Shawna Francis Watley

Shawna Watley is a seasoned policy strategist and senior advisor at Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C., office, where she co-leads the Public Policy & Regulation Group's Education Team.

With more than 17 years of experience in public policy, lobbying, legislative and regulatory counseling, and strategy development, Ms. Watley has built a reputation for crafting innovative solutions to complex corporate, nonprofit and governmental challenges at the federal level. She represents numerous higher education institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), as well as K-12 school districts, ensuring their voices are heard in legislative and policy discussions. Her extensive network spans federal, state and local governments, including key relationships within the former Biden Administration, U.S. Congress, moderate Democrats and Congressional Black Caucus.

Ms. Watley is highly skilled in forging and maintaining relationships with elected officials, policymakers and corporate executives. She has represented public and private interests across various sectors, including financial services, transportation, homeland security, healthcare, energy and education.

Beyond her policy work, Ms. Watley has shared her extensive knowledge and experience as a guest lecturer at Howard University, Spelman College and Morehouse College, as well as Fudan University and Pu Dong Institute in Shanghai, China.

Before joining Holland & Knight, she was the principal owner of the Francis Group LLC, where she spearheaded government relations efforts and developed strategic initiatives for federal policy advocacy. Previously, she served as director of congressional affairs for the Democratic Leadership Council and the Public Policy Institute, where she led strategy development and programming for congressional engagement. During her tenure, she launched impactful initiatives such as the "Meet the Freshmen" series, a congressional newsletter, the Global Economy Project and the organization's Congressional Agenda for the 21st Century.

Ms. Watley's deep understanding of legislative processes is further strengthened by her experience as a former legislative assistant to Sen. Robert Kerrey (D-Neb.), where she gained valuable insight into the inner workings of Congress.