September 2, 2026​​

 

WASHINGTON – Boutique lobbying and consulting firm A1.9 Strategies LLC, welcomed Dr. Fern Gibbons, a 14-year Capitol Hill veteran and security, transportation, and research policy expert to the federal lobbying practice.  Gibbons most recently served on the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Homeland Security and prior to that served as a policy director on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.​ 

 

“Across the spectrum of security, research, transportation, and maritime issues, Fern is recognized as a leading policy expert,” A1.9 Strategies Founder Michael R. Higdon said. “Fern combines a deep understanding of the interplay between authorization and appropriations. With the two recent reconciliation packages blurring the lines, clients need help understanding federal resources and where opportunities might lie below the surface.  She is just a wicked smart, creative problem-solver, and you want her on your team.”​

 

 "There is no one better at connecting the authorizing and funding pieces on critical transportation and maritime issues," A1.9 Strategies Senior Vice President Scott Nance said. "That's exactly the kind of expertise our clients need right now."​ 

 

Gibbons joins A1.9 Strategies after four years on the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Homeland Security. While in the House, Gibbons oversaw funding and policy issues pertaining to large Department of Homeland Security components including the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration, and the Science and Technology Directorate.  This comes as the Coast Guard begins to obligate a record level of $24 billion in new funding as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.​

 

“Already a premier, appropriations-centric lobbying firm, what attracted me to A1.9 Strategies was the deep roots in national security issues – particularly maritime, aviation, rail – and my potential ability to marry up the authorization piece while expanding into other policy realms,” Gibbons stated. “Scott, Vicki, and Michael have built a truly unique place to work and thrive.”​

 

Prior to her time in the House, Gibbons spent over a decade on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation where she was the Policy Director for Oceans and Surface Transportation.  In this role, Gibbons oversaw the development and passage of landmark artificial intelligence research legislation in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act and significant regulatory and authorities changes via several Coast Guard authorization acts.  She enabled the passage of bills promoting sustainable fisheries and authored legislation to improve weather forecasts and warnings. Gibbons oversaw over 40 bills from her subcommittees enacted into public law. Gibbons earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago and her PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program. On August 27, 2026, Gibbons was awarded the Distinguished Public Service Award from the Commandant of the Coast Guard.

 

In joining A1.9, Gibbons teams up with Michael Higdon who served as Chief of Staff to the former Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and current Dean of the House, Harold Rogers; Scott Nance, a former Staff Director and twenty-year Hill veteran on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security; and Victoria Luck, a former House Appropriations Committee staff-member.​A1.9 Strategies is a boutique, client-focused lobbying firm trusted to provide strategic formulation and tactical execution for winning federal funding campaigns and public policy fights.

 

By design, A1.9 Strategies gives esteem to Article 1; Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution, which reads, “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law....”

 

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