Alan Knapp, Founder and Managing Principal
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-knapp
LEAD Certificate, Stanford University Graduate School of Business (expected 2026)
MPA, Public Affairs and Administration, Michigan State University
BA, Political Science, Western Michigan University
Led by industry veteran Alan Knapp, Avison Strategies is a government relations and public affairs firm with over twenty years of policy and political experience in Washington, DC. Alan has worked in senior positions on Capitol Hill, led government relations activities and departments for several nonprofit associations, and is now an aspiring entrepreneur, nonprofit executive, writer, and a respected national thought leader on matters that affect career resiliency, education, and professional development.
Alan founded Avison Strategies, named for his two daughters, in 2020 because he felt passionate about applying his years of experience and using his skills building coalitions, partnerships, and networks to impact issues that improve people’s health, livelihoods, happiness, security, and overall success.
Avison Strategies leverages its extensive experience in employee benefit plans and policy to help inform business and policy direction and their measured outcomes on career resiliency, professional development, education, health and wellness, financial security, and paid leave for workers, and engagement and productivity to the organizations they work for. Avison Strategies advises CareeResilient, LLC, a startup B2B third-party administrator employee benefits company focused on professional development and career interruption insurance benefits. Previously, Alan led government relations for a global employee benefit fintech company and directed development for a nonprofit employee benefit research organization.
Alan began his career serving three Members of Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives from two different states over a ten year span, working in a number of different roles from Deputy Chief of Staff, Legislative Director, Communications Director, Field Representative, and Caseworker. After leaving Capitol Hill, he led government relations departments for the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and the National Cooperative Business Association.
Alan was entrusted and elected by his peers to serve as President of the Government Relations Association (GRA), a 501(c)(6) nonprofit member organization founded in Washington, DC in 2017 to represent the family of government relations professionals. He founded GRA’s successful Professional and Future Leaders program, where he works with currently over 150 colleges and universities nationwide to provide government relations pathways and scholarships to deserving at-need students. He organizes an annual charity golf tournament that raises tens of thousands of dollars annually. He also works with these same colleges and universities to help develop academically rigorous professional development certificate programs that help professionals better succeed in their careers and demonstrate their value and impact.
Alan also serves on the board of directors for the Institute for Career Transitions (ICT), an MIT-founded nonprofit based in the Boston area, that was formed to advance awareness and redress for educated professionals facing long-term unemployment and underemployment. He serves as their advocacy chair.
Alan resides in the Washington, DC metro area with his two daughters and their golden retriever, Wrigley. He is active in his church, passionate about history, travel, and fitness, and played baseball, golf, and tennis competitively.