Please join us in welcoming our
Domestic Policy Panelists to Duke Sanford and Durham, NC!
Paul Brathwaite
Chief Strategist – Federal Street Strategies
Paul brings over two decades of government experience to clients in the financial services, health care, agriculture, media and telecommunications, and the education and non-profit fields.
Prior to joining the private sector, Paul spent six years as Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus, was a Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Labor, and started his career in the General Counsel’s Honors Program at the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Paul has received numerous awards, including the Washington Government Relations Group “Lobbyist of the Year” award, The Hill’s “Top Lobbyists” list for eight years running, and he was selected numerous times to Roll Call’s “Fabulous Fifty” staffers on Capitol Hill.
William “Mo” Cowan
Chief Legal and External Affairs Officer for Devoted Health
Senator William “Mo” Cowan (retired) is the Chief Legal and External Affairs Officer for Devoted Health. A member of Devoted Health’s executive leadership team, Mo is responsible for all legal, corporate governance, regulatory, and public affairs functions for this next-generation, tech-enabled, all-in-one healthcare company.
Before joining Devoted Health, Mo led global government affairs and global litigation for General Electric. Earlier in his career, Mo was a partner at a major law firm and was President and CEO of a national government affairs consulting group.
In 2013, Mo served as the interim U.S. Senator for Massachusetts, sitting on the Agriculture, Commerce, and Small Business committees. From 2009-2013, Mo held senior leadership roles in the administration of Governor Deval Patrick, including Chief of Staff.
Mo is chair of the board for MassChallenge, a global startup accelerator connecting entrepreneurs, innovators, and varied stakeholders to transform businesses and economies. Mo also serves on governance and advisory boards for the Massachusetts General Hospital, Duke University, Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, Keep Our Republic, Eastern Bank Corporation, Stackwell Capital, Mass General Brigham, and UMass Global.
Mo is also a founding member of the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund.
Mo is a graduate of Duke University and Northeastern University School of Law. He holds honorary degrees from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, Bridgewater State College, and Newbury College.
Senator Natalie Murdock
NC General Assembly
As a native North Carolinian, UNC alum, and local elected official, Natalie has spent a lifetime learning about the strengths and challenges of North Carolina. With over a decade of work experience in transportation, economic development and government affairs, Natalie entered the public realm as a locally elected official. The daughter of a veteran and a social worker, and the granddaughter of a civil rights activist, she has committed her life to public service. Now, she is the NC State Senator for District 20, which encompasses Durham and Chatham County, following an appointment from Governor Cooper in April 2020. She is the first woman of color under 40 to be elected to the NCGA and was elected in 2020 earning over 100 thousand votes. She is dedicated to pursuing a progressive agenda that will transform the lives of hardworking North Carolinians. She hit the ground running as a freshman senator, filing over 100 bills that range from supporting black maternal health, expanding healthcare access for ALL to providing greater access to the ballot.
Senator Murdock has over 10 years of experience in government affairs, transportation, agriculture, environmental affairs, and economic development. She has served in a multitude of positions within North Carolina government, with her most recent roles serving as Deputy Director of Communication for the NC Department of Justice and African-American Coalitions Manager on the NC Biden-Harris 2020 campaign.
Senator Murdock was featured in Essence Magazine for her bold leadership in black maternal health policy. A self-proclaimed lifelong environmentalist, she was awarded with the Green Tie award in 2021 for her voting rights and environmental advocacy in the NC General Assembly. She also earned the Environmental Activism Award from the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL) in 2022. A tireless public transportation advocate, the NC Public Transportation Association honored Senator Murdock with a Transit Advocate Award in 2022. She currently serves on a task force to examine the future of public health, and was a NC Institute of Medicine Legislative Fellow and is an Unum Environmental Justice Fellow. She was appointed to the Performance Management Advisory Committee and the North Carolina Interagency Council for Coordinating Homeless Programs by Governor Roy Cooper. Senator Murdock also serves as the Southern Region Coordinator for NOBEL Women, the premier national organization for black female legislators and was awarded with their Spark Award in 2023.
A lifelong fighter for voting rights, Senator Murdock traveled to Washington, DC with dozens of legislators from around the county to advocate for national voting rights protections and was selected to participate in a southern cohort of legislators that pledged to fight against voter suppression in the south. In 2023 she was invited to the White House to participate in a national legislative roundtable on abortion rights and access.
Murdock is the principal and owner of Murdock Anderson Consulting, where she shapes the brand identity of companies and nonprofits, most notably, she managed the NC Freedom Park Project, the first African-American Park in the heart of North Carolina’s capital and designed by world-renowned Architect Phil Freelon. She currently serves as the LEAD 2030 Director for Women’s Democracy Lab (WDL), providing financial security to women of color serving in state legislatures, so that they can continue to serve.
Senator Murdock is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, serving on the UNC-Chapel Hill Institute for the Environment Board and Sustainability Council. She is also a graduate of Yale Campaign School and a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc
Lindsay Robinson
Senior Director of State Policy and Government Affairs at GE HealthCare
Lindsay Robinson brings years of corporate and non-profit healthcare policy experience to state strategy and advocacy work. Currently, Lindsay serves as the Senior Director of State Policy and Government Affairs at GE HealthCare. In this role, Lindsay develops and implements strategies to promote GE HealthCare’s priorities through engagement with state governments. This includes spearheading coordination among business and operational leadership on state-level issues.
Prior to her time at GE HealthCare, Lindsay was the Director of State Strategy and Advocacy for Planned Parenthood Federation of America. At the federation, she was responsible for shaping reproductive health policy at the state and federal levels. She also led efforts in developing robust state plans in response to the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision. Lindsay has also previously served as North Carolina Director of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and Medicare Business Segment Advisor for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.
She earned a BA from Cornell University and a Master of Public Policy from Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy. Currently, Lindsay lives in Charlotte with her husband, former State Representative Chaz Beasley, and their two dogs, Kennedy and Dexter.