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Chris Heyde - Founder/CEO

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Chris is the founder of Blue Marble Strategy, LLC, a national boutique government relations firm dedicated to bringing a voice to underrepresented organizations and individuals to Congress and the Executive Branch. He has decades of experience working with House and Senate Appropriations Committees on a variety of efforts to protect support animals, veterans, and farmers. Additionally, Chris has successfully worked on a myriad of legislation before House and Senate Agriculture, Judiciary, Commerce and Transportation Committees.  He has also worked with state legislatures on a variety of initiatives across the country.

In addition to his work on animal protection, Chris has also been a strong advocate for veterans. He has worked with Congress on legislation to improve the treatment of military working dogs and to provide veterans with access to service dogs and other proven medical treatments for PTSD and traumatic brain injuries.

Chris is a small-town Ohio native who served four years in the U.S. Army before entering the government relations field. Upon receiving his Masters degree, Chris worked in the US Senate before leaving to run a small bipartisan consulting firm. He received his BA in political science from Bethany College in West Virginia and MA in political science/international relations from Ohio University.

Chris is a highly respected advocate for underrepresented organizations and individuals. His work has helped to make a real difference in the lives of animals, veterans, and farmers across the country.

In his free time, Chris serves as vice-chair of Willie's Kids, a nonprofit humane education organization founded by the family of singer-songwriter Willie Nelson. He is a member of the Ethics Committee at Jane Goodall Institute Global, as well as an advisory board member for Predator Defense, a national nonprofit to protect native predators. Chris also serves on the board of Hounds and Heroes, a national nonprofit dedicated to helping rescue animals and support veterans as Director, Policy and Legislative Initiatives. He lives with Boudica, his rescue pit bull mix (can you find her on the website?).

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Blair St. Ledger-Olson - Senior Policy & Advocacy Advisor

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Blair is a clean energy and environmental sustainability advocate with a background in conservation research. She received her Master’s in Science from the University of Virginia in Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Ecology. Her undergraduate degree is in Environmental Studies with a minor in Mathematics from Hollins University. Blair's research focused on how endangered species populations might respond to climate change, focusing on animal behavior and coastal resiliency.

 

Prior to her graduate work, Blair’s first experience in the political sector was as an intern almost 15 years ago with the now retired Senator John Warner (R-VA). As a fierce supporter of the Endangered Species Act, Warner’s office was a unique opportunity to work on issues she was passionate about. Her tenure on Capitol Hill continued from there, and she went on to advocate for legislation with the Animal Welfare Institute before being recruited to the Office of Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) during the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill crisis.

 

These positions gave her a unique perspective on the political process, sitting on both sides of the metaphorical legislative desk.

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After influential experiences in both the nonprofit and private sectors, she now specializes in advocacy and education, and leverages behavioral social science techniques to design empowering behavior change campaigns. When not out hiking with her two rescue dogs, she works with communities to have a positive impact on their environment.

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