grow in new areas in Iowa.”
Most recently, Thorson served as an Attorney at BrownWinick Law, advising clients throughout their interactions with the legislative and executive branches of government. Thorson started her law career as an Associate Attorney focusing on government relations at a law firm in Des Moines.
“I am thrilled to be joining Cornerstone’s government relations team in Iowa,” Thorson said. “Cornerstone has a proven reputation, and I look forward to using my years of policy and strategy experience to assist clients in achieving their advocacy objectives.”
Thorson graduated from Iowa State University in 2008, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and earned her Juris Doctorate degree and Health Law certificate from Drake University Law School in December of 2010. Thorson was admitted to the Iowa bar in April of 2011.