The McCormick Group Completes Search for Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies

October 26, 2026 – The McCormick Group, an Arlington, VA-based executive recruitment firm, has assisted in the recruitment of Rodney Whitlock, Debbie Curtis, Katie Waldo, and Maddie News to the federal health policy practice of Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, the bipartisan government relations and communications affiliate of international law firm Cozen O’Connor. The search was led by principal David Ris and consultant Stacey Levy Russin.

“Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies has built one of Washington’s leading bipartisan health policy practices, helping clients navigate and shape health care legislation and regulations,” said Alexandra Campau, health policy chair and managing director of Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies. “The addition of Debbie, Rodney, Katie, and Maddie — true giants in healthcare policy — expands our reach and depth across complex health care coverage, financing, and access policy and further strengthens our ability to anticipate policy shifts, shape outcomes, and help clients to navigate the evolving health care environment.”

“Debbie, Rodney, Katie, and Maddie are among the most respected health policy professionals in Washington, bringing decades of experience across Congress, federal agencies, advocacy organizations, and the private sector,” said Howard Schweitzer, CEO of Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies. “Their deep expertise in Medicaid, Medicare, and other federal health care programs, combined with their strong bipartisan relationships and strategic insight, further strengthens our health policy practice and enhances our ability to help clients navigate an increasingly complex legislative and regulatory environment.”

The team joins Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies’ five-person federal health policy practice from McDermott+, the health care government relations affiliate of McDermott Will & Schulte. Their collective experience spans senior roles on Capitol Hill and congressional committees, health policy advisory bodies, and leading healthcare advocacy organizations, providing clients with strategic guidance on legislative, regulatory, and reimbursement issues affecting the health care sector.

Ms. Curtis joins Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies as a managing director. She brings more than three decades of experience on Capitol Hill and in the health insurance exchange marketplace to the firm. Ms. Curtis previously served 24 years as a congressional staffer, most recently as chief of staff to rep. Pete Stark and as a professional staff member on the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, where she was a key staffer in the development of the Affordable Care Act. She later helped establish and operate DC Health Link as a founding team member at the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority.

Mr. Whitlock joins Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies as a managing director. With more than three decades of government and private-sector experience, he advises clients on complex Medicare and Medicaid issues with significant business implications, drawing on more than two decades on Capitol Hill, where he served as health policy director to then-senate finance committee chairman Chuck Grassley and as the lead republican staffer for Medicaid legislation, including the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 and the Affordable Care Act.

Ms. Waldo joins Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies as a senior principal. Focused on navigating complex federal and state issues, including Medicaid coverage, payment and financing issues, Medicare, and the 340B Drug Pricing Program, she represents clients before Congress and the Department of Health and Human Services. Ms. Waldo previously served as a senior analyst at the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, focusing on managed care, payment and access, behavioral health, home- and community-based services, and dually eligible beneficiaries, and as a health policy fellow in senator Grassley’s office.

Ms. News joins Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies as a government relations associate. She helps clients navigate the evolving federal health care landscape by tracking and analyzing key legislative and regulatory developments to support clients’ advocacy goals. Ms. News previously served as senior program associate for Medicaid policy at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans, working on federal legislative and regulatory issues on behalf of safety net health plans.

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Created just over a decade ago, and wholly-owned by Cozen O’Connor, a top 100 law firm, Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies is a lobbying and public affairs firm with top tier practices in Washington, D.C. and – notably – in politically important state and local markets. CPS works alongside the largest state attorneys general practice in the country, supplemented by a robust governor’s practice.

Proven Search Firm

The McCormick Group provides executive search services to associations, corporate government affairs offices, and law firms, among others. The firm offers clients a full range of human capital services, including recruitment, human resources strategic planning and consulting, compensation studies and surveys, management succession consulting and restructuring, and outplacement consulting.

Mr. Ris’ specialties are legal and government relations. He conducts retained and contingency searches for law and lobby firms, consulting firms, corporations and trade associations. Mr. Ris also represents candidates, with a particular specialty in assisting senior level government officials as they transition into the private sector. He has represented a former senior counsel on the House Financial Services Committee, deputy assistant secretary from Treasury’s Office of International Affairs, branch chief from SEC’s Division of Enforcement, senior litigation counsel from Justice Tax Division, international tax counsel from Treasury, chief tax counsel on Senate Finance Committee, commissioner from the Federal Communications Commission, a counsel from the Senate Commerce Committee, and a Ways & Means committee chief tax counsel.

Ms. Levy Russin recently returned to The McCormick Group after several years working in talent acquisition in the corporate and non-profit sector, including stints at companies such as Dyncorp and Fannie Mae. Earlier in her career, she was a key player in TMG’s legal team, where she placed a variety of partners, associates and in-house counsel.

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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor  – Hunt Scanlon Media