Senior Florida political operator, co-founder of GovMastery, and consultant under Costello Strategy Group. Each week I publish The Costello Brief, the intelligence I wish landed in my own inbox.
I have spent my entire adult life building a career in or adjacent to every level of Florida government.
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree from Florida State University's MAAPP program -- the Masters in Applied American Politics and Policy -- I began my career as a DOD acquisition program manager at Eglin Air Force Base, learning how to manage the buyer side of multimillion dollar government technology acquisitions from the inside. Wanting to get more involved in Florida-specific issues, I transitioned into lobbying state government for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to local governments. Florida State also asked me to return and teach in the same MAAPP program from which I had received my graduate degree -- doing what I enjoy most, teaching people how to affect government outcomes.
In 2010 I was asked to join what was considered a long-shot campaign to mount an outsider challenge against the establishment's chosen candidate for Governor. I decided to take the chance. It paid off. Our team, led by Susie Wiles -- now Chief of Staff to President Donald Trump -- successfully elected Rick Scott as Governor of Florida. That opened the door to serve at the highest levels of state government as Governor Scott's first Legislative Affairs Director and senior policy advisor.
My time in the Governor's Office coincided with welcoming the first two of my three sons, Jack and Dillon. I made the decision to return to the private sector to focus on raising them and building a consulting career. But I never fully left public service -- Governor Scott appointed me to the Northwest Florida Water Management District Board, a role I held for eight years. It perfectly aligned my desire to serve with my love for the part of Florida where I grew up, started my career, and still live today.
In 2020 I founded Capitol Strategy Group -- now Costello Strategy Group. The rebrand reflects my personal approach to consulting, my commitment to embracing technology as the great competitive advantage in a space that still relies too heavily on the old boys network, and an honest acknowledgment that every firm with Capitol or Capital in the name is virtually indistinguishable from the next one.
I founded Costello Strategy Group to bring intelligence-driven strategy to Florida government affairs and SLED sales consulting -- the same market I have navigated, internally and externally, at the highest levels for over 20 years. I publish The Costello Brief, Florida's weekly read on government technology, procurement, and politics. And I co-founded GovMastery to address the biggest issues SLED vendors face nationally and often do not even know about -- they do not understand how government actually works and how to align their approach in order to increase efficiency, reputation, and sales.
Florida government technology and procurement intelligence, weekly. Named people, live solicitations, and the one read that matters before the week starts.
Read it ›Florida government affairs and procurement strategy for companies that need a seat at the table in Tallahassee.
Work with me ›GovMastery is a national advisory and training firm for companies selling into state and local government markets. We help SLED sales teams understand how government actually works, how to align their approach to the buying process, and how to build the relationships and market intelligence that turn activity into revenue.
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