Jack Ferguson, a lobbyist for Jack Ferguson Associates, came to visit Kent on Monday the 7^th and Tuesday the 8^th. Mr. Ferguson is the parent of Charlotte Ferguson ’07 and has recently been helping Kent in its legal case against the Schaghticoke Indians.

Due to several changes in the rules regarding tribal recognition in the United States over the last few decades, Schaghticoke Indians have appealed multiple times to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for national recognition as a tribe. In 2010, a court ruled that the Schaghticokes did not meet the requirements to be federally recognized as a tribe. This was thanks in part to Mr. Ferguson’s lobbying in Washington, as his area of expertise happens to be the Department of the Interior.

Mr. Ferguson has been lobbying for 37 years now, and says that, “the most important thing a lobbyist can have is reliability.” His profession relies on people’s ability to trust him and the information he relays to those in power. In his 37 years, Mr. Ferguson has risen to be one of the most influential lobbyists in the country, working to influence policy at the national as well as the local level.

Speaking in front of a small crowd at Cumming House on Monday evening, Mr. Ferguson talked more specifically about his time working with Kent and how he helped influence policy making sure Kent’s campus was protected. The next day, Mr. Ferguson attended three AP US Government and Politics classes and spoke about what it meant to be a lobbyist and how he got to be where he is now.

Having the opportunity to meet one of Washington’s powerful insiders was informative for Gov students and faculty members alike. For those interested in learning more about Mr. Ferguson or reaching out with questions, please visit his business website, http://jackferguson.com.