With three decades of experience, Lydia leads Cornerstone’s Grants Consulting team of experts in assisting Cornerstone clients in navigating the complex landscape of federal funding based on a comprehensive understanding of agency priorities, functions, and capabilities. The Grant Consulting team (OpsWatch) provides over 100 clients weekly reports on Federal funding opportunities and has helped secure over $100’s of millions in Federal funding for clients from the Department of Transportation, the National Science Foundation, USDA and other agencies.

Prior to joining Cornerstone, Lydia was a Senior Consultant at Federal Solutions, LLC where she was responsible for federal government relations activities for a broad range of higher education clients, developing and executing strategies for appropriations and authorizing legislation, working with the Congress, the White House and the agencies to achieve the client’s objectives. While at Federal Solutions, Lydia established OpsWatch, LLC, a multi-faceted grant monitoring and advisory service for clients.

Lydia began her career on the Senate Subcommittee on Education and later worked with the Office of Legislative Affairs at the Department of Education. She returned to the Senate as a senior staff member for Senator Paul Coverdell (R-GA). Prior to joining Federal Solutions, LLC she was a political fundraiser for Members of the House and Senate.