Leadership
Mark Drennen brings to Cornerstone Government Affairs over 30 years of policy and legislative experience in state and local government. His experience in the State of Louisiana includes eight years as Commissioner of Administration under Governor Mike Foster. In that capacity, he was responsible for preparing and implementing the State’s operating and capital budgets, supervising the administration of the State’s contract, purchasing and IT operations as well as the health insurance program for state employees. He also led annual briefings to Wall Street analysts that resulted in four bond rating upgrades for the State.
Gabrielle Kees has over 12 years of experience working in and around the Louisiana legislature and Louisiana politics. She earned a Juris Doctor from LSU and subsequently served as a law clerk for the 20th Judicial District Court. For six years she served as a staff attorney for various committees in the Louisiana House of Representatives where she specialized in drafting legislation on occupations and professions, banking and financial institutions, business associations, river navigation and piloting, and commerce. Prior to joining Cornerstone, Ms. Kees led legislative efforts for six years at the Louisiana Association for Justice.
Nial Patel joined Cornerstone in 2011 after more than seven years of service to Governor Bobby Jindal that dates back to his first run for governor in 2003. As one of the longest serving senior staff members for the governor, Nial worked as the Director of Scheduling.
Matt Thomas joined Cornerstone Government Affairs in 2008 while attending law school and in 2010 he became a full-time member of the staff as legislative counsel. As a member of the Baton Rouge team, Matt assists on a diverse group of clients that range from health care to technology.