Session Description: Control of Congress hangs in the balance. Join NRCC and NRSC leaders for an insider briefing on the 2026 midterm elections, including the key battlegrounds, trends, and strategies that will determine the future of the U.S. House and Senate.

Speaker: Jack Pandol | Deputy Executive Director | National Republican Congressional Committee

About Jack: Jack Pandol serves as Deputy Executive Director for the NRCC during the 2026 cycle where he oversees the paid media program. A native of Bakersfield, California, Pandol previously served as the Communications Director for the NRCC during the 2024 cycle in which House Republicans held the majority. Prior to that, Pandol served as Communications Director for the Senate Leadership Fund, the Western Regional Press Secretary for the NRCC, and as the top official and campaign communications staffer for three different Members of the House of Representatives: Charles Boustany (LA), Bradley Byrne (AL), and Rick Crawford (AR).

Speaker: Brendan Jaspers | Political Director | National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC)

About Brendan: Brendan is the Political Director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), where he drives strategy to elect a Republican Senate majority. Prior to this role, he served as Political Director of the Club for Growth, and as an advisor to President Trump’s now Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Doug Collins. Jaspers has managed winning campaigns, directed major independent expenditures, and overseen successful issue advocacy efforts in 44 states across all levels of government. He currently lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife, Mallory.

Session Description: Build the skills and confidence to be a powerful advocate. This session blends lobbying best practices with a deep dive into IEC’s top policy priorities, giving PoliCon participants the tools to engage lawmakers and staff and champion the merit shop electrical contracting industry.

Speaker: Ben Brubeck | IEC Lobbyist | Government Affairs Solutions

About Ben: Ben Brubeck is the Principal and CEO of Government Affairs Solutions, LLC. Prior to joining GA Solutions, Brubeck spent more than 21 years in a variety of roles at the national headquarters of Associated Builders and Contractors, a 23,000-member construction industry trade association in Washington, D.C. Serving most recently as ABC’s vice-president of regulatory, labor and state affairs, Brubeck represented ABC before federal, state, and local lawmakers, regulators, the media, construction industry executives, and industry stakeholders.

Brubeck educates internal and external stakeholders and shapes policy on local, state, and federal issues important to the construction industry, with expertise across a portfolio of issues related to labor and employment, infrastructure, public-private partnerships, procurement, federal contractor regulations, small business, clean energy tax credits, CHIPS Act funding, OSHA, immigration, project labor agreements, prevailing wage, apprenticeship, and workforce development.

Before joining ABC’s executive leadership team, Brubeck mobilized the association’s labor and federal procurement, state affairs, business and labor relations, and grassroots efforts and programs in a variety of positions, while serving as a key contact for 67 ABC chapters on the policy issues of greatest importance to the organization.

Prior to joining ABC in 2003, Brubeck was the James A. Finnegan Foundation Fellow at the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee. Brubeck holds a B.A. in political science from Gettysburg College.

A Virginia resident and native of Connecticut, Brubeck is a board member of Brubeck Living Legacy, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting young jazz musicians and promoting awareness, interest, and the understanding of jazz and its role in American and international culture in honor of Ben’s grandfather, legendary pianist, composer, and statesman Dave Brubeck.

Session Description: From jobsite rules to workforce pipelines, federal labor and employment policy is rapidly evolving. Join trade association and Senate insiders for a practical look at the issues that matter most to your business—including National Labor Relations Board activity, project labor agreement mandates, apprenticeship, immigration reform, Davis-Bacon, safety, and other U.S. Department of Labor regulations.

Speaker: Kristen Swearingen| Vice President of Government Affairs | Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC)

About Kristen: Kristen is the Vice President of Government Affairs at Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). She had led the association’s lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill and coalition efforts in the business community since 2007. Swearingen chairs the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, composed of hundreds of organizations representing millions of businesses that employ tens of millions of workers nationwide in nearly every industry.

Prior to joining ABC she was a staffer in the office of former Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.). She is a graduate of the College of Charleston.

Speaker: Dan Chasen | Labor Policy Director for Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) | Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee

About Dan: Daniel Chasen serves as Labor Policy Director for Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Daniel received his Master’s in Public Policy from the Pepperdine School of Public Policy and B.A. from Hillsdale College. He lives in Cheverly, Maryland with his wife and three children.

Session Description: Federal permitting reform is a top policy priority with major implications for how—and how quickly—projects get built. This panel of experts will unpack the latest developments in federal permitting policy reform and examine the surge in data center construction, highlighting the opportunities and challenges facing IEC contractors.

Speaker: Matthew Keenan | Federal Affairs Liaison | Americans for Prosperity

About Matthew: Matthew Keenan is a federal affairs liaison with Americans for Prosperity. Previous staff to Representative Raul Labrador and Representative Russ Fulcher of Idaho. Spent almost six years on Capitol Hill and several years in the State Policy Network “think-tank” world in Idaho. Between state legislative policy and federal policy, he is a resident of Idaho and represents issues on AFP’s behalf in the transportation, energy, natural resources, and onshore federal land management policies in Washington, D.C. Married with one child.

Speaker: Christopher Guith | Senior Vice President | Global Energy Institute, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

About Christopher: Christopher Guith is the senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Energy Institute. He leads the Institute’s efforts to build support for meaningful energy and environmental action nationally and internationally through policy development, education, and advocacy.

The Institute has attracted grassroots advocates across the nation supporting its efforts to capitalize on America’s tremendous energy promise. The Institute also regularly contributes policy analysis and research, including the groundbreaking Index of Energy Security Risk and the International Index of Energy Security Risk, the first tools to quantify America’s energy security on an annual basis, as well as the comprehensive Energy Works for US platform, which provided policy recommendations to secure our nation’s energy future.

Guith offers expertise on an array of energy and environmental issues. He educates policymakers, businesses, energy stakeholders, coalitions, and the public about the importance of a diversified energy portfolio and how it can ensure an efficient, reliable, prosperous, and secure energy future. He also leverages his broad energy expertise as a spokesperson with local, state, and national media.

Guith travels frequently to speak to stakeholder groups, raising awareness of the impact of policy decisions on America’s energy future and encouraging groups to share their perspectives with policymakers. In addition, he consults with state and local chambers of commerce and business groups, advising them how to quantify the importance of safe, reliable American energy to their businesses, as well as how to amplify that message when communicating with energy decision makers.

Prior to joining the Chamber in 2008, Guith served as deputy assistant secretary for nuclear energy at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), where he developed the administration’s nuclear energy policies and coordinated the department’s interactions with Congress, stakeholders, and the media. He was also deputy assistant secretary for congressional affairs at DOE and a chief representative of the administration during the drafting and debate of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Earlier in his career, Guith served as Rep. Bob Barr’s (R-GA) legislative director and Rep. Tim Murphy’s (R-PA) counsel and policy adviser. He was also legislative counsel for the Environment, Technology & Regulatory Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Guith is a graduate of Syracuse University-College of Law and the University of California-Santa Barbara.

Speaker: Jacey Albaugh | Committee Staff | Senate Energy and Natural Resources

About Jacey: Jacey Albaugh began her career on Capitol Hill four years ago as an intern for Senator Mike Lee. She quickly advanced to full-time staff, serving in multiple roles across scheduling and constituent services before joining the policy team. In that capacity, she managed a broad portfolio spanning the Committees on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), Agriculture, Environment and Public Works (EPW), and Indian Affairs. Following Senator Lee’s elevation to Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Jacey transitioned to the Committee as a Professional Staff Member. She now leads work on forestry and both onshore and offshore oil and gas policy. During her tenure, she has played a key role in advancing the confirmation of numerous presidential nominees and the passage of landmark legislation, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Jacey holds a B.S. in Political Science from Texas Christian University and is currently pursuing a Master of Legal Studies in Energy, Oil, and Gas Law and Policy from Texas A&M University School of Law.

Speaker: Cy McNeill | Senior Director, Federal Affairs | Data Center Coalition

About Cy: Cy McNeill is director of federal affairs for the Data Center Coalition (DCC), the membership association serving as the voice of the U.S. data center industry.

Before joining DCC, Cy worked in the regulated energy sector and in public service, most recently with Alliant Energy in Washington, DC. Cy managed the company’s federal regulatory strategy and advocated before Congress and the executive branch on issues such as electric transmission, siting and permitting reform, energy market design, and foreign trade. Cy also led engagement efforts for the company with trade association regulatory and policy committees, as well as coalition building among consumer groups, state regulators, and clean energy developers to advance key policy priorities.

Prior to Alliant Energy, Cy spent time serving in the federal government working for the Department of Commerce and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). While at FERC, Cy advised the commission on issues such as tax reform implementation and wholesale gas market policy. Additionally, Cy provided testimony on litigated cases before the agency.

Cy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Salisbury University. He lives in Washington, DC.

Speakers: Henry Mack, Ed.D. | Assistant Secretary | U.S. Department of Labor

About Henry: Dr. Henry Mack currently serves as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor, overseeing the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. Prior to federal service, Dr. Mack served in a variety of higher education and workforce development roles.

From 2019-2023, Dr. Mack served as the higher education and workforce system head for the State of Florida. As Chancellor, he was responsible for Florida's public and nonpublic institutions of higher education—overseeing a $3 billion dollar budget with a combined K-20 student enrollment of ~1.5 million, annually. Dr. Mack led the Divisions of Florida Colleges, Career and Adult Education, Vocational Rehabilitation, Blind Services, the Florida Department of Education's Office of Workforce Education and Economic Alignment, and the Commission for Independent Education. He was directly responsible for the State of Florida's workforce education strategy, budget, operations, policy and finance, grants and administration, and, together with the Governor's Office, responsible for all higher education and workforce education legislative and policy priorities.

Dr. Mack has also served as Provost, a Vice President and as a Chief Innovation Officer. He has held multiple faculty positions at Florida International University, Florida State University and the University of Miami, where he most recently taught courses in the philosophy of education, education policy, and the philosophy of religion.

Dr. Mack earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in philosophy and theology from the Catholic University of America, and doctorate in education administration and philosophy of education from the University of Miami.

Brody Mullins | Author & Investigative Reporter

About Brody: Brody Mullins is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and author of The Wolves of K Street: The Secret History of How Big Money Took over Big Government.

The book, published by Simon & Schuster, is the definitive account of the rise of corporate power and lobbying in Washington. In two decades as an investigative reporter for The Wall Street Journal, Mullins wrote scores of ground-breaking stories about the intersection of business and politics, exposing scandals that prompted new laws and regulations for powerful government officials, lobbyists and Wall Street traders.

In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Mullins won the George Polk Award and was twice awarded the Everett Dirksen Award for best coverage of Congress. Washingtonian calls him one of 50 best reporters in politics. He has appeared on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC and his work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Politico and The Atlantic.

Brody is working on a second book, The Battle Over Bigness. He’s also writing a weekly column on politics and hosting the The Wolves of K Street Podcast.

Brody graduated from Northwestern University and lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, two daughters and son.