About Darwin R. Peterson
Meet Alaska’s State and Local Lobbyist
My Commitment to My Clients
My mission is to use the skills I’ve developed over a successful career in the Legislature to assist clients by skillfully presenting their political needs to the right officials. As a lobbying and strategic consultant, I always strive to uphold the following values:
Integrity
Provide an honest and thorough assessment of the political realities facing issues of concern to your business, corporation, or organization.
Respect
Enable access to key decision makers in the Legislature and Administration by understanding their protocol and treating everyone with respect and professionalism.
Personal Attention
Give you the personal time and attention you need to get your message heard – I will always make myself personally available to assist every client.
Professional Profile
I am a registered lobbyist with the State of Alaska and the Municipality of Anchorage. In my 24 years of experience working in the Alaska Legislature and the State Administration, I’ve held numerous high-profile staff positions, including four years as the Legislative Director for Governor Bill Walker, nine years as Co-Chair staff in the Senate Finance Committee, and five years as Chief of Staff in the Legislature.
After graduating from college in 1996, I began my career as staff for a representative in the House. In two years, I was promoted to the Senate Finance Committee Co-Chair’s office as professional staff, where I managed all legislation referred to the committee. Then, I took my only break in service from the Alaska Legislature to work in Washington, D.C. for one year as staff for Alaska’s United States Senator, Ted Stevens. Returning to Alaska after Washington, D.C., I resumed working in the office of the Senate Finance Committee Co-Chair, but this time serving as lead staff responsible for drafting the state’s capital budget. I then became the liaison between the House and Senate in the office of the Senate president during a bipartisan coalition.
Because of my broad experience in the Legislature and ability to work effectively between the two political factions during the bipartisan coalition, I was asked to serve as the Legislative Director for Independent Governor Bill Walker in 2014. In this role, I interfaced daily with the Governor, his cabinet, and all 60 members of the Legislature. As a member of the Governor’s cabinet, I provided counsel on all issues regarding the legislature, including state budgets, bills, amendments, and committees. In addition, he served honorably as the liaison between the Administration and the Legislature. At the end of the Governor’s term, I returned to the position of Chief of Staff in the Senate Finance Committee Co-Chair’s office.
I have an extensive work history in Alaska’s Senate, House of Representatives, and Office of the Governor. Throughout my tenure in state government, I have maintained an excellent reputation with state officials and their staff, many of those relationships becoming lifelong friendships.
I am currently engaging clients with the goal of providing a fully supportive lobbying effort on their behalf. I have a reputation for achieving successful results and will provide comprehensive communications with clients on a real-time basis. I am very adept at navigating and influencing the legislative, budgetary, and regulatory processes, and I have the skills necessary to achieve success at any level of state government.
I graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Alaska in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. My wife and I live in Juneau with our two daughters. Together, we enjoy the great outdoors: hiking, camping, fishing, skiing, and traveling.
