ACA International Announces New Government Affairs Staff

ACA International Monday announced three directors who will be part of the association’s government affairs team along with the promotion of a current government affairs staff member.

Federal Government Affairs Director
Lucia Lebens is ACA’s new director of federal government affairs. She will lead ACA’s lobbying efforts with the administration and Congress, and supervise the association’s federal regulatory work.

Lebens has built valuable relationships and engaged directly with members of Congress, Capitol Hill staff and government agencies for more than a decade through her work in Washington, D.C. She comes to ACA having served as a principal at the Bockorny Group, where she represented clients on issues such as corporate tax policy and health care.

Previously, as vice president of mCapitol Management, Lebens managed legislative initiatives, including securing $1+ million in federal funding for a start-up company and facilitating inclusion and passage of congressional language in the Food Safety Bill. Her Capitol Hill experience includes serving as deputy chief of staff to Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), where she supervised a staff of more than 50, acted as a key advisor, spearheaded numerous issues, and created and drove strategic messaging, policy coordination and constituent services.

Lebens holds a B.A. degree from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

State Government Affairs Director
Andy Madden is the association’s new director of state government affairs. He will lead ACA’s work in monitoring state legislative initiatives, managing state relationships and working in conjunction with ACA state units.

Madden has been involved in government affairs since 1994, and brings extensive state and federal lobbying experience to ACA. He previously worked as a consultant to the National Republican Trust PAC, where he analyzed and tracked legislation and regulatory measures at the state and federal level. Additionally, he developed press, legislative outreach and grassroots materials, and implemented national campaign strategies and fundraising plans.

Previously, at the U.S. Department of Labor, Madden served as chief of staff for MHSA and in the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs. He was also a senior vice president at Bond & Company, a well-known Washington, D.C., government relations firm. Earlier in his career, he held positions with the American Legislative Exchange Council, National Policy Forum and FTC Watch.

Madden holds a B.A. degree from Tulane University in New Orleans.

ACPAC Director
Rae Ann Bevington is ACA’s new director of ACPAC, the association’s political action committee. She brings more than 20 years of political action committee and legislative experience to ACA and was most recently the vice president of legislative and political affairs for the Manufactured Housing Institute and treasurer of the association’s political action committee in Washington, D.C.

At MHI, Bevington designed and implemented a grassroots and capitol fundraising campaign, which promoted a renewed emphasis on political activism and involvement. Previously, she was the senior vice president of the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America; manager of the Television and Radio PAC for the National Association of Broadcasters; and staffer for Rep. Michael Strang (R-Colo.).

Bevington holds a B.A. degree from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colo., is a board member of the National Association of Business Political Action Committees and is a member of the National Association of Female Executives.

Legislative Counsel
Leah Dempsey has taken on the new title as ACA’s legislative counsel. She has worked as a government affairs specialist in the association’s Washington, D.C., office since March 2011, where she has been responsible for legislative and regulatory tracking, legal and federal election law research, and helping to plan fly-ins and events. Previously, she worked for the Keelen Group, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Maryland attorney general’s office.

Dempsey holds a law degree from the University of Baltimore, and a B.A. degree from the University of Delaware in Newark, Del.

Lebens, Madden, Bevington and Dempsey all work out of ACA’s Washington, D.C., office.

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