ATLAS GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
Guiding clients through the murky waters of policy, politics, and media.
About AtlaS
Atlas Government Affairs is a woman-owned, Vermont-based firm specializing in government relations, strategic communications, coalition building, and issue campaigns. We help organizations and businesses shape policy, build influence, and communicate with clarity.
Our clients include school districts, business associations, tech companies, municipalities, and social justice advocacy groups. From drafting legislation to managing campaigns, we bring strong relationships, smart strategy, and creative thinking to every project.
Government Relations
We advise clients on how to navigate state and local government at every level. This includes legislative strategy, regulatory analysis, municipal policy, and executive branch engagement.
Whether the goal is to shape new legislation, influence rule-making, or respond to emerging policy shifts, we help clients identify the right levers and engage decision-makers with clarity.
Our services include strategic planning, bill drafting, testimony preparation, and long-term advocacy planning.
Strategic Communications
We help clients find the right message, deliver it with confidence, and stay aligned across every platform and audience. Our communications support includes message development, media strategy, speechwriting, social media, visual materials, and public campaigns.
We provide coaching and preparation for press conferences, interviews, testimony, and legislative presentations.
We also support organizations through high-pressure moments by managing crisis response and rapid communications planning.
Coalition Building & Management
We bring people together around shared goals and help keep them aligned. Whether supporting a formal coalition or a more informal network, we help partners clarify purpose, streamline messaging, and stay coordinated as conditions change.
Our services include internal messaging, relationship management, meeting support, and public-facing coordination.
We also help coalitions assess when to act together, when to speak separately, and how to build durable trust across organizations.
Campaign Design & Management
We design issue-based campaigns that connect your policy goals with public momentum. Our work includes strategic planning, narrative development, stakeholder engagement, and coordinated outreach to decision-makers, media, and the public.
From launching a statewide initiative to repositioning an existing effort, we help clients design advocacy campaigns that are both grounded and visible.
We identify points of leverage, align communications with legislative strategy, and keep everything moving forward with clear timelines and smart coordination.
WHO WE ARE
Maggie Lenz, Founder & Principal
Sean Walsh, Legislative and Policy Strategist
Sean Walsh, Legislative and Policy Strategist
Maggie is a Vermont-based lobbyist and strategic communications consultant with a reputation for clear thinking, creative strategy, and building strong, trust-based relationships.
Maggie specializes in public education advocacy, representing major school districts and education coalitions on issues of governance, funding, and equity in Ver
Maggie is a Vermont-based lobbyist and strategic communications consultant with a reputation for clear thinking, creative strategy, and building strong, trust-based relationships.
Maggie specializes in public education advocacy, representing major school districts and education coalitions on issues of governance, funding, and equity in Vermont’s K–12 landscape. Her portfolio also includes businesses, municipalities, and multiple trade associations on issues ranging from data privacy, consumer protection, and employment policy to local government, tax and regulatory matters, economic development, and equity-focused initiatives.
Maggie has worked for over a decade at the intersection of policy and politics in Vermont. Before founding Atlas she served as Vice President of Strategic Communications at Leonine Public Affairs, leading statewide campaigns and advising clients on messaging and media. She simultaneously worked in the State House as a member of Leonine’s government affairs team. Earlier in her career, she was Finance Director for the Vermont Democratic Party and chaired the Washington County Democratic Committee. She also brings the perspective of a former small business owner, having built and run a pub in Maine.
Clients rely on Maggie not only for her strategic insight but for the way she listens and adapts. Whether drafting legislation, preparing testimony, managing a communications crisis, or shaping a long-term campaign, she combines sharp instincts with a down-to-earth style that keeps the work grounded, focused, and enjoyable.
Sean Walsh, Legislative and Policy Strategist
Sean Walsh, Legislative and Policy Strategist
Sean Walsh, Legislative and Policy Strategist
Sean supports Atlas with legislative and policy work across a broad range of issue areas, helping clients turn complex ideas into clear strategy and practical results. He brings a strong blend of policy expertise, systems thinking, and strategic communication to every project.
With over a decade of experience in public policy, program oper
Sean supports Atlas with legislative and policy work across a broad range of issue areas, helping clients turn complex ideas into clear strategy and practical results. He brings a strong blend of policy expertise, systems thinking, and strategic communication to every project.
With over a decade of experience in public policy, program operations, and cross-sector collaboration, Sean has worked at the federal, state, and nonprofit levels. His previous roles include positions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the American Public Human Services Association, the Congressional Hunger Center, and the United Nations World Food Program. As a Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow, he supported state legislators through the National Conference of State Legislatures during the COVID-19 pandemic response.
Sean has led federal grant programs, contributed to regulatory development, authored widely used policy guidance, and built technical assistance initiatives that span multiple states.
He excels at aligning stakeholders around a shared vision, distilling complex policy into actionable insights, and creating systems that support clarity and execution.
Driven by mission and motivated by results, Sean is known for his strategic mindset, dependable follow-through, and ability to build trust across diverse teams and organizations.