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Laura A. Arnold
Forward-Thinking, Results-Oriented, Solution-Driven Achiever.
Creative, Multi-disciplined leader, experience conducting strategic research and analysis as registered lobbyist for 16+ organizations, coordinating 20+ legal interventions before state regulatory agencies. Possibility thinker with tireless initiative, deft influencing skills and marketing acumen. Insightful motivator and team builder. Strong client service orientation. Ability to integrate promotional strategies and alliance building techniques into existing plans. Promote concepts with enthusiasm.
SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS:
- Created cost-effective strategy to expand natural gas tariff. Unconventional research turned up data that wasn’t readily available. A favorable ruling resulted in over $1M in savings for industrial customer.
- Instrumental in the development of solar energy legislation, statewide smoke detector law. Critical thinking and intuitive reasoning develop ‘not so obvious’ strategies.
- Represented a business group that opposed local measured telephone service. Discovered the key piece and created successful approach.
- Hired by small Internet-related company to package services that would ensure market position. Investigated U.S. Supreme Court decisions, congressional hearings, and current efforts from mayor’s office to understand new and emerging situation. Positioned CEO to testify as expert to panel created by U.S. Congress. Successfully obtained requirement for content management tools to be added to new cable franchise agreements in Marion County, Indiana.
EXPERIENCE:
The Arnold Group, Indianapolis, IN (1984 to present)
Provide a range of consulting services to local government, not-for-profit organizations, trade associations, and private businesses. Clients have included Bayer Corp., BrowseSafe.com, City of Elkhart, Concerned Business Telephone Users, General Electric, Indiana Fire Chiefs Association, Indiana Industrial Energy Consumers, Indiana Parks and Recreation Association, Indiana Solar Energy Industries Association, KLF Business Communications Systems, Indiana Division of the Izaak Walton League of America and One Call/Opticom.
Legislative/Regulatory Assist numerous clients ranging from telecommunications businesses, utilities, environmental organizations, and city governments to business and professional associations. Research legislative and regulatory positions, scan news reports for relevant happenings, and uncover obscure sources of information to (get a handle on a situation and identify influencing factors) Analyze facts, laws, statements, and recent events to create a strategy to oppose or promote specific laws. Work closely with elected officials to craft, introduce, and enact legislation. Research and identify expert witnesses for regulatory hearings. Monitor and report on proceedings. Serve as registered lobbyist and organize grassroots support.
Assist attorneys to create a strategy to influence certain ruling or decision. Advise and coach CEOs to influence the public on a given topic. Conduct thorough and sometimes unconventional research. Analyze information and input to understand a complex situation including laws or regulations. Discover weaknesses in unfavorable legislation and regulations to find ways of combating negative impacts.
Administrative Compose newsletters, articles, legislation drafts, position drafts, speeches, testimony and op-ed or letters to the editor. Automate membership or billing records and create systems for several clients. Organize and coordinate meetings and conferences.
Trade Association Management Serve as Executive Director of telecommunications business groups and manage the day-to-day activities of the association.
Political Served on campaign staffs with responsibility for managing the campaign activities from 3 – 4 counties to statewide. Identify potential fundraising hosts, coordinate fund-raising events, and execute get-out-the-vote campaigns.
Special Assistant to the Mayor, Ft. Wayne City Utilities, Ft. Wayne, IN (1980 to 1984)
Coordinated over 20 utility rate interventions in natural gas, electric, and telephone
cases, which resulted in multi-million dollar refunds to ratepayers. Championed leading
edge action with a package of solar and renewable energy legislation. Created a unique
way of presenting the case through a diverse statewide coalition. Wrote the bill drafts,
secured bill sponsors and provided support information for legislators. Received a solar
energy retrofit grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. Actively worked on the
Mayor’s re-election campaign including a targeted “get out the vote” project.
Additional positions include:
Executive Director – Coalition for the Environment, St. Louis, MO
Communications Coordinator – Indiana Heartland Coordinating Council, Indianapolis, IN
Public Relations Consultant – Indiana Railroad Association
Indiana Field Representative – Coalition on American Rivers, Terre Haute, IN
Field Organizer – Citizens Energy Coalition
EDUCATION:
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, Bachelor of Science.
Major: Natural Resources and Environmental Science
Additional studies:
- National Science Foundation Student Research on Cadmium Toxicity, School of Pharmacy
- Youth Conservation Corps, Mark Twain National Forest, West Plains, MO
- National Science Foundation Student Science Training Program, Water Quality Studies – Lake Erie, State University of New York at Fredonia
STRENGTHS:
Comprehending complex situations. With a nose for information sources and a way of getting people to talk, able to discover patterns and trends, loophole, flaw, or weakness in an argument. Able to analyze data, laws, regulation, apparent unrelated events, and nuances in a short period of time.
Creating a strategy. Using intuitive reasoning and innovative thought, have demonstrated ability to develop an approach to the resolution of problems or barriers. Able to integrate promotion strategies and alliance building techniques into existing plans. Focused on influencing, marketing, convincing, and building relationships to achieve the goal.
Organizing day-to-day activities. Results oriented and solution-driven. Able to initiate activities, coordinate tasks, organize people, and juggle multiple tasks to achieve the goal. Have demonstrated skill at working behind the scenes and working within the system.
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