ITI Adds Hill Veterans to Government Affairs Team
WASHINGTON – Today, ITI announced that Noah Barger and Stephanie Mertz Patel will join the tech trade association’s government affairs team. Barger and Patel bring years of Capitol Hill experience to their new roles as Directors of Government Affairs on a team that advocates for policies that promote innovation and growth for the tech industry.
The addition of these two Hill professionals will reinforce ITI’s capacity to drive pressing policy conversations on Capitol Hill on issues including AI, energy, trade, cybersecurity, economic security, supply chain, high-skilled immigration, and workforce policy.
“I am thrilled to welcome Noah and Stephanie to ITI’s growing government affairs team. After our expansion into state legislative work at the start of the year, it was time to reinforce our resources on the Hill, and we’re fortunate to have them join us at a time when technology policy is top of mind across all corners of U.S. government,” said ITI Executive Vice President of Government Affairs Julia Massimino. “Their policy, advocacy, and coalition building experience will be an asset to ensure the world’s most innovative companies are able to thrive and navigate the complex digital policy landscape.”
Before joining ITI, Barger served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to Chairman Mike Bost. In that role, he directed the legislative team for Rep. Bost, with a particular focus on trade and transportation policy. He also led work on trade and tariff matters for the Congressional Steel Caucus during Rep. Bost’s tenure as co-chair. In addition, Barger helped advance Chairman Bost’s legislative agenda before the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and advised him on issues affecting the Republican Conference. Prior to working for Rep. Bost, Barger spent two years with Rep. Robert Dold, focusing on issues before the House Ways and Means Committee.
Prior to joining ITI, Mertz Patel served as a Professional Staff Member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation under Chairman Ted Cruz. During her tenure, she worked on issues including tech, content moderation, manufacturing, and cybersecurity, and was successful in spearheading passage of several pieces of bipartisan legislation. Earlier in her career, Stephanie worked for Senator Cynthia Lummis, where she worked in several policy areas including commerce, technology, foreign affairs, and education policy. She began her career working for Senator Rob Portman.