Bernhardt, a longtime former lobbyist at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, was originally tapped by President Donald Trump to serve as deputy Interior secretary before moving up to lead the department in the second half of Trump’s first term.

— The Bernhardt Group will primarily provide strategic advice, but the former secretary said in an interview that the firm may do some lobbying work on an as-needed basis.

— “We’re at an incredibly dynamic time right now where things are moving at an incredible pace in government,” Bernhardt told PI, and people “are really seeking the need to identify creative solutions, figure out how to navigate a pathway and then be able to execute a strategy in a way that will have a durable and meaningful result.”

— Bernhardt returned to Brownstein after Trump left office in 2021, and landed back at the firm earlier this year after taking time to, among other things, help steer Trump’s transition team for the department Bernhardt once led.

— Also this year, he took on an expanded role as executive vice president at the pro-Trump think tank America First Policy Institute, joined the board of Trump’s social media company and teamed up with former Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette in an effort to promote Trump’s energy agenda.

— Several of his former colleagues at Brownstein will join Bernhardt as partners at the new firm. They include Bill McGrath, who also served as staff director for the House Oversight subcommittee that oversees the Interior department, Jon Hrobsky and Luke Johnson.

— Kate Gonzales, who worked for former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), is joining as a vice president from Brownstein; Samantha Hebert, who worked under Bernhardt at Interior, is joining from Brownstein as a senior adviser; and Phoebe Miner, a former Sinema and Kurt Schrader alum, is joining from Brownstein as director of operations and administration.

— A trio of Bernhardt alums is also coming over from RBW Group. Cole Rojewski, who is also a former chief of staff to top GOP lawmakers including former House Appropriations Chair Kay Granger, is joining as a partner along with Todd Willens, who was Bernhardt’s chief of staff at Interior. Faith Vander Voort, a Hill GOP, Interior and Mike Pence alum, is joining from RBW as vice president of public affairs.

— Bernhardt, who wrote a book in 2023 outlining his takeaways on the “failing administrative state,” told PI that his new team’s “tremendous expertise” on both the legislative and regulatory fronts will allow the firm to draw on various policymaking tools across the government. The goal is that the results, he said, “will stand the test of time and potentially stand the test of administrations changing.”

— “It’s very different if you’ve been in the room, if you’ve made the decision, if you know what the decision maker is going to think about,” he said. “I think that provides a unique perspective.”

— Bernhardt declined to name any of the new firm’s clients. But he said its work won’t be limited to natural resources policy and could encompass a number of issues the firm’s staff have been involved in, from telecom and privacy to financial services and appropriations.

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