About Us
Joe Britton
President
Twitter | LinkedIn | joe@pioneerpublicaffairs.com
Joe has spent the past fifteen years working in the U.S. Senate, most recently serving as Chief of Staff for U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM). Prior to that he spent five years as Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director for Senator Mark Udall (D-CO) and six years with Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) serving as a Legislative Assistant. He also served as a Senior Advisor to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, helping to oversee the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency, and the Forest Service.
Joe has helped lead a number of major health care, conservation, appropriations and budgeting policy decisions. In particular, he was a key part of passing the Affordable Care Act, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and protecting millions of acres of public land, including the creation of White Sands National Park.
He holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Economics and American Government from the University of Virginia, and a Master of Arts in Government and a Master of Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University.
He and his wife, Katie, had their first child in November of 2015 and their second in November of 2018.
Eric Washburn
Senior Advisor
LinkedIn | eric@pioneerpublicaffairs.com
Eric is a consultant to Pioneer and for the past 16 years has worked for a wide range of private, non-profit, philanthropic clients on energy and natural resource issues. Prior to becoming a consultant, he co-founded the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP), a coalition of over 50 national hunting and fishing and land conservation organizations working together to promote natural resource conservation policy.
For ten years, Eric worked in various policymaking and management capacities in the United States Senate. He was a Senior Policy Advisor to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, where he oversaw the development and U.S. Senate passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2002.
Prior to that, he worked for Senator Harry Reid as the Democratic Staff Director for the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee. Before joining the EPW Committee, he was Legislative Director for Senator Daschle.
He holds an MFS from Yale University and an AB from Bowdoin College and has been a Bullard Fellow at Harvard University Forest.
He lives in Steamboat Springs, Colorado along with his wife Robin and his sons Marat and Shokhan.
Charlie Ellsworth
Partner
Twitter | LinkedIn | charlie@pioneerpublicaffairs.com
Charlie comes from the office of Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, where he led the budget reconciliation strategy and execution of the American Rescue Plan Act, including management of arguments before the Senate Parliamentarian. Charlie also drafted and negotiated the $350 billion state and local government fiscal relief title of the bill.
Earlier in his time with Leader Schumer, Charlie helped write and negotiate portions of the previous covid-relief bills of 2020, including the CARES Act, as well as the budget accords of 2018 and 2019 and their resulting annual appropriations bills. He also worked in opposition to the Affordable Care Act repeal and tax cut reconciliation bills in 2017.
Charlie previously served as the health care legislative assistant for Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) during debate on the Affordable Care Act. He later worked for the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee under the chairmanship of Senator Schumer.
He holds a Masters of Public Policy from the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts from Ithaca College. Earlier in his career, he worked at the Washington Post, USA Today and other Gannett newspapers. He and his wife, Caitlin, have two sons.
Dr. Sweta Chakraborty
Partner
Dr. Sweta Chakraborty is a risk and behavioral scientist whose work is motivated by the need for clear, credible, evidence-based communication to urgently and proactively manage the risks that threaten human security and well-being from climate change to COVID-19. She is regularly interviewed on major, international news media outlets including CNN, the NYT, the BBC, Fox News Channel, Sky News, CBS, and MSNBC to name a few. She has appeared on networks like Nickelodeon and Discovery+, where she was featured alongside Kamala Harris for an Earth Day 2021 special.
Sweta has written extensively in peer-reviewed journals, is a book author from her time as a postdoc at Oxford University, and is currently working on her second book on adaptation to global risks. Sweta is the founder and principle of Adapt to Thrive, a venture that seeks to better inform individuals, businesses, and government entities on the complex, interconnected challenges, such as food security and disease, already existing and emerging from a warming planet.
Sweta is the US Representative for We Don't Have Time and the Chair of Top Tier Impact's Policy Action Unit. Sweta has built her career around how to connect science, policy, and communication to change attitudes, empower audiences, and inspire action.
Alex McDonough
Partner
LinkedIn | alex@pioneerpublicaffairs.com
Alex has worked as an advisor, executive and consultant on clean energy, and environmental issues over 15 years. He serves as a strategic advisor for Pioneer’s clients.
For four years, Alex was a Vice President for Sunrun, the largest residential solar company in the US. He led lawyers, policy experts and communications professionals in tackling regulatory challenges and winning legislative opportunities to expand access to solar.
Prior to joining Sunrun, Alex served as Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid’s senior policy advisor for energy and environment. Over 11 years, he counseled Senator Reid and Democratic Leadership on energy and environmental policy matters in Nevada, nationally, and internationally.
Alex is also a cofounder and board member of Clean Energy for America, a group arising from Clean Energy for Biden in the 2020 election, which advocates for policies and leaders who champion the clean energy workforce. Alex holds a BA from the University of Michigan and a law degree from the Washington College of Law at American University. He’s a native of Las Vegas, NV and lives in Washington, DC.
Andres Jimenez
Senior Advisor
LinkedIn | andres@pioneerpublicaffairs.com
Andres is passionate about protecting our climate so future generations can not just survive, but thrive. That passion launched his career in environmental protection and he brings this passion to Pioneer along with a background leading NGO's including Green 2.0, and leading advocacy efforts at Citizens' Climate Lobby and the Ocean Conservancy. Andres has a long record of public service including service in the office of the Mayor of New York City, the U.S. House Judiciary's Immigration Subcommittee; and two members of Congress, U.S. Rep. Linda Sánchez (California), and former U.S. Rep. Howard Berman (California).
Elected to serve as Supervisor for Fairfax County’s Mason District, Andres is the first Latino to serve in this role. He is an active member of Citizens Climate International and serves on the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, as well as the Northern Virginia Regional Commission. He was appointed in 2020 as Planning Commissioner for Fairfax County, where he served until September 2023. He was elected Supervisor in November 2023 for a four-year term. Andres lives in Mason with his wife, their daughters, and a collection of family pets.
Jake Jackson
Legislative Director
LinkedIn | jake@pioneerpublicaffairs.com
Jake previously worked as a Legislative Assistant for Rep. Xochitl Torres Small (NM-02), covering her assignment to the House Agriculture Committee as well as energy, environment, climate change, public lands, transportation, and infrastructure. While working for Congresswoman Torres Small, he got key elements of the Western Water Security Act signed into law, helped pass legislation to establish the White Sands National Park, and laid the groundwork for the $4.7 billion orphaned well plugging program included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Before working in Congress, Jake helped oversee school quality at Chicago Public Schools and led operations for a Hong Kong-based education startup.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.
Carianne Lee
Climate Policy and Appropriations Director
LinkedIn | carianne@pioneerpublicaffairs.com
At Pioneer, Carianne develops strategies for her clients to best engage with the federal government and elevate important climate policies necessary to decarbonize our economy and protect communities from the worst impacts of climate change. Prior to Pioneer, Carianne was a senior legislative staffer for Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), where she managed a legislative portfolio including energy, environment, natural resources, women’s issues, housing, and appropriations. In her role, Carianne successfully advocated for a United States Army Corps Flood Mitigation project in the district which received $496 million following Hurricane Ida. She also worked extensively to advance the Congresswoman’s work in climate resilience and environmental justice, with a particular focus on extreme heat, leading several efforts to urge the Administration and Congressional leadership to better develop heat emergency preparedness.
While working in Congress, Carianne sat on the board of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Staff Association (CAPASA), and most recently led the association as President. After leaving the Hill, Carianne co-founded the AAPIs in Clean Energy, a professional networking group for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the DMV area working in clean energy and clean transportation.
Carianne holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Environmental Policy and International Studies from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master of Science degree in Environmental Sciences and Policy from Johns Hopkins University. She is also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer from Burkina Faso, West Africa. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Carianne now lives in Washington, DC.
Karin Ballman
Vice President, Strategy & Operations
LinkedIn | karin@pioneerpublicaffairs.com
Karin most recently served as Administrative Director in the office of Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) overseeing operations, personnel management and budget for a 52-person staff across six cities. As a member of the Senator's senior staff, she led strategies related to human resources, compliance, systems administration and emergency preparedness, including continuity of operations at the onset of the pandemic.
With over 20 years of experience in Washington, D.C., Karin is a proven problem solver with the ability to make decisions in high-pressure situations. Prior to her work in Senator Heinrich's office, Karin served as Director of Scheduling for Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO); Director of Scheduling for former Senator Mark Dayton (D-MN); and Deputy Office Manager for former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD). In addition to her roles on Capitol Hill, Karin's career has included 10 years at AARP where she worked in communications and public outreach.
Karin currently serves on the Founders Auxiliary Board of Children's National Hospital. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She and her husband, Luke, reside in Washington with their daughter and a loveable (but, not brilliant) yellow lab.
Ashton Krebs
Research Associate
LinkedIn | ashton@pioneerpublicaffairs.com
Before joining Pioneer, Ashton worked as a Legislative and Administrative Assistant in the Nebraska Legislature. In this role, he managed daily operations within the office of a state senator and worked with stakeholders on several policy issues.
As an undergraduate student, Ashton gained multiple years of experience working in the nation’s only Unicameral legislature, where he developed an interest in learning about various policy areas surrounding new and emerging technologies. He interned for Nelnet, one of the nation’s largest student loan servicers, where he assisted the government relations team in conducting policy research on issues such as student loans, finance, and renewable energy. He also worked as a research assistant at a technology consulting startup, where he developed a passion for helping entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Ashton holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. A lifelong Nebraskan (for now), he enjoys traveling and being outdoors with wildlife.
Alden Standley
Policy and Operations Associate
LinkedIn | alden@pioneerpublicaffairs.com
Alden graduated this spring from Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in Anthropology and Economics. As an undergrad, Alden focused on issues related to environmental governance and the politics of climate change. Alden spent her spring semester of junior year studying at the University of Cape Town in South Africa to further her research in environmental justice and advocacy. This inspired her senior thesis, which examines the factors influencing how environmental NGOs in Cape Town engage in climate change activism. In addition to her coursework, Alden spent time as a field intern on Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey’s gubernatorial campaign. Most recently, Alden attended COP28 in Dubai as part of the Research and NGO Constituency and followed negotiations regarding climate finance.
Outside of work, Alden was a part of Washington University’s women's varsity volleyball team. She now enjoys spending her free time exploring the outdoors, listening to music, reading, and training for her first half-marathon.
Carter Hanson
Intern
LinkedIn | carter@pioneerpublicaffairs.com
Carter is a second-year M.A. in International Relations student at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C. He spent his first year at SAIS’s campus in Bologna, Italy, where he worked as a research assistant at the Bologna Institute for Policy Research and was published in Perspectives, Johns Hopkins’s climate policy journal. His studies focus on global environmental politics and U.S. foreign policy.
Before SAIS, Carter received a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy at Gettysburg College. There, Carter served as president of the College Democrats, worked as managing editor of the Eisenhower Institute’s political science blog, and studied abroad in Tunisia for a semester. As an undergraduate student, he interned for Brittany Pettersen’s Congressional campaign and Ranked Choice Voting for Colorado, and received research fellowships to study such disparate topics as Classical Chinese Philosophy and Gerrymandering reform.
Carter spends his free time skiing, hiking, reading, making maps, and crafting crosswords.