OUR TEAM

Michael S. Long, Partner
Mike is the co-founder of Long, Nyquist & Associates and is one of "Pennsylvania's Ten Most Influential People" according to the January, 2010 issue of Politics magazine, a national publication. He has been universally recognized as the architect of the Republican dominance of the Pennsylvania State Senate. In addition to the Politics Magazine article, Mr. Long is consistently rated by various news sources as one of the most influential figures in the Pennsylvania political process.

For 23 years, Long served as Majority Staff Administrator to the President Pro Tempore - the most senior staff position in the Senate. In this capacity, he directed all staff and administration functions, as well as being actively involved in the legislative process.

After helping the current President Pro Tempore, Joseph B. Scarnati to organize his office, Long founded a government relations firm on January 1, 2007. In November 2009, he partnered with Todd Nyquist to form Long, Nyquist & Associates.

Mr. Long graduated from Millersville University with a B.A. in Political Science and received a Master's of Science degree in Public Administration from Shippensburg University.

Todd R. Nyquist, Partner

In January of 2010, Politics magazine named him one of the top influencers in the "opinion of people who matter" in Pennsylvania. A force to be reckoned with in Pennsylvania's legislative and political arenas, Todd co-founded Long, Nyquist & Associates with Mike Long in 2009.

Prior to co-founding LN&A, Mr. Nyquist previously served as the long-time chief-of-staff, political advisor, and alter ego to President Pro Tempore & Lieutenant Governor Joe Scarnati. Instrumental in the election of 30 Republican Members of the Senate, Todd forges relationships by winning in "the arena".

Todd was actively engaged in all legislative, budgetary and personnel matters for the Senate Republican Caucus as the Majority Staff Administrator – the most senior staff position in the Senate. His knowledge of the political landscape and understanding of the relationship between policy and politics has led to numerous client victories and is considered by his peers to be unparalleled.

Mr. Nyquist graduated from Clarion University with a B. S. in Finance.

Josh Wilson, Associate
From the state capitol to statewide political campaigns, Josh Wilson brings a decade's worth of governmental and political experience to the firm.

After earning a degree in education from Millersville University, Josh joined the staff of Senator Jeff Piccola, R-Dauphin, serving the senator as a district and legislative aide. As a member of the senator's staff, Josh worked extensively in the areas of transportation, local government, education and environmental protection.

As floor assistant to the Senate Majority Whip, Josh gained valuable, firsthand insight into the legislative machinations of the Pennsylvania State Senate.

After his service in the Senate, Josh spent two years serving as Political and Communications Director at the Republican State Committee of PA. Subsequently, he worked on numerous congressional, state senate and house races and successfully managed both Justice Tom Saylor's and Justice Mike Eakin's bipartisan re-elections to the PA Supreme Court. Josh has been active in countless local and county elections and served as an elected Susquehanna Township Commissioner for 5 years and was past-President of the Susquehanna Township Lions Club.

Josh was recognized for his governmental and political achievements by the Harrisburg Patriot-News as one of the region's top 20 young professionals.

Noel Nyquist, Associate
Noel got her start as a legislative assistant to the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and quickly gained a world of experience into the matters surrounding state government as an economic development and state grants specialist.  She joined the staff of Senator Don White, where she was promoted to Executive Director of the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee.

In 2007, Ms. Nyquist became engaged in the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, assisting in the development of key legislation pertaining to the oversight of the proposed merger between Highmark, Inc. and Independence Blue Cross, as well as legislation to extend the MCARE program which provides a financial safety net to help Pennsylvania's healthcare providers cover their medical malpractice insurance costs.

In Senator White's absence, Nyquist was the designee on the PENNVEST Board, which provides grants and low-interest loans to fund sewer, storm water and drinking water projects through the Commonwealth.

Ms. Nyquist is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a B.S. in Public Administration.

Christopher Latta, Associate
Chris Latta provides a unique combination of technical, committee and leadership qualifications to Long, Nyquist & Associates. As chief-of-staff to the Senate Appropriations Committee, he is widely credited with helping shepherd Pennsylvania through its most significant fiscal challenges in sixty years.

In 2003 Mr. Latta was appointed Chief-of-Staff / Executive Director of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, where he lead teams responsible for writing and negotiating the passage of Pennsylvania's Health Savings Account law, the fiscally sound expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Interstate Insurance Compact law.  During the 2005 - 2006 legislative session, Chris was tasked with writing a series of bills, introduced by Chairman Armstrong, designed to bring down health insurance / care costs in Pennsylvania.  Those bills now form the core of the Senate Republican proposal on the issue.

In between his two stints with the Pennsylvania Senate, Chris served in the administration of Governor Tom Ridge and Governor Mark Schweiker. He was responsible for the launch of Pennsylvania's Tobacco Settlement Endowment, served on the Public School Employees Retirement System Board, and was a key member of the executive team overseeing the largest IT expansion in state government in a generation.

Because of the nature of his staff assignments, he has built close relationships with Members and staff in all four legislative caucuses, the Governor's office, and the press.

Mr. Latta earned his B.A. degree in political science and history from Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA and his M.B.A from the Pennsylvania State University.

Faith Bender, Associate

Prior to returning to the campaign trail, Ms. Bender served for more than five years as a Budget Analyst in the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee.  In this capacity she developed an intimate understanding of the legislative and particularly the appropriations process.  As the staff member with primary responsibility for the capital budget and agriculture, labor and industry, judiciary, and transportation funding, Faith developed key relationships with committee chairmen and rank-and-file members of the House or Representatives alike.

Faith's legislative experience extends to the Senate of Pennsylvania as well, where she served as a Legislative Assistant to Senate President Pro Tempore Robert C. Jubelirer.  Faith also served as Finance Director of the Senate Republican Campaign Committee during a period of sustained electoral success for Senate Republicans.

Beyond state government, Faith served as Chairperson of the Lebanon County Republican Committee.  Her skills and leadership helped continue the Republican Party's dominance in Lebanon County in a difficult political environment for Republicans.

Ms. Bender earned a B.S. in Public Administration from Kutztown University.

Mike Ward, Associate
Mike Ward works as a business networker.  He has focused on developing relationships with businesses, legislators, and organizations to assist in client relations on the local, state, and federal levels. Mike develops, manages, and implements business and legislative strategies.
Mike's background is in politics where he has been active in Westmoreland County politics.   He developed a reputation for organizing grassroots campaigns, earned media plans, and coalition forming initiatives in South Western Pennsylvania. Mike's experience and strategic partnerships in the political realm serve in obtaining business objectives.

Mike is a graduate of St. John's University.

Megan also previously worked as an Account Executive for a Philadelphia based public relations agency. She worked on large public affairs accounts including Wal-Mart, PECO, Pennsylvania Workforce Development and Pennsylvania Treasury Department. Prior to her agency experience, Megan worked for a Harrisburg based government and public relations firm. As an associate in the firm's lobbying practice, Megan gained experience working with clients and developed knowledge and experience with legislative and public policy issues, campaign fundraising and event planning. Managing a number of different clients, ranging from energy to agriculture, non-profit to food and beverage, she developed and executed strategic legislative and communications plans both on the hill and in the public arena.

Megan is a graduate of the University of Delaware, where she received a B.A in English and minors in Political Science and Business Administration. She currently serves as a member of the Communities in Schools Capital Region Advisory Board.

Megan Crompton, Associate

While in the Senate, Megan aided in the enactment of numerous bills including: prohibiting texting while driving; authorizing table games and slot machines at casinos and racetracks in Pennsylvania; establishing the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act; requiring insurance coverage for colorectal cancer screening and expanding the Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) program.

Prior to her Senate employment, Megan worked for the Ridge/Schweiker administration in the Governor’s Office of Legislative Affairs and later served as the Legislative Liaison for the Board of Probation and Parole and the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).

Megan is a graduate of Penn State University.