Geoffrey G. Peterson
Executive Vice President, Legislative Affairs

With expertise in health, tax, pharmaceutical and other issues, Mr. Peterson brings three decades of experience in government and government relations.

Following graduation from Harvard with a B.A., and J.D-Law Review from Georgetown Law School, Mr. Peterson began his career as legislative assistant to Senator Abe Ribicoff (D-CT), staffing the senior Finance committee member on tax, health, Medicare, Medicaid, social security and other domestic issues. Following his next service as chief of staff to the Senator, Mr. Peterson ran for and won the Democratic nomination for Congress in Connecticut's fourth Congressional district. In 1976 and 1977 Mr. Peterson served as Senate Finance Committee Counsel to Finance Chairman Russell Long.

In 1977 Mr. Peterson was appointed as a Special Assistant at the Department of HEW, working on President Carter's Welfare Reform Initiative and health initiatives.

From 1978 to 1981 Mr. Peterson served as Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for tax legislation, shaping tax policy and playing a lead role in working with the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee in enacting tax legislation.

In 1981 Mr. Peterson left government and began his service in government relations.

For the next twelve years he was the head of government relations at the Distilled Spirits Council. From 1993 to 1995 Mr. Peterson served as Senior Vice President to Cassidy and Associates. In that position Mr. Peterson represented a wide range of clients, including numerous healthcare, insurance, taxation, defense and banking issues.

In 1995 Mr. Peterson became the head of the Washington office of the world's leading manufacturer of vaccines, Aventis Pasteur. For nine years Mr. Peterson worked a wide array of pharmaceutical, regulatory, general health and taxation issues and helped develop business coalitions to pursue the company's public policy agenda. Mr. Peterson has worked closely with both the House and Senate and has developed a wide range of friendships and contacts. He has been active in numerous Congressional campaigns on both sides of the political aisle.