Ayodele Okeowo, Senior Commerce Department and CHIPS Program Office Official, Joins Tusk Strategies to Further Grow Federal Capabilities and CHIPS Act Practice 

Press Contact: Alex Sommer, [email protected]

Washington, DC – Building off a decade-plus of guiding companies and organizations through major regulatory and public affairs challenges, Tusk Strategies today announced it has hired Ayodele Okeowo as a Managing Director after most recently serving as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs in the CHIPS Program Office at the U.S. Department of Commerce. He will be a senior member of Tusk’s DC office and CHIPS Act Practice.

As one of the first members of the CHIPS for America team, Ayodele led on policy implementation, including development and execution of the broad stakeholder engagement strategy that provided wide education and socialization of CHIPS priorities — and informed program design and funding opportunity development for the manufacturing incentives and R&D initiatives. Ayodele also served as a spokesperson for the program, engaging in nationwide events, on-the-record interviews, podcasts, and other efforts with press, media, and stakeholders.

Said Bernadette Carrillo, MD + Head of the CHIPS Act Practice, “Ayodele has been a leading figure in implementing one of the country’s most ambitious industrial policy rollouts. I have seen firsthand the impact of his work through collaborating on strategy and executing it while working together at Commerce. Current and future clients will benefit immensely from his ability to carry out history-making federal priorities. I’m excited to have him join the team!”

Said Cristóbal Alex, Partner + Head of the DC Office, “As we rapidly scale our DC team, we are extraordinarily proud to add someone as smart, savvy and strategic as Ayodele. He’ll further elevate our creativity and precision in executing client policy campaigns.”

Prior to the CHIPS Office, Ayodele served as an advisor for intergovernmental affairs at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, helping implement the Internet for All initiative, part of 2021’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. He also previously held roles at the Democratic Attorneys General Association, on Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign, and other electoral campaigns, ranging from city council to statewide.

Ayodele also has prior experience working at management consulting firms in the DC area, where he supported multiple federal agencies by identifying and resolving issues related to information technology portfolio management and capital planning.

Ayodele marks the latest hire in Tusk’s DC office. Since Cristóbal joined Tusk in August 2022 to launch Tusk’s federal engagement work, the firm has quickly scaled its DC operation, bringing on talent from the White House and Capitol Hill.

Concurrently, Tusk continues to build out its unique and comprehensive client offerings., Cristóbal and Bernadette recently launched the Latino engagement vertical to better assist clients in aligning their external strategies to reflect the impact of the Latino community’s rapidly growing political, social and economic influence.

Tusk Strategies is led by CEO Chris Coffey, a Bloomberg administration alum and political affairs advisor to Fortune 500 c-suites. The firm was founded by venture capitalist, philanthropist and political strategist Bradley Tusk.

To learn more about Tusk Strategies, visit TuskStrategies.com.