Janene Jackson Named New Leader of Holland & Knight’s D.C. Business Practice
WASHINGTON (January 11, 2018) – Holland & Knight Partner Janene Jackson has been appointed as the new head of the firm’s D.C. Business practice. She succeeds Rod Woodson and Dennis Horn, who have led the practice for the past 15 years.
Holland & Knight’s D.C. Business practice brings together lawyers and policy advisers who know the inner workings of Washington’s municipal government and who come from a variety of specialized backgrounds, including government relations, real estate, land use and zoning, environmental, corporate, tax and government contracts. Together, they provide clients with a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach focused on the local regulatory and policy needs of businesses in the District of Columbia.
“Holland & Knight is the only firm in Washington with a team dedicated to serving companies and individuals doing business in and with the District,” said Ms. Jackson. “I look forward to continuing to expand our D.C. Business practice and cementing our position as the go-to firm in this area.”
Ms. Jackson focuses her practice on guiding clients in navigating the legislative and regulatory aspects of the District government, which includes assisting them with their government relations and lobbying needs, business development interests and legal representations in administrative proceedings. Immediately prior to joining Holland & Knight, she served as the deputy chief of staff and director of the Office of Policy and Legislative Affairs in the administration of Washington Mayor Vincent Gray, where she was responsible for regional, federal and local relationships for the mayor as well as lobbying the Council of the District of Columbia and Congress. She also served as a senior advisor to the mayor and provided advice and counsel to the city administrator, attorney general, deputy mayors and agency directors.
Previously, Ms. Jackson was the senior vice president for government affairs at the DC Chamber of Commerce. She was the organization’s chief lobbyist, responsible for crafting and executing its legislative strategies and negotiating with the executive and legislative branches of government within the District of Columbia. Her background also includes six years with the Council of the District of Columbia on the Committees on Education and the Judiciary as well as two years with the District of Columbia Public Schools as executive director for the State Complaint Office.
“Janene’s significant experience with D.C. business issues through her work as senior vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, together with previous positions with each branch of the D.C. government, will serve clients well as she assumes the leadership of our team,” said Mr. Woodson.
“Under her leadership, I am confident that our team will continue to help clients successfully address the varied challenges of doing business in the District and capitalize on the opportunities that the District offers,” added Mr. Horn.
Ms. Jackson currently serves on the District of Columbia Building Industry Association board of directors and as co-chair of its Public Policy and Regulation Committee. She also is a member of the Golden Triangle BID board of directors and sits on the Steering Committee of the District of Columbia Bar’s Committee on D.C. Affairs. In 2016, the Washington Business Journal named her one of the city’s 25 most influential business women.