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ABOUT

Blue Marble Strategy is a government affairs firm committed to creating a safer, healthier, and more compassionate planet. We focus on advocating for animal welfare, environmental protection, humane wildlife fertility control, wildlife conservation, reuniting families affected by International Parental Child Abduction (IPCA), and supporting our veterans. Our dedicated team of experts employs strategic thinking and extensive knowledge to foster positive change on these vital issues.

Our mission is to amplify the voices of individuals and groups engaged in the national conversation on significant matters. We offer professional consultation and lobbying expertise, combined with a deep understanding and passion for the issues that sets us apart from typical D.C. lobbying firms.

The firm is named after the iconic “Blue Marble” photograph taken during the 1972 Apollo 17 mission, serving as a reminder that we all inhabit this small blue planet and must consider our impact on it. As Leonardo da Vinci said, "Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else."

“Strategy” is our guiding principle. We are visionary thinkers who leverage our innovative approach to effectively tackle challenges for our clients.

 

Chris Heyde - Founder/CEO

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 then moved to the animal protection movement where he headed up the government and legal affairs department for the nations oldest animal protection legislative program for almost 20 years.  Chris 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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Liz Clancy Ross - Strategic Advisor

Liz Clancy Ross, a California native, has decades of experience in the animal protection world, having started work at Cruelty Free International (then The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection) in the 1980s while completing her degree in London, England. There, her focus was to pressure the British and European Parliaments to end the use of animals in cosmetics testing and fighting the international trade in non-human primates for breeding and research.


She later moved to Washington, DC where she worked for many years at both the Doris Day Animal League and the Animal Welfare Institute. In tandem with Chris Heyde, she played a pivotal role in spearheading efforts on Capitol Hill to end the slaughter of American horses for human consumption abroad. She also directed the original Spay Day USA campaign in the 1990s, developed a program demonstrating to law enforcement and legal professionals the tie between animal cruelty and violence towards humans, and lobbied Congress on other protective measures for both wild and domestic animals. Her proudest accomplishment to date was working with Dr. Jane Goodall, Dr. Carole Noone, and other committed individuals to obtain hundreds of chimpanzees from the United States Air Force and retire them permanently to a newly created, state-of-the-art sanctuary in Florida (Save The Chimps).


Today she lives in Northern Virginia with her daughter and son, as well as her dogs Apollo and Azi, and a very cool cat called Viper. In her free time, she enjoys gardening and tending to her menagerie, including a friend’s horses and chickens on a farm just down the road.

    © 2024 Blue Marble Strategy, LLC. by GeekyGuy

                 Veteran Owned and Operated Business

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