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Harold L. Hodes
In a profession where reputation is all, Harold Hodes stands apart from the crowd. Since the 1970s, whenever tough compromises have had to be worked out, or intractable political problems needed to be solved, politicians and business alike have turned to Mr. Hodes for help.
Beginning his political career as an aide to former Newark Mayor Kenneth Gibson, he was tapped by then candidate Brendan T. Byrne to run his gubernatorial re-election campaign in Essex County. Mr. Hodes’ performance, and Byrne's resulting victory, so impressed the new governor that he named Mr. Hodes his Chief of Staff.
In this role he coordinated all legislative and executive agency activities for the Byrne Administration during Byrne’s time in office. He was integrally involved in some of the state’s biggest achievements, including converting the New Jersey Meadowlands into an economic engine for the region and the state; the passage of the Pinelands Preservation Act, which saved pristine areas of southern New Jersey from development; and the passage of the casino gambling enabling legislation in 1976, which paved the way for the redevelopment and economic rebirth of Atlantic City.
He is active in state and national Democratic Party politics and has advised both presidential and gubernatorial campaigns. Mr. Hodes served as senior political advisor for the Clinton/Gore campaign in 1992 and was reappointed to the same role in 1996 by President Clinton. In 2000 he served as senior political advisor to the New Jersey and northeast regional Gore/Lieberman campaign.
Mr. Hodes was the first president of the New Jersey Devils National Hockey League team. He serves as a Commissioner on the New Jersey Turnpike Board and as a member of the Board of Trustees of Monmouth University. He is also a visiting professor at the Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University, where he teaches a course on political campaigning.
Mr. Hodes holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Monmouth University and has pursued graduate work at New York University.
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 Roger A. Bodman
Roger Bodman, senior partner, is widely respected for his depth of knowledge of state government and politics. He has served in gubernatorial cabinet posts, guided presidential campaigns in New Jersey, and has appeared as a political commentator for New Jersey Network for more than 20 years.
Early in his career, Mr. Bodman served as Chief of Staff for former New Jersey Congressman James Courter, and as district office manager for former New Jersey Congresswoman Millicent Fenwick. In 1981 he was selected as manager of Tom Kean’s campaign for governor.
Following Gov. Kean’s victory, Mr. Bodman was named to two separate cabinet posts. As the State Commissioner of Transportation, he was the chief advisor to the Governor on transportation matters and he also served as Chairman of New Jersey Transit. Later, as the State Commissioner of Labor, he implemented extensive legislative reforms of the unemployment insurance program.
In 1987, Mr. Bodman was appointed by the Governor to chair the Study Commission on Regulatory Efficiency, for which he received the Alliance for Action's "Eagle Award." In 1988 he served as Vice Chairman of the New Jersey Bush for President Committee.
A native of Bernardsville, New Jersey, Mr. Bodman was graduated cum laude from Ohio University in 1974 with a degree in political science. Mr. Bodman is a visiting professor at Rutgers University's Eagleton Institute of Politics and is a frequent political commentator on New Jersey Network programs.
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Joseph DeSanctis
Joseph DeSanctis, partner, has extensive knowledge of the legislative and executive branches stemming from more than a decade of advocacy on behalf of a diverse client base. He has advocated on behalf of clients in a number of industries ranging from major corporations, government entities along with trade and professional associations. He has developed a specialized knowledge of transportation, energy and water, along with environmental issues.
Mr. DeSanctis also served as Manager of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs for the New Jersey Society of Professional Engineers, on whose behalf he worked on legislative and regulatory issues as well as matters affecting the engineering community’s permitting process. His legislative efforts were nationally recognized by the National Society of Professional Engineers for passage of legislation which clearly defined the roles of engineers and architects in regard to building design services.
Mr. DeSanctis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science/Public Administration from Trenton State College.
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 Tracie DeSarno
Tracie DeSarno, partner, has more than 30 years’ experience representing major corporations, institutions and associations, and municipal, county and state government in Trenton and Washington. At Public Strategies Impact, she is responsible for a broad range of issues, including healthcare, financial services, telecommunications and entertainment. Throughout her career, she has successfully represented clients on major legislative initiatives and budget deliberations.
Ms. DeSarno has been with PSI for more than 20 years. She came to the firm from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where she served as government affairs assistant to the president of New Jersey’s premier technology university. Previously, she served nearly 10 years as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for Essex County, gaining invaluable experience in government operations from the municipal to federal level.
During her tenure with Essex County, she was the County Executive’s liaison to the State Legislature, state agencies and the 22 municipalities in the county. She was responsible for legislative initiatives at the state and federal level, and assisted in grant procurement and state budget analysis, successfully directing additional state funding to the county.
Ms. DeSarno is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Douglass College, Rutgers University, and holds a bachelors degree in political science and sociology. She is a member of numerous organizations, including the Women’s Political Caucus. She has served as an elected member of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, and as a member of the Union County College Board of Governors. She also served for years as a PTA president and executive board member in Union Township.
In 2008, the New Jersey Hemophilia Association recognized Ms. DeSarno as the recipient of its Congressman Dean A. Gallo Memorial Award for Distinguished Legislative Leadership.
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Matthew S. Halpin
Matthew Halpin, partner, joined Public Strategies Impact in 2001 after serving as Manager, Government Relations for the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. At the State Chamber, Mr. Halpin was responsible for issue areas that included economic development, international trade, and corporate taxation. Coming from a large association, Mr. Halpin brings management skills along with government relations experience that complement the firm's association management division.
Mr. Halpin’s lobbying efforts at PSI span a variety of business issues for corporate clients as well as several trade associations. He advocates on behalf of clients from the following industries: energy, real estate, finance, healthcare, entertainment, death-care, port transportation, and municipal government. He participates on project teams with corporate clients in order to help manage the public affairs components of the overall project. In addition, Mr. Halpin’s efforts within our association management practice include serving as Executive Director of both the NJ Society of Municipal Engineers and the Opticians Association of NJ.
Mr. Halpin received a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the Rutgers Business School in 2003, holds a BA in political science & economics from Rutgers College, and is an Associate of the Eagleton Institute of Politics. He serves on the Rutgers Alumni Association’s Government Relations Committee, and enjoys playing in the Golden Dome Softball League for the NJ Senate team.
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William J. Maer
William Maer, partner, served in several governmental positions including as an Aide to former Governor James Florio, Chief of Staff to Congressman William J. Pascrell, Jr. and as the Associate Executive Director of the Assembly Democratic Legislative Leadership Office. Additionally, he served as a staff member to the Democratic members of both the Legislative and Congressional Apportionment Commission.
Mr. Maer serves as a gubernatorial appointee to the New Jersey Building Authority and is a former member of the Board of Trustees at Brookdale Community College. Mr. Maer currently serves as Chief Spokesman for the 800-member Passaic County Sheriffs Department.
Mr. Maer is active in local and State Democratic Party politics and was previously on the staff of the Stewart Agency.
Mr. Maer received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Clark University in Massachusetts and in 1990 he was granted a Master of Arts in Political Science degree from Pennsylvania's Villanova University.
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 Edward J. Mount
Edward Mount, partner, has more than 30 years of service in the public sector. He served as Assistant State Treasurer and as Assistant Commissioner, Department of Labor during the administration of Governor Whitman. He also served as the first Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Department of Treasury. Mr. Mount brings extensive expertise to the firm in the areas of government IT marketing and government procurement practices.
Mr. Mount has an extensive information technology background and sat on the State of New Jersey Information Resources Management Commission, the Office of Information Technology Governing Board and the State of New Jersey Information Technology Leadership team. He also served as a member of the U.S. Department of Labor Automation and Technology National Committee for the Interstate Conference of State Employment Agencies.
Also as Assistant State Treasurer, Mr. Mount was the Treasurer’s representative on various boards such as the New Jersey State Aquarium, the South Jersey Port Corporation and the Governor’s Commission for the Preservation and Use of Ellis Island.
In addition to his experience at the state level, Mr. Mount was Mayor of Bordentown Township, Burlington County and served on the Township Committee for six years. He was appointed to the Executive Board, New Jersey State League of Municipalities in 1990 and served on various committees.
Mr. Mount is a graduate of LeMoyne College, Syracuse, New York with a BS in Industrial Relations. He is a veteran of the United States Air Force.
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Joseph A. Simonetta, CAE
Joseph Simonetta, partner, is an experienced lobbyist and association manager who has earned the designation of Certified Association Executive (CAE), the highest certification in the association management field.
He served as Chief of Staff and Legislative Affairs to Mayor Art Holland of the City of Trenton as well as Executive Vice President of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors. He is a Past President of the New Jersey Society of Association Executives as well as the recipient of the 1992 Association Executive of the Year Award.
Mr. Simonetta currently serves as the Executive Vice President and Management and Governmental Relations consultant to several professional and trade organizations including the New Jersey Society of Professional Engineers, the American Institute of Architects/ NJ, the New Jersey Travel Industry Association and the New Jersey Hotel & Lodging Association.
He holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Business and Political Science from Mount St. Mary's College, Emmitsburg, Maryland.
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Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart, Associate, worked in the state legislature for the Assembly Republican Majority office. During this time he worked closely with legislators, forming policy and helping educate Assembly members on important issues. Mr. Stewart was responsible for staffing a number of Assembly committees including the Assembly Budget, Consumer Affairs, Regulated Professions and Labor committees.
Mr. Stewart served as principal policy advisor to the Republican Majority Leadership and caucus on economic development, changing financial issues with the State budget along with relaying needs from the business community.
A lobbyist since 2001, Mr. Stewart has worked on a broad range of issues for his clients. Working with larger and smaller clients, he uses his working knowledge of the Legislature, state departments and the Governor’s office to achieve the goal of the client.
He developed a strong working knowledge of the insurance industry and labor arena, specifically dealing with workers compensation issues. Mr. Stewart handled other diverse clients in the pharmaceutical industry, manufacturing sector, and temporary staffing industry.
He is a 1996 graduate of Villanova University, where he earned his degree in Political Science.
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