Who We Are

Michael Higdon, Principal

michael@a19strategies.com | 202.251.1547

"I founded A1.9 Strategies out of a desire to be 'all in' with my clients, collaborators, and policy objectives."

Prior to launching A1.9 Strategies in 2017, Michael worked for three years with one of Washington’s leading bipartisan public policy consulting firms helping service over 25 small, medium, and large companies, non-profits, and universities.

As the name A1.9 (a subtle nod to Article 1; Section 9) suggests, Michael has a particular fondness for the House Appropriations Committees. In this regard, Michael served on the staff of former House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers completing his assignment as Chief of Staff in December 2013. Through various roles, including Chief, Legislative Director and staff designee to the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina, Michael worked with the Committee to advance a range of public policy goals and funding priorities.

Prior to his 11-year stint with Rogers, Michael served with a senior Member of the House Armed Services Committee and for two years with the former Chairman of the House Energy & Water Appropriations Subcommittee Ron Packard.

Notably, during his time on Capitol Hill, Michael worked on passage of landmark tobacco legislation, advancement of COTS security technologies, anti-drug and opioid response legislation, environmental restoration, defense procurement, and several economic development initiatives throughout southern and eastern Kentucky. Michael also worked closely with energy industry advocates to promote clean coal, liquefaction and gasification research, mining permit process improvements, and mine safety standards.

Originally from central California, Michael holds a degree in Government and Law from Lafayette College. Michael and his wife, Jamie, reside in Virginia with their two children.

Scott Nance, Senior Vice President

scott@a19strategies.com | 703.868.2730

"In bringing my experience to the firm, we're creating a bipartisan team that builds on A1.9's proven success.”

Scott served on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security for 18 years before joining A1.9 Strategies in 2021. During his last five years on Capitol Hill, Scott served as the subcommittee’s staff director under Senators Jon Tester (D-MT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT).

While in the Senate, Scott oversaw the ever-expanding scope of homeland security funding and policy issues with particular expertise in the areas of transportation security, maritime security, border security, cybersecurity, and disaster response and recovery. He maintained specific oversight of Coast Guard issues for his entire Senate career and received the Distinguished Public Service Award from the Commandant of the Coast Guard in 2021.

As a key staffer in negotiations with the House of Representatives and White House, Scott played a significant role in carrying out annual bipartisan and bicameral agreements. Notably, he helped develop the agreement that ended the 2018-2019 government shutdown. He also served on President Obama’s transition team for the Department of Homeland Security following the 2008 Presidential election.

Prior to his time in the Senate, Scott spent four years on Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s (D-MD) staff as his appropriations director where he managed projects across all appropriations bills and served as the Congressman’s top aide on the Treasury, Postal and General Government Subcommittee. He later served on the Congressman’s leadership staff.

Scott earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland, College Park and his master’s degree from the University of Baltimore. He has two college age sons.

Fern Gibbons, Vice President

fern@a19strategies.com | 202.413.8900

Prior to joining A1.9 Strategies in 2026, Fern served for nearly four years on the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Homeland Security. There she handled the accounts for the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration, and the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate. During her time on the House Appropriations Committee, she has sought to provide agencies with the necessary resources to keep our nation safe. She also contributed to the development of P.L. 119-106, which provided a record $24.6 billion to modernize the U.S. Coast Guard.

From 2014-2023, Fern worked for the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Her most recent position there was as Policy Director for Oceans, Fisheries, Climate Change, and Manufacturing and Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight, and Ports. While on the Committee staff she contributed to the passage of over 40 public laws, including several Coast Guard authorization acts, two weather acts, numerous fisheries and oceans acts, and the Senate Commerce Committee’s portion of a highway bill. She received Distinguished Public Service Awards from the Commandant of the Coast Guard in 2023 and 2026.

Prior to joining the Senate Commerce Committee, Fern worked for the Nature Conservancy, where she advocated for science-based environmental policy in the federal government. She was a 2012 Sea Grant Legislative Fellow for the Senate Commerce Committee. She received her Ph.D. from the MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Oceanography. Her B.S. is from the University of Chicago where she studied the Geophysical Sciences and Biology.