Lead all aspects of federal, state and local government affairs, grassroots advocacy, public affairs and industry reputation. Accountable for an expansive portfolio of NAMA strategies to ensure the convenience services industry is a recognized, valued, and essential resource to businesses and consumers.

Lead integrated communications and marketing. Accountable for brand- and executive-positioning, public affairs, issues management, third party engagement, and marketing. Built innovative and unconventional public affairs initiatives to address federal regulatory and state legislative issues related to trade and labor concerns for franchisors operating in more than 300 industries. Key Results: • Media/external relations strategy: Lead an aggressive earned media and external relations program with targeted strategies for national and state policy elites, DC influencers, and trade media. Garnered significant coverage including signed opinion pieces by the editorial boards of the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Bloomberg as well as dozens of original editorials and hundreds of interview placements. • Communication: Guided channel-based, partner-focused communication strategy to amplify IFA priorities. Lead communication strategy for IFA, the Coalition to Save Local Businesses, StopAB257 coalition and the Coalition to Save Local Restaurants. • Multi-state advocacy and issues management: Through an aggressive DC and district-based earned media and third-party engagement campaign, defeated the nomination of a key appointee in a Senate floor vote (the first time this has been done in 38 years). Garnered nearly one million voter signatures to stop implementation of California AB257 and begin the 2024 ballot measure/referendum process.• Brand positioning/public education: Direct Open for Opportunity campaign content to favorably position franchising as an equal opportunity catalyst for economic success. Campaign messaging increased franchising favorability by 18-points among the target audience. In 2022 and 2023, Open for Opportunity garnered 73 earned media mentions (25.5 million audience reach), engaged nearly 100 elected officials and 121 third-party groups with value of franchising messages.

Organization No. 2 directing all non-research-related activities including public affairs, communications and membership.Testimony: “Bill Meierling has helped UPS better understand and navigate activist pressure, shareholder and ESG issues in an increasingly complex environment. His awareness of the landscape and ability to generate positive outcomes under intense pressure is invaluable.” ~ Mike Kiely, President, UPS Global Government AffairsKey Results: • Fundraising through organization shift: Brought in $7.6M with new strategies to support legislator engagement, including custom legislator CRM tool used by 10% of all state legislators.• Media/external relations strategy: Served as spokesperson, ghost writer for 203 TV/radio interviews, 188 editorials, 1,652 positive media mentions in 2020-‘21; drove cumulative audience to 722.8M. Launched Across the States podcast, with 92 episodes to date and 178,896 subscribers. • Crisis management: Reversed corporate membership losses of 86 that began during previous administration and drove increases to net gain of 28 in 2013 with aggressive, transparent comms strategies.• Policy advances: Served as strategist for congressional testimony, federal investigations. Led engagement, advocacy, education for more than 900 pro-business policies; provided counsel to divisions of Fortune 500 member companies regarding state, federal advocacy. • Data strategy to boost membership: Implemented two database migrations resulting in connected operation that allowed access to user trend data. Systems included eight websites; legislator CRM; knowledge sharing portal; 16 channel-based communications; other features.• Public affairs pivot: Grew public affairs, media, membership teams from 0 to 9 FTES and 10 consultants by transitioning from think tank to member service association, from academic research strategy to external engagement, editorial, promotional strategy.

Public affairs and communications lead for the American Legislative Exchange Council--the largest nonpartisan membership organization of state elected officials.

Developed multicultural public relations and state government affairs curricula for nation’s top political management graduate program.Classes taught: State Government Affairs, Crisis and Issues Management, and Multicultural Marketing and Engagement

Served as first worldwide public relations lead for 41-country, 1,800-chapter organization ranked by Forbes as the 26th most valuable global brand. Key Results:* • Strategic growth: Supported China market entry strategy and brand adoption in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa. Provided counsel and strategic planning focused on growth of the charitable class in countries without strong history of philanthropy. Onboarded three new countries.• Disaster/crisis/issue management: Blazed pathway for 1,248 U.S. chapters to support victims by providing on-the-ground, real-time assessments of crises after a hurricane, a nuclear meltdown, the Newtown school massacre, and other largescale disasters and tragedies. • Communications, advocacy: Drove recruitment of 1M readers, tutors, mentors for innovative youth education program by leading communications for the NFL Play60 partnership (health and wellness) and the NFL. Led annual EITC-focused MyFreeTaxes.com program in partnership with Walmart, Bank of American and H&R Block.• Creative strategies: Designed preservation of charitable tax deduction in 2012 by orchestrating Congressional fly in with more than 300 nonprofit leaders from 60 NPOs landing in D.C. to advocate.*Results from entire tenure at United Way Worldwide.

Plan, implement and oversee United Way's international communications strategy among 500+ member organizations in 40+ countries.

Testimony: “Bill is one of the most talented and insightful people I have had the pleasure of working with. A true strategic thinker, he has the capacity to identify and leverage linkages that seem to escape others. Bill was, and is, always one of the ‘smartest people in the room.’ That is why it is no surprise that even the most senior leadership at Edelman sought out and acted on his counsel. He is also a real PR renaissance man, capable of doing it all, from developing strategy, to writing, to pitching, to managing both up and down. It does not hurt that he is also an affable, friendly and very professional in all of his interactions. ~ Amgad Naguib, Care International• Multicultural communications: For Walmart, developed diversity communications initiatives including incorporation of EEOC data and supplier diversity spending in Walmart annual reports and earnings statements. • Stakeholder outreach: Supported sustainability initiatives at Walmart with store design, packaging and transportation innovation and related communications to multicultural communities.• Policy & education: For Merck, developed and implemented trainings for Latino health care organizations in New York, Chicago, Oakland related to HPV-drug Gardasil, reproductive health. • National trainings: Led diversity and inclusion trainings for American Speech Language Hearing Association.• Federal influence: For the American Petroleum Institute, developed programs targeted at Washington, D.C. decision makers to highlight the diversity of the American petrochemical industry.

Founded international public relations and campaign consultancy focused on Latin-American and Sub-Saharan African issues. Clients included the ALN-PC Nicaragua, The Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Rwanda.

Exceeded monthly budgeted advertising sales goals of $100K-$200K for entire tenure by remaining abreast of client issues, political dynamics, to favorably position client messages with D.C influencers.

Trained more than 2,500 candidates for public office and grassroots activists at 55 training academies in 18 states to pursue a pro-business public policy agenda.