RUTH WHITNEY

(Arkansas)

inVeritas is a leading global public affairs firm specializing in management consulting, public relations, government relations, and research. With decades of experience, inVeritas is the firm of choice for global companies - a recognized advisor and trusted resource for delivering critical intelligence and proven solutions to address complex business challenges.

Firm Specialties:
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
The inVeritas team has worked at the highest levels of government and has the expertise to guide companies through the nuances of the regulatory, legislative, and administrative arenas. We have a proven track record for passing legislation, securing funding, building coalitions and providing cost containment on disputes.

MARKET RESEARCH
Accurate information is the cornerstone of an effective, winning strategy. Without it, critical decisions are uninformed and time and money are wasted. At inVeritas, each element of our research is carefully customized to meet our clients' objectives. We arm our clients with the intelligence crucial to market expansion, asset protection, and risk mitigation.

At inVeritas, we are proud to offer insight and help inform decisions for our nation's leading companies, law firms, nonprofits, and local, state, and federal governments.

PUBLIC RELATIONS
A strong communications and public relations operation is integral to success in every arena and every sector. Our award winning team helps clients through the various stages of their public relations needs, from crisis management to message development.

STRATEGIC CONSULTING
Our highly experienced consulting team designs actionable strategies to help clients achieve tangible results. With extensive legal, regulatory and government relations experience, our consultants evaluate performance, assess business practices, develop critical capabilities and deliver value by achieving compliance, uncovering opportunities and solving unique problems.

We specialize in administrative and compliance areas typically outside the normal course of business for organizations. As a result, we are in a unique position to provide meaningful insights and a broad range of capabilities, including deep industry knowledge of healthcare, energy, tax, public finance, procurement, transportation, information technology and cyber security.

RUTH H. WHITNEY is the founder and CEO of inVeritas. Ruth serves as a strategic advisor to clients based on over 25 years of expertise in law, government, politics and public opinion. She has been privileged to advise Global 500 companies, prominent professional services firms, state and federal governments, law firms, nonprofit corporations and industry associations.

Ruth earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. She is a member of the Arkansas Bar Association and is admitted to practice in Arkansas and the U.S. District Courts in Arkansas. Ruth has also been admitted pro hac vice in various jurisdictions in the course of her service as a national jury consultant.

Before founding inVeritas, Ruth built and managed the Arkansas office of Global Strategy Group where she specialized in executing winning campaigns in the public and private sectors. Prior to joining GSG, Ruth served as counsel and chief of staff to Attorney General Mike Beebe and developed professional relationships with attorneys general across the country. Ruth has extensive legal and management experience, including over 10 years as a healthcare and administrative lawyer with the Arkansas Department of Human Services and as Counsel to Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard.

Ruth has served as a guest writer to Talk Business and currently serves on a number of boards of directors including the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce; Arkansas Cinema Society; Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance; New Design School; and Little Red River Foundation. Ruth serves on the advisory board of NanoMech Inc., a nanomanufacturing innovation and product development firm. She also serves her state and community as a member of Leadership Arkansas, Accelerate Arkansas and the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce.

THE ADVOCACY GROUP

(50 states, Federal and DC)

TAG is a one-stop, results-oriented network for clients with needs in a single state or multiple jurisdictions. The TAG network consists of one top firm per jurisdiction or specialty. Collectively we are 60+ firms including lobbyists across the US, public affairs specialists in various countries (Australia, Canada, Mexico, Russia, CIS, Central Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Turkey, Israel, United Kingdom and the European Union) and specialty services (50-state legislative and regulatory tracking, grassroots, jury selection, market entry strategy and social enterprise business development).

Each TAG member offers its clients a tailored strategy that will provide them with a solution. Our TAG members are an integrated team, both near and far throughout the world, yet offering insight within each location.

The TAG network consists of the top lobbying firms across the US, public affairs specialists in various countries and specialty services.

US Members:
50-States
DC Council
US Congress

International:
Profile Consulting (Aust) Pty Ltd (Australia)
Tactix (Canada)
Monarch Global Strategies (Mexico, Central & South America)
Kesarev (Russia, CIS, Central Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Turkey & Israel)
Instinctif Partners (United Kingdom & the European Union)

Specialty members:
Five Corners Strategies (Grassroots Advocacy & Public Affairs)
FOCUS, a Leonine Business (50-State Legislative & Regulatory Tracking & Analysis)
Select Litigation (Jury Selection)
Bullpen, LLC (Market Entry Strategy)
The Virtuous Cycle Collaboratory (Social Enterprise Business Development)
Law Offices of Mitchell D. Gravo, Inc. (Specialty Member)

Subjects: All Subjects

We're a father/son team, therefore I'm very much by the book. I shop bills first to educate and fish out any opposition and will let a sponsor know that I oppose their bill before I kill it. You can put on a good show but in the end its all about votes. We get votes. I'm also a former reporter which aids in our PR efforts.

11-15 years

Arkansas College Media Award winner for photo and print
Arkansas Business 30 under 30
National Junior Chamber President's Medal of Honor winner and Ambassador to Japan
Arkansas Junior Chamber Star Award

Our representation for energy and insurance clients keeps us close to the Insurance and Commerce Committees. Our pharmaceutical and other health related clients keep us close to the Public Health Committees. However, we regularly have bills in other committees and can successfully lobby the entire house and senate.

We have relationships all over our state government. If we don't know someone already we will find an introduction. We specialize in cultivating long term relationships with people and always remain loyal to our friends and those that help us.

My father returned home to Harrison, Arkansas after playing for the Denver Broncos for a few years and began working as a sales rep for Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Over the next decade he worked his way up to VP of marketing. In 1986 I was 8 years old and he was asked to be something called a "lobbyist". I immediately was in love. I knew at eight years old that I wanted to be a lobbyist when I grew up. Believe it or not I planned my life accordingly.

In the early 90's the newspapers had painted a target on all of the lobbyists in Arkansas. Dad had a heated exchange with a legislator and an editorialist took some liberties with article. I knew then that I wanted to join the media before lobbying in order to avoid anything like that. In high school, I managed the local GNC, volunteered for every campaign that I could and took summer work at the capitol as a driver and staffer for our Treasurer and Attorney General. I took some journalism courses and immediately got a job as a reporter when I started college.

After college I was an inaugural staff member for Governor Mike Beebe. After serving as a policy adviser I left to join my father's firm, Phillips Management and Consulting Service. After having a very successful run under a Democratic administration, we had a very smooth transition into the next Republican administration with myself serving on incoming Governor Asa Hutchinson's transition team in the areas of the Department of Human Services and the Department of Information Systems.
We love our job. Neither my father nor myself plan to retire. We want to lobby as long as we can.

In 2009 I started a company called LobbyUp. I was disappointed with the only bill tracking service available in Arkansas so I built my own. We now have over 50,000 users in 14 states and we'll continue to add states until we are in all 50 and congress. We have a free mobile app for android and ios.