HBS adds Katie Boyd to public affairs leadership

By AI, Created 10:58 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – HBS named Katie Boyd as principal in its public affairs practice on May 7, 2026, expanding a team that advises clients navigating high-stakes policy and reputation challenges. Boyd joins after leadership roles at CGCN Group and in Republican congressional communications, bringing experience across energy, financial services and health care.

Why it matters: - HBS is adding a senior communications strategist to strengthen its public affairs work for clients facing complex policy fights. - The move expands a practice that pairs reputation management with advocacy across federal and state government affairs. - Boyd’s background in Congress and the private sector gives HBS another operator who has worked on high-profile policy debates.

What happened: - HBS announced Katie Boyd as principal in its public affairs practice on May 7, 2026. - Boyd most recently served as managing director at CGCN Group. - At CGCN Group, Boyd advised corporations, trade associations and nonprofit organizations on strategic communications campaigns in energy, financial services and health care. - Before joining CGCN Group in 2023, Boyd served as communications director and spokeswoman to former U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, now chairman of HBS Leadership Advisory Services. - Boyd led press strategy across Blunt’s personal office and committee assignments, including the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, the Senate Republican Policy Committee and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.

The details: - HBS Public Affairs develops integrated communications and advocacy strategies for companies, associations and institutions in high-stakes policy environments. - The practice manages reputation and policy as one effort, supported by HBS’s national platform across federal and state government affairs. - Earlier in Boyd’s career, she held communications roles in the office of House Speaker John Boehner. - Boyd also worked on the Research and Communications team at the Republican National Committee during the 2008 presidential cycle. - Boyd began her career in the office of U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona. - HBS was established in 2018 by Andy Blunt and Gregg Hartley. - HBS operates 13 offices across the U.S. - The firm says it maintains one of the nation’s largest networks of state lobbyists, with capital offices in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. - HBS’s Federal Government Affairs group serves clients from Washington, D.C., and ranks among the top performing lobbying firms. - Former U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt leads HBS Leadership Strategies Advisory Services in Washington.

Between the lines: - The hire connects HBS’s public affairs work more tightly to the firm’s broader Republican-aligned political and policy network. - Boyd’s blend of congressional press operations and corporate advising suggests HBS wants sharper message discipline on issues that can affect both policy and market outcomes. - The company is signaling that public affairs is becoming a more integrated part of its overall government affairs platform.

What’s next: - Boyd is expected to help HBS build communications strategies for clients navigating regulatory, legislative and reputation pressure. - HBS will likely continue using its national government affairs footprint to pair advocacy with public-facing messaging. - The firm may lean on Boyd’s experience in energy, financial services and health care as it pursues additional clients in those sectors.

The bottom line: - HBS is betting that senior communications talent is now a core part of winning policy outcomes, not an add-on to lobbying.**