F E AT U R E
Orlando Pryor
The scope of health care and its intersection with government is what drives Orlando Pryor, a lobbyist and veteran of the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). “It impacts everyone’s life,” Pryor, 30, said. “It touches everyone in ways large and small.” While Pryor’s resume is spotted with stints on campaigns, he has made a mark in Tallahassee at AHCA, the health policy and planning arm of the state. Beginning as a legislative analyst under former Gov. Rick Scott’s administration, Pryor would serve the agency as its deputy chief of staff before departing to the private sector in 2018, where he’s using his health care expertise as a lobbyist at Strategos Group. Before leaving the agency, Pryor would see the passage of a key “omnibus” health care bill backed by AHCA, a “capstone piece of legislation that kind of ended one part of my career and helped push me to another.” As far as maneuvering through the Legislative Process, Pryor suggested it gets better with age. “It’s a game that’s really kind of tilted to those that have been here for longer because they just have better relationships, more grounded, and honestly have a better understanding of what they can and can’t do and what’s the best way to push different angles you can play,” Pryor said. With several years logged at AHCA, Pryor said he had almost been an anomaly among millennial friends who had jumped from one career to the next with pace. He said he chose to stay true to his philosophy of “running your own race,” regardless of what colleagues and friends do. That idea might have paid off, too. Pryor credits the team at AHCA and his time there for his professional development, from legislative matters to the nuances of Medicaid policy. “Everything I have in terms of knowledge and expertise came from the people at AHCA,” he said. When he’s not a lobbyist, Pryor is a hobbyist. Ripping a page from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s lifestyle, he dedicates each year to a different activity, from golf to tennis to dancing to piano. “I’m always trying to stay as busy as possible,” Pryor said.
108 | INFLUENCE SUMMER 2019