Government Affairs

We focus on multi-state government affairs, counseling in-house teams, and coordinating lobbying teams.

Strategic Communication

We build and execute a tailored game plan with a mix of traditional public relations and digital expertise to get on offense, even if crisis management comes, first.

Intelligence, Due Diligence, & Reputation Management

We research and monitor to dig deep into the problems, politics, and players driving outcomes.

Blake Harris, CEO

Blake Harris is a strategist with national influence in politics, business, and economic development. Over the last four years, Blake has been a core part of the state’s historic economic development as well as a number of initiatives that have reshaped health care and public education. Blake served as Gov. Bill Lee’s Chief of Staff for three years and was a key player in the administration’s historic TennCare III waiver approval, the successful recruitment of Ford’s Blue Oval City and Oracle’s Nashville move, among other wins. Blake was the political strategist behind Gov. Lee’s dark horse gubernatorial win in 2018, as well as the governor’s resounding 2022 re-election win.

Blake founded BHA Strategy in 2022 with a special emphasis on government affairs and strategic communications for companies and startups in sectors ranging from health care to hospitality. Blake is a partner in several political technology companies, as well as a non-practicing attorney and real estate investor. He resides in Nashville with his wife and three children.

Brent Easley, President

Brent Easley recently served as Gov. Bill Lee’s legislative director, managing his entire legislative portfolio and legislative facing staff members for nearly five years. During that time, Easley was the legislative lead on education policy issues for the Governor and was successful in gaining passage of key policies in a number of areas including modernization of transportation policy, sweeping changes in education, criminal justice reforms, COVID-19 response and targeting budget priorities.

Prior to joining the Lee administration, Easley was the executive director of the education advocacy groups TennesseeCAN and StudentsFirstTN. His deep knowledge of policy and politics began years earlier working on federal and state level political campaigns and serving as the senior policy analyst for Republicans in the TN House of Representatives. When not on Tennessee’s Capitol Hill, Easley can be found teaching as an adjunct professor at his alma mater, Lipscomb University. Easley recently earned his Masters in Leadership and Public Service from Lipscomb and resides in Nashville with his wife and two children.

Laine Arnold, Co-founder and Senior Vice President

Laine Arnold served in Gov. Bill Lee’s first-term cabinet as communications director and senior advisor to the governor. She recently served as communications director for Gov. Bill Lee’s re-election campaign. With press secretary and campaign chops, Laine developed a clear offensive strategy for the governor’s office through the prolonged COVID-19 crisis, multiple natural disasters, and economic uncertainty. Gov. Lee cleared the Republican primary with no opposition and sailed through re-election as one of the most popular governors in the country.

She is co-founder and senior vice president of BHA Strategy. In her role, she builds principals a tailored offense, instills message discipline across organizations, and helps organizations and causes communicate their credibility. Optimism and resilience are two of her highest values that she refined during her time as a former college athlete, coach and college prep school administrator. Laine is a writer who resides in Nashville with her husband and daughter.

David Topping, Vice President of Research

David is an accomplished campaign operative and research professional with extensive experience in government relations and legislative affairs. In addition to leading the BHA Strategy Research Team, David is also co-founder and president of Fulcrum Intel, which provides sophisticated opposition and corporate research services, vetting and vulnerability analysis, and background check services. Previously, David served as chief of staff to Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett and developed a deep knowledge of state government operations, procurement, and executive management.

David spent many years working with successful campaigns at the state and federal levels and most recently ran Gov. Lee’s re-election campaign. David has a tried and true approach to research and data analysis, logistics, planning, and coalition-building. He and his wife live in Hendersonville with their two children.

Katie VanLandingham, Vice President of Government Relations

Katie VanLandingham previously served as Vice President of Government Affairs at the University of Memphis, where she managed a range of local, state, and federal strategic initiatives. As a member of the UofM President’s Cabinet and Council, Katie guided the President through special initiatives; most notably, the Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium and state guidance on private public partnerships. VanLandingham also focused on guiding her team through legislative initiatives centered around higher education and K-12 learning.

Prior to her dedication to the University of Memphis, VanLandingham was a senior associate at JohnsonPossKirby Government Relations. She has also served as executive director of the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature and was previously a board member of the Tennessee Lobbyist Association. VanLandingham is a Memphis native and graduate from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. As the Vice President of Government Relations at BHA Strategy, Katie uses her expertise and diverse skill set to lead BHA’s Memphis presence.

Trevin Ayers, Vice President of Government Relations

Trevin Ayers recently served as Chief of Staff for the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration (F&A). During his 5-year tenure with Governor Bill Lee’s administration, Ayers worked across executive branch departments and the Tennessee General Assembly to craft multi-billion dollar operating budgets. While with F&A, Ayers supported major initiatives including the TennCare III waiver, billions of dollars received under the American Rescue Plan Act, the franchise & excise tax modernization, and the start of the Tennessee Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council.

Ayers is a graduate from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he studied political science. Ayers and his wife live in Murfreesboro with their two sons.

Douglas Sellers, Senior Advisor

Douglas Sellers is a skilled government affairs professional with deep experience in state, federal, and international relations. He has held several senior positions in the federal government in Washington, DC, including Special Assistant to the President, legislative aide in the U.S. Senate, and Chief of Staff of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). While at OPIC, Douglas played a key role in working with Congress to pass the BUILD Act and create the new United States International Development Finance Corporation. Additionally, he represented the U.S. government in summits and economic conferences across the globe, including the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam, the G-20 Summit in Argentina, and the Summit of the Americas in Peru.

Douglas is a senior advisor to BHA Strategy, focusing on multi-state government affairs work for clients. Through an extensive national network, he helps businesses navigate legislative and regulatory issues at the federal and state levels. Douglas is also the co-founder and managing partner of Sellers Strategies, a strategic consulting firm based in Nashville that advises clients on international relations and business development.