Meet the Team - About Us - ADS Ventures, Inc

The ADS Ventures team includes dedicated professionals from both sides of the aisle, with experience ranging from non-profit to public policy development.

Chet Atkins founded ADS Ventures, Inc. in 1993. With a history in public office and experience on the boards of numerous corporate and non-profit organizations, Chet offers extraordinary expertise on subjects ranging from the legislative process to non-profit governance. In 1970, Chet was the youngest State Representative to be elected in Massachusetts. Two years later, he was elected to state Senate and served as Chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, in which capacity he reformed and modernized the state budgeting process. From 1984 to 1992, Chet represented the 5th District of Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress, and sat on the Appropriations, Budget, Foreign Affairs, and Ethics Committees.

Since leaving the U.S. Congress, Chet has led a number of initiatives to utilize private capital to achieve public purposes and has organized successful public funding initiatives for organizations in the education, healthcare, high tech and real estate development industries. He also has served as an election observer and legislative trainer for newly elected governments in Cambodia, Yemen, Albania, Russia, Republic of Georgia and Peru.

Chet remains a political force on the state and federal level, serving as a key advisor and fundraiser to multiple campaigns. He advocates for numerous humanitarian causes on the boards of such groups as Amnesty International, Oxfam, and The Center for Justice and Accountability. He received his education from Antioch College and currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

As Managing Director and registered federal lobbyist, David Costello brings 20 years of marketing and external affairs experience to his work developing federal, state and commercial business opportunities for corporate and non-profit clients.

David came to ADS after eight years with Malden Mills Industries, Inc., where he served as Director of Sales and Marketing and later as Business Manager. He directed the growth of the Polartec® manufacturer's government business to more than 100 million dollars, created the company's technical consulting business, managed the company's corporate public relations, and directed the company's federal and state level government relations. Since joining ADS, David has applied this expertise to clients in the transportation, high technology, manufacturing, and outdoor industries, developing new products, creating new channels to markets, and gaining them entree to new government business opportunities. David interacts regularly with key offices for Appropriations and Armed Services in the U.S. Congress, and has long-standing relationships with program managers at military development labs across the country.

David holds a B.S. from the University of New Hampshire and is active on the Boards of the Appalachian Mountain Club, the Merrimack Valley Economic Development Council, The Conservation Alliance and The Trustees of Reservations. Through his pro bono efforts with ADS, he has advocated for the protection of public lands throughout the Northeast. He lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts with his wife Jennifer, and two daughters.

With a wealth of personal and professional relationships at the Massachusetts State House, among state and federal campaigns, and within the philanthropic community, Casey manages the integration of state and federal government relations, strategic communications and development efforts for a range of ADS non-profit clients. She also oversees ADS lobby reporting and compliance and keeps all of our clients abreast of changes in these regulations.

Prior to joining ADS in a full-time capacity, Atkins managed a number of mission-based travel programs to Cambodia, Vietnam, Peru, Bhutan and Cuba.

Casey studied International Relations at George Washington University and lives in Boston. She is active with a number of political campaigns and non-profit groups, including Active Minds, Lawrence CommunityWorks, Year Up, the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission, and Charlestown Lacrosse.

Based in metropolitan Washington, D.C., Jane's close proximity to and long-standing relationships within several key military developmental bases gains ADS clients unique access to these groups. Hunter's concentrated technical expertise in advanced product development and program management adds tremendous value to our outdoor industry and military offerings.

Jane came to ADS with more than 10 years of experience in new market development, product development and marketing with Malden Mills Industries, Inc., manufacturer of Polartec® and other high performance textiles. She has managed the development of world-class technical performance products that have created new levels of performance in their product categories. These materials currently serve a variety of end uses including outdoor performance apparel, extreme protective apparel, military, footwear, and medical markets. Jane is experienced in technical product development through all stages of the development process, from defining user needs through conception and fielding. She is uniquely qualified in the management of long term conceptual R&D programs, having managed all the military consulting programs for Polartec since inception.

Highly respected in the industry, Jane has presented at several technical conferences and authored multiple articles published in professional journals. In addition, she has co-authored several patents. Jane holds an M.S. in Textile Technology from the Institute of Textile Technology and currently lives with her family in Manassas, Virginia.

A native of Salem, Massachusetts, Amy spent more than 8 years working in Washington, DC.

From 2002 to 2007, she served as a Senior Legislative Assistant for U.S. Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI), where she handled a wide portfolio of social policy issues, including health care and education. During Congressional debates on stem cell research, Amy worked closely with the medical research community and patient advocacy organizations to assist in their efforts to educate Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and pass legislation that would expand the scope of federally funded research. Amy also served as a liaison between the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus and the disability community, working to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities were included in Congressional practice, discussion and legislation.

Prior to her work in Langevin’s office, Amy was a member of the government relations staff at the Children’s Defense Fund, a non-profit organization focused on developing and promoting public policies that support children and families. ADS and their clients benefit from her experience assisting advocacy organizations with various efforts and her in-depth knowledge of the federal process.

Amy holds a B.A. in Political Science from American University in Washington, DC.

Sean King has worked for more than twenty years in politics and government at the state, local, and federal levels. Sean manages the Massachusetts state government relations practice for ADS, and provides clients with legislative and regulatory counsel.

Sean successfully assists clients in reaching their organizational goals. He has developed public/private partnerships to expand and sustain programs including: the first state-funded school-based oral health initiative; the first state-funded wireless learning pilot project; and job training programs. He played an integral role in the formation of the Personal Care Attendant workforce council, which will organize a workforce of over 25,000. Sean also recently implemented a strategy that modified "Title V" and CORI regulations.

Prior to joining ADS, Sean worked as Legislative Assistant for the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C., following two years as the Deputy Secretary's Representative for the U.S. Department of Labor in Boston, Massachusetts.

Sean has been involved in every national presidential campaign and convention since 1988 and continues to be an active participant in local and national politics. He holds a B.S. in Political Science from Northeastern University and an M.S. in Labor Relations from the University of Massachusetts. He lives with his family in Newburyport, Massachusetts where he serves as Commissioner on the city's license commission.

Leah manages all finance and operations for ADS, including accounts receivable/payable, payroll, human resources, office travel, vendor relations, and technology. She maintains internal efficiency and is the touchstone for all client interaction with ADS.

Before joining us, Leah was a legal assistant in the office of Stoneman, Chandler & Miller LLP, a labor and education law firm. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Northeastern University.

Becca has more than a decade of experience working in the public and private sectors. Prior to joining ADS, she was the Director of Programs and Member Services for Associated Grant Makers, a membership association serving foundations, corporations and nonprofits throughout New England. Becca previously worked for Washington, D.C.-based public affairs firm, Strat@comm, Inc., representing the interests of several trade associations focused on environmental, health and safety compliance practices.

As an account manager and registered federal lobbyist, Becca develops and manages the government business development strategies for many of ADS Ventures' corporate and nonprofit clients and has helped our clients achieve significant results on an array of issues including defense, homeland security, transportation, economic development and the environment. Her previous experience working with local foundations has also been a valuable asset for ADS Ventures' nonprofit clients.

Becca holds an M.B.A. from Boston University with a concentration in Public and Non-Profit Management. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Huston Foundation and the Young Entrepreneurs Alliance and on the Conservation Council Steering Committee for the Trustees of Reservations. Becca lives with her husband and son in Melrose, Massachusetts.

Alissa came to ADS with a breadth of experience from her years working for several Members of Congress on Capitol Hill. Her combined media and federal government policy experience benefits ADS and our clients, in forging relationships with key political decision makers and their staffs and providing air tight strategic communication plans.

As Press Secretary for the U.S. Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Relations Committee, Alissa developed the finer points of effective media communications. While serving as a Senior Legislative Assistant in the office of Congressman Charlie Bass of New Hampshire, she handled a wide array of policy issues related to healthcare, foreign affairs and defense, as well as relevant federal committee work.

A New England native, Alissa holds a B.A. from the University of New Hampshire.

Jessica came to ADS after completing her B.A. in Public Relations and Marketing Communications at Simmons College. During her time at Simmons, Jessica interned with the Center for Women and Enterprise, in which capacity she assisted with fundraising events and increasing awareness of the Center through media efforts. She also created press releases and other collateral materials during an internship with ASPECT Magazine.

With skills gained through her internship experience and her leadership as the President of the Simmons College Campus Activities Board, Jessica provides valuable support to ADS Ventures Account Managers and clients.