0-5 years

Boys and Girls Club of Louisiana - Board Member

Gretna Economic Development Association - Past President

Gretna Heritage Festival - Past Board Member

Westbank Coastal Conservation Association - Board Member

Westbank Ducks Unlimited Chapter - Board Member

Bachelors Club of New Orleans - Member

Senator Danny Martiny Campaign - Campaign Management Team

Elton Lagasse for Parish President - Campaign Manager

Mark Morgan for School Board - Campaign Manager

Sheriff Joseph Lopinto - Westbank Campaign ManagerLouisiana

Video Gaming Association - Associate Member

Senator David Heitmeier - Former Intern

Senate President John Alario - Former Aide

Jefferson Parish Council - Former Intern

Loyola University Institute of Politics - Graduate

Association of Louisiana Lobbyists - Member

Ryan Templet is a lobbyist with Advanced Strategies inc., a government relations firm founded by veteran lobbyist Alton Ashy in 1992. Advanced Strategies has offices in Baton Rouge and New Orleans and for nearly thirty years has represented dozens of clients on high profile issues at the local, state and executive level with impeccable results. Advances Strategies has provided winning strategies to clients in a broad range of industries including gaming, health care, utilities, technology and more.

Ryan first acquired his taste for politics at a young age volunteering for local elections in Gretna, LA where he grew up. In high school, Ryan began working at the Louisiana State Capitol as an intern, where he made in roads with a number of Legislators and shortly thereafter began interning in the Louisiana Senate. In College, Ryan worked as the Legislative Aide for Senate President John Alario, where he worked for five years. Under President Alario, the longest serving member of the Louisiana Legislature, Ryan learned the details of the Legislative process, the Senate and House rules, the art of compromise, the importance of building coalitions, and the value in working with individuals of competing interests and different views to successfully pass a Legislative agenda.

Ryan has worked extensively in a number of Legislative, local, and Parish-wide elections giving him an in depth knowledge of how to identify winning candidates, and a knowledge of grassroots advocacy which he utilized to services clients as a lobbyist. Having extensive knowledge of the Legislature after working for both the Louisiana House and Senate, Ryan joined Alton Ashy at Advanced Strategies inc., where he has helped Alton to grow his client base and further the success that ASI has seen in developing and implementing effective legislative government relations strategies. Presently, Ryan works with Alton to represent a broad range of clients such as the Louisiana Video Poker industry, the Louisiana Video Gaming Association (LVGA), Jacobs Entertainment, the Interventional Pain Therapists Association of Louisiana, Our Lady of the Lake Hospital System, Waste Management (WM), Entergy Louisiana, Baron and Bud Law Firm, Copart inc, DRC, Callan Marine, SAS Institute, Drizly, HNTB Corporation, Louisiana Coalition for Access to Autism Services, Louisiana Association of Applied Behavior Analysts, AETNA inc, the National Football League Players Association, and more.

Alton Ashy is the President of Advanced Strategies. As the firm's president, Alton brings a wealth of knowledge, a strong work ethic and sharp business insight to his projects. Ryan and Alton specialize in helping their clients manage high profile State Legislative and Executive level issues. Ryan and Alton are an extremely effective team for their clients. Priorities for Ryan and Alton in assisting all clients include constant communication, working with Legislators on both sides of the aisle, educating Legislators on both sides of an issue, working with other lobbyists on both sides of an issue, and finding the best solution to an issue. Ryan and Alton provide each client with the respect that they deserve and treat every client as a part of their own family. Their experience in a broad range of industries and willingness to make themselves available as needed to clients make them a perfect match for anyone seeking representation in Louisiana.

Katie has been working on Capitol Hill and in other functions of state politics since 2007. Katie has worked in the office of United States Senator Lamar Alexander, as well as the Office of Governor Bill Haslam.

During her tenure in Governor Haslam's office, Katie was instrumental in the governor's Drive to 55 Initiative, helping shepherd key legislation such as the Tennessee Promise and the FOCUS Act.

While working as Director of Legislation, Katie advised the governor, his senior staff, and twenty-three state agencies on political strategy and legislative affairs.

Prior to joining the JohnsonPossKirby team, Katie worked as Senior Advisor of Government Affairs and Economic Development at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, LLP.

Katie graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin in 2008. She continues to serve her alma mater as a member of the Advisory Board.

Katie lives in Franklin with her husband, Luke, and daughters Ryall and Mackie.

Nathan Poss has over 20 years of experience in both the public and private sector. His focus is to provide clients with a comprehensive range of services, including: legislative drafting and tracking, policy development, governmental lobbying (at all levels), strategy development, and business procurement.



Prior to forming JohnsonPossKirby Government Relations in 2007, Nathan served as a principal at Smith Johnson & Carr, focusing on lobbying efforts for the firm's business clients and taking the lead on procurement strategies.



Before entering into the lobbying world, Nathan served seven years on Capitol Hill as a legislative assistant to then Speaker Pro Tempore of the Senate, State Senator Bob Rochelle. During his tenure with the state, he played an important part in writing and developing legislation, organizing political strategies, building coalitions, and monitoring legislation for committees. Poss has also been actively involved in numerous successful political campaigns.



Poss has built a reputation of hard work and respect among those on Capitol Hill. Working with major players in the state's business community, he has served as a key strategist on major environmental and tax issues. Nathan has garnered a reputation for producing tangible results through well-executed and intricate lobbying efforts designed to achieve long lasting success for his clients.

In addition to his lobbying successes, Nathan has extensive experience with the procurement process in Tennessee. Recently recognized by the TN Report for being known as an "expert in the state's purchasing practices," Nathan has cultivated the necessary connections with top-level decision makers throughout all areas of state government. Throughout his practice he has developed a strong grasp of the state's purchasing processes, and has successfully secured multi-million dollar purchases for numerous clients.

Nathan is a graduate of Cumberland University with a B.A. in Social Science. A native Tennessean, Nathan grew up in Lebanon and currently lives in Green Hills with his wife Molly.

Prior to joining JohnsonPossKirby in 2017, Luke served Capitol Hill in the Tennessee General Assembly, the Department of Finance and Administration, and the Office of Governor Bill Haslam.

Luke began working in politics in 2009 for Representative Pat Marsh and then joined Governor Haslam's office in February of 2011. During his tenure there, Luke helped shepherd the Governor's signature legislation through the legislative process. These initiatives include teacher tenure reform, tort reform, the TEAM Act, the Prescription Safety Act, and TN Promise to name a few. In 2015, Luke left the Governor's office to join Commissioner Larry Martin and the Department of Finance and Administration.In his role as Legislative Liaison, Luke was responsible for communicating with the legislature on behalf of Commissioner Martin and the divisions within the department. Luke worked with the Commissioner, Strategy Technology Solutions (STS), Benefits Administration, and the Division of Budget to achieve the department's goals and facilitate a strong working relationship between the department and General Assembly.

In addition to his work with the F&A divisions, Luke played a role in preparing the Governor's Budget and advocating for its approval in the General Assembly. These budgets included the largest tax cut in state history, two debt free budgets, and significant investments in recruiting jobs.Luke and his wife, Katie, live in Franklin with their two daughters, Ryall and Mackie.