As Vice President of Legislative and Public Affairs, Rick Metsger oversees government and regulatory affairs and helps merge lobbying efforts with a communications-minded outreach.

Rick is a seasoned policy and public affairs veteran, bringing decades of hands-on experience with legislative, regulatory, and communications efforts. His work has spanned transportation, financial institutions, economic development, and marketing communications. Rick maintains close personal relationships with Oregon legislative and executive leaders. He serves as an informal advisor to several legislative leaders and understands the intersection between moving public opinion and moving (or stopping) legislation.

Rick cares about civic engagement and ensuring all voices are heard. He believes collaborative policymaking is the only path to lasting success. Rick also believes in rural communities and the importance of sustaining them. He cares about kids having the real-world tools and resources they need to succeed when they graduate.

Joining the team in 2021, Rick previously served as Chairman of the National Credit Union Administration in Washington, D.C., in both the Obama and Trump Administrations. The agency regulates nearly 6,000 financial institutions and is the insurer of more than $1.3 trillion in deposits. During his time with the agency, he was also a voting member of the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) and the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC). Before his appointment by President Obama in 2013, Rick was an Oregon State Senator from 1999 to 2011, serving as the Senate Pro Tempore and chair of the Senate Business and Transportation Committee. He received several awards recognizing his leadership. Before joining the Senate, Rick built his career as a respected, award-winning print and broadcast journalist and founded his own public relations company. Rick has a bachelor's degree in communications and a master's degree in teaching, both from Lewis & Clark College.

0-5 years

As Vice President, Phil Scheuers supports the Pac/West Lobby Group team by tracking and managing legislation and advocating for client interests across state agency budgets, revenue, and capital construction committees. Phil also manages the firm's administrative duties, leads economic development projects, and supports clients through campaign consulting and association management.

There are few that have more experience working on Oregon's state budget and revenue than Phil. When he left as a legislative staffer, he was one of the longest-serving staffers on the House side with a wealth of experience on ways and means. Phil maintains strong relationships with regional and state partners and has extensive experience in economic development programs, including business incentives, industrial land development, and more. Phil is known for his ability to think outside the box and identify ways to leverage opportunities to help clients achieve their goals. Phil cares about advocating for rural issues, lifestyles, and people. He spends some of his free time on the Hermiston Education Foundation Board and is a proponent of equitable education.

Joining the team in 2018, Phil had a decade of experience working in government affairs and economic development in Eastern Oregon, focusing much of his time on the ways and means and capital construction processes.

As Vice President of Construction Policy and Regulatory Affairs, is a lobbyist on the government affairs team at Pac/West Lobby Group specializing in construction, housing, energy, regulatory affairs, risk management, and program implementation.

Mark has spent more than three decades deep within the policy and regulatory world of construction and energy in Oregon, leading the Building Codes Division and Department of Energy through the administrations of five governors. He has developed a reputation for cutting through complicated and overwrought concepts to find and implement policies that work. He also has earned the respect of people within the industry, agencies, and elected office. Mark cares about creating policies and processes that work for Oregonians. He is passionate about seeing predictable and streamlined programs put into place that improve customers' lives. He believes that political debates should always have the end goal in mind.

Joining the team in 2023, Mark was previously the executive director of the Oregon Home Builders Association. His ability to effectively advocate for clients comes from convening a broad base of collaboration while working out important nuances in policy. By taking a comprehensive view on regulatory rollout and economic impact, he has a strong track record of advocating for and implementing effective programs.

As Director of Housing and Rural Development, Whitley Sullivan is a lobbyist on the government affairs team at Pac/West Lobby Group specializing in housing, rural development, and campaign consulting. Whitley also supports clients through association management and helping communities advance and thrive through grant writing.

Whitley is a problem-solver. She believes that to navigate complex issues, we must first agree on the root issue(s). In every project, she uses her ability to knock down biases and build bridges so that the team can communicate efficiently and effectively. By spending most of her time in the rural Pacific Northwest, Whitley values the hardworking ethos of her community and strives to put just as much effort into the projects she's tasked with.

Whitley cares about rural lifestyles, communities, education, and healthcare. Our rural communities often lack the time, resources, and infrastructure to combat statewide issues such as housing and healthcare or have the funds to pick up the pieces after natural disasters. Whitley believes that through intense collaboration and proactive strategic planning, we can forge a flourishing future for our rural neighbors–without compromising what makes these communities valuable.

Joining the team in 2023, Whitley spent the past three years advocating for rural, Northeast Oregon values within the Oregon House of Representatives of House District 58's Chief of Staff. Whitley has bachelor's degrees in politics and philosophy from Willamette University.

6-10 years

Troy's tactical approach to advocacy - for even the most unique public policy challenges facing Northwest industries - has been shaped over nearly three decades of policy experience in the Pacific Northwest. He specializes in providing strategic lobbying and consulting services, helping his diverse clients navigate Olympia politics and achieve their legislative, regulatory and state funding goals.

Prior to taking ownership of The Nichols Group Government Relations, Troy's broad experience gave him a unique perspective that can only come from first-hand experience over 25 years in campaigns, grassroots organization, trade association management, and serving as legislative staff:

• As caucus staff liaison for the Washington House Capital Budget Committee, Troy helped to negotiate and pass several multi-billion dollar capital budgets during his tenure


• As executive officer for a five-county trade association, Troy helped stop the association's decade-long decline in membership, balanced its annual budget for two years in a row, revamped several programs and racked up an impressive string of local policy and electoral victories; and


• As Chief of Staff to the Oregon House Majority Leader and the Speaker of the Oregon House, Troy served as strategic counsel to state leaders on the most important and sensitive issues facing the state.

11-15 years

Ryan Tribbett founded Pac/West Lobby Group in 2020. His focus as president is building and supporting a well-rounded team of experts to give clients the reputable, forward-thinking service they seek. He cares about building collaborative relationships by finding common values and interests to create long-lasting and real-world solutions to problems. He believes that everyone should have the opportunity to thrive and is proud of being a responsible business owner who cares about his place in the communities in which his team works.

Ryan excels at helping policymakers understand the real-world human impact proposed bills and regulations have on his clients. Regardless of political swings, Ryan's ability to translate client needs into a viable political strategy has helped Pac/West Lobby Group clients achieve their goals and overcome challenges previously seen as insurmountable. Ryan's coalition-building skills have led to the development of key state programs like Connect Oregon, where millions have been invested in roads, rail, bridges, and ports to move Oregon's commodities to domestic and global markets. Ryan's expertise comes from knowing the legislative process and his strong relationships with leaders in both political parties of the Oregon Legislature and the Governor's Office.

Ryan has more than two decades of government affairs experience working on legislative and business issues related to economic development, critical transportation infrastructure, apprenticeships, labor law, contracting code, capital construction funding, local governments, and procurement. Before becoming a lobbyist, Ryan was a policy advisor and chief of staff in the Oregon State Senate and managed campaigns and field operations for regional and statewide candidates and ballot measures. A native Oregonian, Ryan has a bachelor's degree in political science from Portland State University.

0-5 years

Patrick is a seasoned political professional with nearly two decades of experience in Washington State, Oregon, and Washington D.C., advising both Democrats and Republicans. From private and public sector lobbying to overseeing operations for a large state agency, Patrick's resume showcases an impressive depth in all things politics and government.

Before joining The Nichols Group, Patrick most recently served as Deputy Director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). For nearly a decade, Patrick rose through the ranks at WSDA holding key policy positions where he fostered deep relationships with legislators, government officials, and other stakeholders, culminating in being appointed Deputy Director in 2017.

• Patrick led a state agency with approximately 1000 employees and a biennial budget of over $382 million. He supported the state's $11 billion agricultural industry by leading WSDA's Executive Team, covering food safety, disease prevention, pesticide management and commodity inspection. Notably, Patrick represented WSDA on the Forest Practices Board, where he worked to build bridges with the forest industry and the environmental community. Patrick also served as WSDA's first Tribal Liaison to the Governor's Office.


• Patrick enjoys a bi-partisan record of legislative accomplishment in both Washington and Oregon, first serving as staff for Oregon State House Representative Deborah Boone (D-Cannon Beach), and later spending two sessions as the Policy Advisor for the Washington House Republicans, focusing on agriculture, energy, and the environment.


• His role at The Nichols Group is a return to private sector advocacy. During his career in Oregon, Patrick represented a diverse range of clients spanning the health care, education, and renewable energy sectors as a contract lobbyist in Salem, and also served as the Director of Government Relations for the Oregon Association of Nurseries.

As Vice President of Health Care Policy, Henry T. O'Keeffe is a lobbyist on the government affairs team at Pac/West Lobby Group specializing in health care and helping clients engage in the legislative rulemaking process and mold their legislative priorities into proposed legislation that protects community health, local innovation, and opposes one-size-fits-all policies.

Henry has a proven track record working in health care, local government, non-profits, and private business. He is a member of the Oregon State Bar and is skilled at organizing, drafting, and negotiating legal agreements and advancing legislation for his clients. Henry is inquisitive and talented at crafting clear, concise language for legislative concepts. 

Henry has a history of caring about helping people, whether in his capacity as a student volunteer at a domestic violence shelter in college, or as the principal attorney at his law firm today. His own personal health story has helped him understand the challenges and opportunities in Oregon's health care system and energized him in his role as an advocate.

Joining the team in 2022, Henry's background includes state legislative affairs, eight years as general counsel for Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc., and serving as a legislative aide for the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington State. A native Oregonian, Henry has bachelor's degrees in philosophy, politics, economics, and anthropology/sociology from Eastern Oregon University and a J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School.

20+ years

Paul Phillips is one of the leading public affairs and political campaign strategists active today. With more than 30 years of professional experience in politics, marketing and issues management, Paul has an impressive track record of designing and implementing successful programs, initiatives, and campaigns on a wide range of issues such as taxation, transportation, construction, sportsman/conservation, natural resources, health care, facility siting and permitting, and energy.

Paul began his political career in 1978 while working on the successful Oregon gubernatorial campaign of Victor G. Atiyeh. After five years working as assistant to Governor Atiyeh, Paul was hired by Nike, Inc., to manage communication development. In late 1983, while working at Nike, Phillips was appointed to the State House of Representatives. After successfully winning two elections, Phillips left the House and was elected to the State Senate where he served two terms.

While in the Senate and Chair of the Revenue Committee, Phillips helped facilitate major policy changes to Oregon's strategic investment programs which resulted in significant private sector investment stabilizing a changing economy in the Northwest. Later, in his professional life, he organized and led strong coalitions. One example is with Tektronix, Intel, Genentech, Precision Castparts, Nike, Schnitzer Steel, and Columbia Sportswear, among others, that resulted in a major and lasting overhaul of corporate apportionment taxation in Oregon.

In 1997, he and his wife, Nancy Phillips, began Pac/West Communications. Since then, Paul has grown Pac/West into one of the most successful political public relations and marketing firms in the region. Paul and Nancy have built a reputation as a national leader in the arena of behavioral change, whether they be national campaigns or statewide efforts.

Paul is well-known for winning difficult, and sometimes controversial, efforts. He has played lead roles in over 361 campaigns and initiatives across the United States, often securing key support from non-tradition allies, including passage of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (2003). He has managed a wide range of campaigns for candidates, including gubernatorial, U.S. Senate, Congressional, as well as statewide and local issue ballot measures on a wide variety of topics. Most recently, Paul was the chief architect and strategist for CRED and Protect Colorado which defeated attacks on the oil and natural gas industry in Colorado.

Paul was recently appointed to the Native American Youth and Family Center Advisory Board. He has also previously served as a member of the Board of Trustees Pacific University. Paul is a member and of Boone & Crockett Club. He is the Club liaison with the Western Governors' Association and serves as co-chair of the club's Conservation Policy Committee.

Paul has a B.A. in economics from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore.