Becker & Poliakoff

Anthony Bedell

Senior Corporate and Government Relations Director

abedell@beckerlawyers.com

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Bio

Anthony Bedell currently serves as Senior Corporate and Government Relations Director. He advises his clients on how to use a bipartisan and diverse approach to achieve successful public policy initiatives strategically and tactically with federal, state, and local governments.

Some notable clients include the Virginia Port Authority, the City of Virginia Beach, Broward MPO, Transurban, Hitachi USA, National Association of Waterfront Employers, NTT, Tritium, and Railspire.

On May 1, 2017, he was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental and Tribal Affairs by U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Elaine L. Chao. Secretary Chao then promoted Bedell to the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional Affairs. The number two governmental affairs position in the Office of the Secretary on March 31, 2019.

His duties included acting as Secretary Chao’s liaison and surrogate to the U.S. Congress, executive branch departments and agencies, all 50 state Governors, state legislatures, state departments of transportation, regional transit authorities, ports, airports, mayors, county boards, city councils, tribal councils, and national trade associations such as AASHTO, APTA, National League of Cities, and the National Association of Counties. He also served as one of the Department’s appointed representatives on the Northeast Corridor Commission and NETT Council.

Bedell’s experience and unique understanding of the Executive Branch, Congress, States, Localities, and the business world have translated into successful results working on numerous public policy initiatives over the last 25 years.

Before joining U.S. DOT, Bedell was President of Red Five Strategies, a prominent government relations firm, which he started in 2014. He was also the former Director of Federal and State Government Affairs for a Fortune 500 software company. In that role, Bedell was responsible for the operation of the company’s Federal and State government relations programs, as well as contributing to the growth of several of the company’s software programs.

Bedell also has additional executive branch experience. In 2001, he was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao as Senior Legislative Officer for Congressional Affairs handling a variety of legislative matters for the U.S. Department of Labor. In 2003, he was appointed Associate Administrator for the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs by U.S. Small Business Administrator Hector V. Baretto, where he served as chief advisor to the Administrator.

Governor Robert F. McDonnell appointed Anthony Bedell to serve a four-year term on the Board of Visitors of Radford University. He was elected Rector of the Board of Visitors for the 2015 and 2016 academic years and led the successful Presidential Search Committee that responsible for hiring the former President of Radford University (2016). He also served as the Chairman of the Governance, Athletics, and Administration Committee 2014-2015.

In 2022, Governor Glenn Youngkin appointed Anthony to the Virginia Commonwealth University Board of Visitors. He currently serves on these Committees: Audit, Integrity and Compliance, Intercollegiate Athletics, Finance and University Resources, Health System Committee and the VCU BOV/VCUHS BOD Joint Task Force.

Bedell is a product of Virginia’s public-school systems, where he attended West Springfield High School (1986) and Virginia Commonwealth University (1996). He is also a veteran of the United States Air Force (1990-1996).

PROFESSIONAL / COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

  • Member, Virginia Commonwealth University Board of Visitors, 2022-present
  • Member, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, 2022-present
  • Rector of the Board of Visitors, 2015-2016
  • Member, Board of Visitors, Radford University, 2012
  • Governance, Athletics, and Administration Committee, Chairman