Leadership Group
Based in Washington, D.C., The Breaux-Lott Leadership Group offers strategic advice, consulting and lobbying to a wide range of clients. The firm unites two former United States Senators Trent Lott and John Breaux, leaders from opposite parties with a combined total of nearly 70 years experience in Congress. It is clear over the last several years that the only way to accomplish true results in Washington is through a bipartisan approach.
Senator John Breaux
Senator John Breaux is a vital voice and force in the American political arena. He led a long and distinguished career in Congress before joining Patton Boggs as senior counsel after retiring from the United States Senate in 2005. He provided strategic advice to Patton Boggs' attorneys and clients on a wide range of public policy matters, with special concentration in the areas of healthcare and energy law. His latest venture is cofounding the Breaux-Lott Leadership Group, an all-in-the-family lobbying firm for bipartisan solutions, with former Senator Trent Lott. Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities, he tackles today's key issues in a comfortable manner, based on many years of experience in service to the nation.A Politician with Balance. Breaux was elected to the House of Representatives in 1972 at the age of 28--at the time of his election he was the youngest member of the United States Congress. He was a widely recognized bipartisan leader in the Senate, and in 1993 was elected by his Democratic colleagues to the post of Deputy Minority Whip, a position he held until his retirement. He also held a number of key Senate committee positions. A senior member of the Finance Committee, Breaux served as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy. He also held positions on two other Finance subcommittees, the Subcommittee on Health Care, and the Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight. From his position on the Finance Committee, he played instrumental roles in forging the compromises that led to passage of the welfare reform and health insurance reform bills in 1996. He was also a leader in the efforts to reduce the capital gains tax and to provide tax relief for college education expenses.
While in the Senate, Breaux was a beacon of insight on energy issues. He served as co-chair of the Oil and Gas Caucus and was a conferee on energy legislation that was eventually written into the 2005 Energy Bill. He was active in advancing legislation to promote domestic oil and gas production, and was a cosponsor of the Marginal Well Preservation Act, a tax incentive program that encouraged oil production from marginal oil wells. He was also a principal author of the Outer Continental Shelf Land Act.
Bipartisan Solidarity. Senator Breaux was a founder of the Centrist Coalition of Senate Democrats and Republicans and served as chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council. In 2005 President George W. Bush appointed Breaux as the co-chair of the President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform, while in 2006, he was chosen to be a member of the Advisory Committee on Transformational Diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State. Breaux continues to serve as an effective and aggressive advocate for the state of Louisiana. His mainstream approach to government has earned him praise from conservatives, liberals, and moderates across the nation. As The Shreveport Times observed in a March 1997 editorial: "Breaux has sought to build bridges between Democrats and Republicans and is widely respected on both sides of the aisle."
Senator Trent Lott
In December 2007, Trent Lott left the United States Congress where he has worked on behalf of the people of the State of Mississippi for the past 35 years. A champion of a strong national defense, he remains dedicated to encouraging economic growth and protecting Americans’ economic security by getting government off their backs and out of their pocketbooks. Seven Presidents have known both his cooperation and his opposition, for he has kept his country ahead of partisan and personal concerns.As the House Republican Whip in 1981, he forged the bipartisan alliance that enacted President Ronald Reagan’s economic recovery program and his national security initiatives. Part of the reason for this and other victories was Congressman Lott’s creation of the House of Representative’s first modern whip organization, focusing on regular member-to-member contacts and extensive outreach to sympathetic Democrats. Counting votes, building coalitions, and moving legislation were things he seemed born to do, and he genuinely enjoyed the process.
Elected to the Senate in 1988, he was a member of the group of pro-growth stalwarts who opposed the tax increase forced on President Bush in 1990. When he became the Senate’s 16th Majority Leader in 1996, he again put his coalition-building skills to the test and, along with House Speaker Newt Gingrich, enacted his historic welfare reform bill of 1996. The next year, Lott, Gingrich and congressional Budget Committee chairmen John Kasich and Pete Domenici together produced an historic budget and tax cut agreement that limited some federal spending. But more important, it created new incentives to save and invest, thereby stimulating the economic growth that brought the federal budget into balance for the first time since 1968.
As the Republican Leader during the first two years of President George W. Bush’s administration, Senator Lott led the fight for passage of the President’s tax cut package, the President’s landmark education reform bill, the largest increase in defense spending since the Cold War, the most significant trade legislation in a decade, and the resolution supporting the President on military action in Iraq.
During the Senate’s lame duck session of November 2002, Senator Lott, drawing on his experience as a legislative negotiator, reached the compromises that created the Department of Homeland Security. In 2006, Senator Lott was elected Senate Republican Whip for the second time in his career. He is the only member of Congress to hold this position in both the House and Senate.
For 16 years in the House of Representatives and 19 years in the Senate, Trent Lott has been a driving force in the United States Congress. After his retirement from the United States Senate, Senator Lott founded the Breaux Lott Leadership Group with former Senator John Breaux of Louisiana, a partnership offering strategic advice, consulting and lobbying to a wide range of clients. The firm unites two former Senate leaders from opposite parties, with a combined total of nearly 70 years experience in Congress.
Senator Lott is married to Patricia (Tricia) Thompson Lott, his college sweetheart. They have two children- Chester Trent Lott, Jr. and Tyler Lott Armstrong-and have been blessed with four grandchildren, Chester Trent Lott III, Lucie Sims Lott, Shields Elizabeth Armstrong and Addison States Armstrong.
Bret Boyles
Email Bret - Download vcardBret K. Boyles is a founding member of the Breaux Lott Leadership Group and brings with him more than a decade of political and policy expertise. Most recently, Mr. Boyles served as Chief of Staff to Republican Whip, Senator Trent Lott. Prior to that Boyles served as Executive Director of the New Republican Majority Fund and as President of his own consulting firm, Principle Strategies Group. Early in his career Boyles served as a Legislative Assistant to Majority Leader Lott working on issues related to Commerce and Banking.
Boyles has twice been recognized by Roll Call Newspaper as a Top 50 Staffer for his "know how," "access, " and "strength" to get things done.
John Breaux Jr.
Download vcardJohn Breaux Jr. has over 20 years experience in government and political relations and currently runs a successful consulting practice in Washington, D.C., and New Orleans, LA. Before starting his practice in 2001, Breaux Jr. served as a principal at Johnston & Associates. His experience includes serving as managing director for Public Strategies, an international business advisory firm headquartered in Austin, Texas. He also worked as a director of congressional affairs at the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association.
John Flynn
Email John - Download vcardJohn P. Flynn joins The Breaux Lott Leadership Group with nearly 30 years of maritime and marine resource experience, including 10 years of practical experience on Capitol Hill.
Prior to joining The Breaux Lott Leadership Group, Mr. Flynn served as a government relations specialist for one of the Gulf South's largest law firms, where he focused on maritime transportation, fisheries and other policy issues.
Mr. Flynn served as a Legislative Assistant and Congressional Fellow to U.S. Senator John Breaux (1998-2004). In this capacity, he functioned as his primary advisor on maritime, marine resource and transportation issues and related policy development. During his tenure as a staff member in the senate, Mr. Flynn worked on a wide variety of maritime and fisheries matters, including the Maritime Transportation Safety Act, Oceans Act, Aquatic Resources Trust Fund (Wallop-Breaux), Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act and numerous Coast Guard authorization bills. He has served as U.S. delegate to the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna.
Mr. Flynn served in the U.S. Coast Guard, both as a commissioned officer and senior enlisted member, from 1978-2002, in increasingly responsible positions, principally in the marine safety program. On the occasion of his retirement from the Coast Guard, he held virtually all attainable marine safety and marine inspection qualifications. He is also a National Interagency Incident Command System (ICS) Instructor.
Callie Fuselier Hickox
Email Callie - Download vcardCallie Fuselier Hickox assists clients on a variety of public policy and regulatory issues that come before Congress and other federal and state forums.
Before joining The Breaux Lott Leadership Group, Ms. Hickox gained extensive knowledge of the legislative process and established strong Congressional and Executive Branch relationships by working on Capitol Hill, as well as at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and Patton Boggs, LLP.
During her seven years on Capitol Hill working for Senator John Breaux and then Minority Leader (now Majority Leader) Harry Reid, she worked with federal and state lawmakers on a wide range of matters. Ms. Hickox developed key relationships and interacted closely with both Democratic and Republican leadership staff, monitoring the daily legislative activity on the Senate floor. Her responsibilities also included facilitating meetings between the Senators and members of Congress, cabinet secretaries, ambassadors, and White House officials.
After leaving Capitol Hill, Ms. Hickox served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Commissioner Fred Hatfield at the CFTC and then as Public Policy Advisor at Patton Boggs, LLP.
Chester Trent Lott, Jr.
Email Chet - Download vcardA graduate of the University of Mississippi (BPA), Chet Lott has an extensive business background in the private sector. In 2001, he joined his partner, former Congressman Larry Hopkins (R-KY), in forming the government relations consulting firm of Lott & Hopkins, LLC, based in Washington, DC and Lexington, KY. Two years later, the former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Honorable Bob Livingston, asked him to join prominent lobbying firm The Livingston Group. “He brings unique knowledge and experience in both private sector business and the workings of federal and state governments.”
Chet was a successful and recognized restaurateur, the recipient of many awards for operational excellence and sales. His real world experience with the way public policy impacts people's livelihoods and businesses, along with his family tradition of public service, provided Chet an early and profound education in government and politics. He has worked on a varied set of issues affecting the defense, energy, shipping, medical/healthcare, telecommunications and gaming industries. Specific issues include contract management and procurement, border security matters, maritime and offshore energy projects.
A charitable project close to Chet’s heart is his Katrina relief benefit CD. An accomplished musician from an early age, his music has raised over $125,000 for the Southeast Mississippi Chapter of the Red Cross.
Among Lott’s passions is the sport of polo. He has reached the United States Polo Associations rating of one goal and has served on the Lexington Polo Club & National Polo Institute board of directors. Chet and his wife Diane own Augustus Hill Farm in the beautiful bluegrass area of Kentucky. The farm specializes in breaking thoroughbred racehorses for polo.
Chet has served on the Cardinal Hill Hospital board of directors and currently serves on the Headley-Whitney Museum Board of directors and the Kentucky Horse Park Board of Governors.
In January 2008, Chet joined his three partners, Senator Trent Lott, Senator John Breaux and John Breaux, Jr., in forming The Breaux Lott Leadership Group. Representing fortune 100 companies, the firm has catapulted to one of the top political consulting firms in the country. He travels weekly between Kentucky and Washington.
Kelly Mixon
Email Kelly - Download vcardKelly joined the Breaux Lott Leadership Group as an Associate in 2009 after serving several years as a professional staff member in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.
Ms. Mixon served as Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS). In this capacity, Ms. Mixon advised the Senator on issues related to the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee as well as the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Previously, she was a Legislative Correspondent for U.S. Senator Trent Lott. Prior to her time in the Senate, Kelly worked as a staff member for then-U.S. Representative Roger Wicker in his Washington D.C. office.
Originally from Oxford, Mississippi; Kelly earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Mississippi.
Manny Rossman
Email Manny - Download vcardA well-respected Capitol Hill veteran, Rossman brings with him nearly a decade of bipartisan, senior-level experience in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. For the last two-plus years he served as Chief of Staff to the Senate Republican Whip (Sen. Lott in 2007, and Sen. Jon Kyl in 2008-Feb. 2009), the second-ranking Republican in the Senate. As Chief of Staff, Rossman was the lead advisor and strategist to the Whip and his team of deputy whips, and was responsible for formulating strategy and implementing the priorities of a diverse caucus across all issues before the Senate. Rossman was the principal liaison from the Whip office to all Senate and House leadership offices, Committees, and Member offices, as well as to the Bush and Obama Administrations (White House, cabinet departments, and transition office).
Before serving in the Whip office, Rossman focused on the legislative activities of the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees. From 2005-2006, Rossman was Finance Counsel to Sen. Lott, in which capacity he played a leading role in shaping all major tax, international trade, health care and pension legislation before the Finance Committee and the Senate, much of which is law today.
From 2003-2004 Rossman was Legislative Director to Rep. Phil Crane, then-Chairman of the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, where he worked on numerous tax and trade bills, many of them bipartisan, which were signed into law.
Rossman has a B.A. from Colgate University, and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law. He and his wife, Jennifer, reside in Arlington, Virginia.