JIM LEAHY

With more than 35 years of experience in lobbying, non-profit association management and political organizing, Jim brings a host of experience and relationships to the table for LSG clients.  Jim joined Liberty Square Group in 2017, although Jim and Scott have collaborated on issues for decades.

 

A fixture in the Connecticut State Capitol since 1988, Jim has represented clients in a wide variety of sectors, including healthcare, environment, education, consumer protection, budget, justice, gaming, government procurement, public safety, development, and arts & culture.  Jim has also worked with organizations in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Pennsylvania.

 

His advocacy track record includes several high-profile wins, including three first-in-the-nation consumer protection laws, most notably Connecticut’s toy safety labeling law in 1991 which paved the way for federal law just a few years later. Jim takes great pride in his work with the Westport Country Playhouse to secure $5 million in state funding for the renovation of the historic theater that spawned the Rodgers & Hammerstein show, “Oklahoma.”  On the criminal justice front, Jim led the successful effort for the Vera Institute of Justice, working with Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro’s office, to reinstate eligibility for Pell Grants for incarcerated individuals in 2020.

 

A seasoned lecturer with a focus on leadership, grassroots advocacy and communicating with public officials, Jim has addressed professionals at national, regional, and state organizations as well as students at more than a dozen New England colleges and universities. He is a Certified Association Executive, the highest level of professional achievement available from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).

 

An avid soccer geek, Jim has been a player, coach, parent, administrator, referee and tv/radio broadcaster.  A two-time state high school championship head coach, Jim is a member of both the Brandeis University Athletics Hall of Fame and the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame.  When not near the pitch, Jim also enjoys golf, hiking, skiing and cooking.

 

A graduate of Brandeis University with a B.A. in Psychology, Jim lives in Tolland, Connecticut.