Bio
Bert Gómez is Senior Corporate and Government Relations Director at Becker and Poliakoff, a Florida-based law firm with offices throughout the East Coast and California. Bert advocates on behalf of client partners in both Washington and Sacramento on issues related to private and public sector matters, in addition to promoting diversity and inclusion, bipartisanship, branding opportunities, and third-party outreach. A skilled senior executive in public policy advocacy, issues management, and strategy development, Bert has always worked in the private sector and has been lobbying for over 30 years.
Prior to joining Becker, Bert was Senior Vice President, Federal and State Government Relations, for Univision. In this position, he led the government relations efforts for the company as chief lobbyist in Washington, DC. He was responsible for the activities of the company before Congress, state legislatures, and other government bodies, and oversaw all relationships and contact with policy makers in the U.S. He also worked with the regulatory and legal team on FCC and other agencies matters. He managed Univision’s team of consultants in Washington and directed the activities of the company’s Political Action Committee (PAC), which he launched in 2008. Bert has extensive working knowledge of the interplay between Congress, the administration, relevant agencies, state and local governments, industry stakeholders, and community organizations. His bipartisan political relationships helped meet the needs of the company in a challenging and ever-shifting industry.
Bert previously served as Univision’s Vice President of Government Relations and Political Strategy. He founded the company’s Washington office and transformed the company’s relations and influence in the political, policy, and third-party outreach arena.
Prior to joining Univision in 2007, Bert spent 17 years with RJR Nabisco and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in various corporate functions within Sales, Marketing, Corporate Affairs, and Government Relations and was based in Florida as a state lobbyist in Tallahassee and in Washington as a federal lobbyist. Most recently at R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, he was the Senior Director of Government Relations, advocating for company positions in Congress, directed the PAC activities of the company, and was the point person with community organizations and leaders. Earlier in his career, he spent 5 years with the Dow Chemical Company in various corporate functions within the Sales, Marketing, and Latin America Division, and was based in Florida and South Carolina.
A native of Cuba, Bert grew up in Miami and is fluent in Spanish. He is a founding board member of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) and serves on its Chairman’s Circle. He also served two terms on the board of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) and was a founding board member of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL). He works with many other national organizations and industry associations and is a member of the Hispanic Lobbyist Association and has been a speaker and guest lecturer on corporate lobbying and government relations. Bert has been named one of Washington’s Top Lobbyists on The Hill’s annual lists of Hired Guns. He has also been named a Top Lobbyist by the National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics.
Bert holds a B.B.A. from the University of Miami and an M.B.A. from City University of Seattle. He currently splits time between Washington and Sacramento.
RECOGNITION
- Top Lobbyist, National Institute of Lobbying & Ethics (NILE), 2021
- Hired Gun, The Hill’s Annual List of Top Lobbyists, 2019 – present