As the Senior Coordinator for Government Affairs and Public Policy, Nick assists in developing and advancing AAU federal relations priorities and strategies, helps track and coordinate AAU's activities with Congress and the Executive Branch, and supports targeted AAU advocacy campaigns. With other AAU staff and the Council for Federal Relations (CFR), he develops relationships with congressional and executive branch officials and coordinates Capitol Hill, White House, and agency meetings and briefings.
Matt Hourihan joined AAU in May 2024. At AAU, Matt has primary responsibility for funding and policy issues related to the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as well as cross-cutting emerging research and technology issues. Matt shares responsibility for leadership of the CFR Innovation Task Force.
Justin Ryan joined AAU in January 2023. As a Government Relations and Public Policy Officer, Justin supports the department and various AAU task forces, meetings, and hearings, while helping to monitor and analyze legislation, regulations, and policies. He also shares responsibilities for budget and appropriations and coordinates budget analysis across the Government Relations and Public Policy department.
Since joining AAU in March 2022 as Deputy Vice President and Counsel for Government Relations and Public Policy, Kate Hudson assists in managing and directing the Government Relations and Public Policy department and developing and executing strategies to advance AAU’s advocacy and public policy priorities in the federal legislative and regulatory arenas. In addition, she supports AAU’s policy and federal relations work in areas that require legal expertise, such as research-related tax issues, research security policy, and other regulatory matters important to America’s leading research universities.
Hanan Saab serves as AAU’s Associate Vice President for Government Relations and Public Policy. In this role, she has primary responsibility for funding and policy issues related to the Department of Defense and federal policy issues related to national security, immigration, and other transnational issues related to U.S. universities’ global engagement. Hanan leads the CFR Immigration Task Force and shares responsibility for leadership of the CFR Innovation Task Force.
As Associate Vice President for Government Relations and Public Policy, Meredith is responsible for funding and policy issues related to science and security, facility and administrative costs, research integrity and misconduct, regulatory reform, graduate and postdoctoral education advocacy, and social science research advocacy.
Since joining AAU in April 2015 as the Senior Associate Vice President for Government Relations and Public Policy, Lizbet's primary responsibilities include funding and policy issues related to the National Institutes of Health and the USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). She shares responsibility for other higher education and research policy issues related to American innovation and competitiveness with particular emphasis on health and biomedical research.
Tobin (Toby) Smith oversees AAU’s government relations and public policy activities. In his current role at AAU, he provides strategic leadership and management for the association’s priorities in matters relating to science and innovation policy, higher education, and AAU’s international activities. Additionally, he shares responsibility for oversight for AAU’s Council on Federal Relations (CFR) and the Senior Research Officers (SRO) constituent groups and serves as AAU’s liaison with the Global Research-Intensive Universities Network.