Shawn Smeallie co-founded American Continental Group in 1994, bringing his extensive experience on Capitol Hill, the Executive Branch, and in the private sector to the firm. His knowledge of the regulatory and legislative process and his work on defense, trade, energy, tax, and environmental issues over the course of his 20 years in Washington, D.C. provides the firm and its clients a significant resource.
Prior to ACG, Mr. Smeallie served as a Special Assistant to President George H.W. Bush for Legislative Affairs from 1990 to 1993. As a Commissioned Officer of the President, he coordinated the efforts of policy-makers on Capitol Hill and constituent organizations to develop and implement the Administration’s legislative strategies. During these three years, he was responsible for the defense, trade, energy, environment, budget, and tax issues that came before Congress. He also served in the Bush/Cheney transition team, assisting with nominees during the confirmation process.
From 1989 to 1990, Mr. Smeallie was Special Assistant to the Director for Legislative Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President. While at OMB, he worked closely with the Budget and Appropriation Committees of Congress. He was primarily responsible for representing the Administration before the Congress on the annual budgets of various agencies, including the budgets of the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Before joining the Bush Administration, Mr. Smeallie was employed as the National Security Advisor to U.S. Senator Alfonse D’Amato of New York. While there, he was the Senator’s representative on the Appropriations Subcommittees on Defense and Foreign Operations. Mr. Smeallie has also served as the Executive Director of Columbia Shuttle Memorial Trust, an effort to raise funds for the children of the astronauts aboard the Columbia Shuttle. He is the recent past President of the Lumen Institute, a Catholic businessmen’s organization based in Washington, DC.
Mr. Smeallie has an undergraduate degree from St. Lawrence University and a Masters Degree in National Security Studies from Georgetown University. He is married to Janice Gunn Smeallie, and they have four children.
