Former Montgomery, Arlington Co. Officials Launch Consulting Firm

BETHESDA, MD — Roger Berliner, who served on the Montgomery County Council for 12 years, has launched a regional consulting firm with Arlington County’s Jay Fisette, the company said in a statement.

The duo announced the launch of DMV Strategic Advisors, LLC on Monday, and said the for-profit consulting firm would target the private sector, non-profits, and local governments in the D.C. metro area. The launch comes a week after Berliner's last day on the Montgomery County Council.

"DMV Strategic Advisors' mission is to assist the private sector, non-profits, and local governments to advance projects and policies aligned with the overarching goals of our region, goals that we helped define over decades of service," according to the company's website.

Berliner told Patch that he first thought of starting the online company after he had lost his primary bid for Montgomery County executive.

"The thought occurred to me that there are so many people deeply connected to the region, that if we pulled ourselves together, we could — perhaps — have an impact on making positive change for our region," Berliner said.

The first person to learn about the idea, Berliner said, was Fisette — a longtime Arlington County Board member. Fisette had served on the Arlington County Board from 1998 to 2017, and was the first openly gay elected official in Virginia, The Washington Post reported. Prior to working in Virginia, the company said Fisette ran a regional human service agency, was a staff consultant to the U.S. Senate's labor committee, and an auditor with the Government Accountability Office.

"What sets our firm apart is that we know this region and we know how to get things done," Fisette and Berliner said in a joint statement. "We know how to successfully engage the multiple levers required to make positive change happen. And we are committed to doing so for our extraordinary region."

DMV Strategic Advisors provides clients with services such as goal definition and plan development, community relations and civic engagement, and legislative and regulatory strategy and advocacy, according to its website.

Berliner said the region is somewhat "inherently fractured" and needs advisors that will effectively advance the area's overarching goals.

"We feel like the future of our region rests on whether or not we're successful in coming up with transportation solutions, affordable housing, sustainability, economic development, issues like that," Berliner said.

To date, Berliner and Fisette have hired eight former and current government officials and educators to represent their consulting firm. The advisors, Berliner said, were selected because they brought positive changes to their communities. They include:

• Susan Bell, former director of Arlington’s Department of Community Planning, Housing & Development;
• Caroline Cunningham, former founding president of the Trust for the National Mall and vice president for Partnership, Greater Washington Board of Trade;
• Hon. David Harrington, former Maryland state senator and Prince George’s County councilmember, and current Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce president;
• Thomas Himler, former deputy chief administrative officer for Prince George’s County;
• Hon. Mary Hynes, former Arlington County Board member;
• Hon. Tom Rust, former Virginia delegate and mayor of Herndon;
• Bob Sweeney, founder and president of the D.C. 2024 Olympic bid and the Greater Washington Sports Alliance;
• Harry Wingo, former senior policy counsel for Google and former president and CEO of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce.

Image via DMV Strategic Advisors, LLC