JAMES "J.D." DERDERIAN
Founding Partner
Mr. Derderian brings nearly 25 years of experience working with Congressional and White House leadership both on and off Capitol Hill to his work on behalf of his clients.
As the founder and managing partner of the Stanton Park Group, Mr. Derderian leads a bipartisan team of experienced professionals in the development and execution of legislative strategies tailored to meet our clients’ needs. With issue expertise in healthcare, energy, technology, and telecommunications, Mr. Derderian is an experienced advocate with a long record of success counseling and representing the firm’s clients before Congress and the Administration.
Prior to founding the Stanton Park Group, Mr. Derderian was a partner at The Cormac Group, a Washington, DC-based federal affairs group that represented a wide range of interests, including AmericaWest Airlines, the NFL and TimeWarner Telecommunications.
Mr. Derderian draws on his years of legislative experience to provide insights and strategic counsel to his clients. As Chief of Staff to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Mr. Derderian served as the
principal strategist and advisor to the Committee with jurisdiction over a wide array of economy drivers – healthcare, technology, energy, and finance. Mr. Derderian successfully guided passage of historic legislation such as the Food and Drug Administration Modernization, the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, and the Telecommunications Reform of 1996. In addition, he led the oversight of the many agencies and departments under the Committee’s purview such as the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Commerce, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Food and Drug Administration.
In his capacity as Chief of Staff, he guided strategies establishing the Committee’s wide jurisdiction and built consensus through communications campaigns with national and regional media. Management successes include recruiting and managing a diverse staff of 70 professionals and oversight of an annual budget of $8 million. Mr. Derderian was also the principal liaison to the House Republican Leadership for the House Committee on Commerce. As a member of the House Republican Leadership staff, Mr. Derderian regularly collaborated with his counterparts on the Senate HELP, Commerce and Finance Committees. He was named to Roll Call’s “Fabulous Fifty” list of most influential Congressional players (1996-2000).
Mr. Derderian also served as the Director for Policy at the Department of Commerce for the Bush-Cheney Transition Team in 2001. In addition, Mr. Derderian’s legislative experience includes positions as the Legislative and Policy Director for Congressman Tom Bliley; service under Virginia Governor James Gilmore on the Commission on Information Technology; and a role as Chief Advisor to the National Republican Committee’s Platform Subcommittee on Technology and the Economy. Mr. Derderian began his professional career as a legislative assistant to the Senate Republican leader in the Virginia General Assembly.
Mr. Derderian graduated cum laude with a B.A. from the University of Richmond.