An expert at helping businesses, associations and nonprofits manage complex public policy issues across Washington, D.C., Israel “Izzy” Klein is perennially a Top Lobbyist in The Hill’s annual rankings and was dubbed the “Message Maestro Lobbyist” by Congressional Quarterly. He has deep ties to congressional leadership, veterans of the Biden and Obama Administrations, numerous federal regulatory agencies, think tanks, and other third-party groups, in addition to D.C. and national media outlets. He advises an impressive roster of Fortune 500 companies, trade associations, non-profits, and fast-growing startups facing complex political and policy challenges.

A veteran of both sides of the U.S. Capitol, Izzy worked as the senior communications strategist for Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), where he steered a high-energy operation on a broad portfolio of issues related to the Finance, Banking, and Judiciary Committees. As Deputy Staff Director for the Joint Economic Committee in 2008, he helped then-Chairman Schumer address crucial policy issues related to the housing and credit crisis, foreign direct investment in the U.S., and energy independence. At the office of then-Representative Ed Markey (D-MA), Izzy also led communications and homeland security efforts after September 11, 2001.

Active in scores of federal, state, and local campaigns, Izzy serves as an informal advisor to several longtime leaders and rising stars in Democratic political circles. He is a founding board member and the political committee chair of the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), a leading political force for Jewish Democrats.

Izzy ran the renewable energy practice at a large high-profile public affairs firm. He created and led a coalition of fin-tech startups during consideration of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and quarterbacked a comprehensive legislative effort to streamline capital access for small businesses and startups through the JOBS Act in 2012. Izzy has been published or quoted as a political and policy expert by The New York Times, The Hill, Politico, Bloomberg News, Financial Times, The Boston Globe, and other media outlets.

Izzy is a native of West Orange, New Jersey, where his father, Mike, emigrated with a wave of Russian Jewish refuseniks leaving Ukraine in 1974. For 30 years, Mike made his living as the owner of a hardware store in Irvington and prided himself on always being able to help his customers find the tools and services they needed to improve their lives. In many ways, Izzy’s work at Klein/Johnson Group continues his family’s tradition, as he helps clients find the strategies and realize the goals enabling them to create jobs, strengthen policies, and improve lives for families across the country.

Izzy holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University in government and theology and serves on the board for its Institute of Politics. He has been a guest lecturer and student mentor there and at Princeton University, the U.S. Naval Academy, and The Johns Hopkins University. He currently co-teaches a graduate class at The George Washington University. Izzy lives with his wife, Sarah, their twins, and a large fluffy dog in Chevy Chase, Maryland.