ON THE COVER
NMEDA
Takes Washington by Storm
(Literally.)
H Amy Schoppman
Director of Government Relations Send your related questions to amy.schoppman@nmeda.org or call the NMEDA offfice at 813.264.2697.
aving been born and raised
people to like, trust, and listen to me.
in the DC metropolitan area, I
After she rolled her eyes and walked
know that Washington is not
away it dawned on me that, despite a
particularly skilled at handling me-
general awareness of the existence of
teorological mayhem. Case in point:
GR efforts amongst NMEDA’s member-
the fourth late-winter snowstorm in as
ship, there may not be much of an un-
many weeks hit DC in late March – the
derstanding – outside of the Board, GR
same week I was in town for a long-
Committee, and a handful of members
planned visit – and the city effectively
– of what it is that NMEDA’s GR team
collapsed under the weight of what
actually does.
turned out to be an anticlimactic three-
To that end, I’ll share with you my
inch dusting. The snow nevertheless prompted a federal government closure, thousands of flight cancellations, and various transportation advisories. My carefully planned meeting schedule was obliterated but, through some combination of politeness, persistence, and pity, my colleagues and I were able to successfully reschedule all of our meetings. It was a logistically chaotic experience, but this sort of unpredictability is nothing new when it comes to Government Relations (GR). While visiting family in Maryland that
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NMEDA Circuit Breaker
weekend, my niece asked me a question I receive often: “Amy, what do you actually do for a living?” I gave her the quick and mundane explanation: I have meetings, I make phone calls, I send emails, and I generally try to convince
“elevator speech.” Most lobbyists have one – a clear, brief message that communicates what your client does and why it is beneficial – that can be delivered in 30 seconds or less. Mine goes something like this: NMEDA is the premier association for the automotive mobility industry. Our members include manufacturers, dealers, and healthcare professionals dedicated to helping individuals achieve automotive independence. As Director of Government Relations, I educate lawmakers, agencies, partner organizations, consumers, and the general public regarding automotive mobility solutions; issues within the adaptive driving community; and NMEDA’s Quality Assurance Program, the only nationally-recognized accreditation program in the industry. Throughout this article I will elaborate upon the above summary with a more detailed description of what NMEDA’s GR team accomplished during my week in Washington and, perhaps most importantly, why we do what we do. With any luck, your reading