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Troutman Sanders Public Affairs Group Adds Regulatory and Legislative Expert

Washington, D.C. - (Monday, June 9, 2008) - Troutman Sanders Public Affairs Group (TSPAG) is pleased to announce that Autumn Veazey has joined the firm’s Federal Affairs team in Washington as Manager. TSPAG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the international law firm, Troutman Sanders LLP.

"Autumn is a dynamic professional who will complement our strengths in agribusiness and natural resources and add immediate value to our entire practice. She gets it from a public policy and a political perspective -- and that's a real fit for our group's model of producing solutions for government and business," said Rob Leebern, head of Troutman Sanders Public Affairs Group’s Washington office.

Most recently, Veazey served for two years as Director of Legislative Affairs and Associate Counsel for the United Fresh Produce Association headquartered in Washington. As one of the largest agribusiness trade associations in D.C., United Fresh represents 1,200 member companies from all sectors of the produce industry, including fruit and vegetable growers, shippers, packers, wholesalers, brokers and retailers. Her work at United Fresh included negotiations on key specialty crop provisions in the 2008 Farm Bill and securing over $1.3 billion of mandatory federal funding for the produce industry. Veazey also gained in-depth experience, both legislative and regulatory, in priority areas such as immigration, nutrition, trade, country of origin labeling and food safety.

Veazey brings a litany of experience working with various congressional offices from around the country and with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL), among other federal agencies. She has held political positions with Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and the late Senator Paul Coverdell (RGA).

Veazey joins a team of senior lobbyists that include Rob Leebern, former Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA); John Freshman, a strategic government relations consultant, business leader, and legislative and regulatory advocate on environmental, natural resource and trade-related issues with previous work experience on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, The White House and the Environmental Protection Agency; Ben Noble, former trade association executive and policy advisor to U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Dale Bumpers (D-AR); and Patrick Anderson, former Legislative Assistant to former U.S.

Representative Henry Bonilla (R-TX) and aide to former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX). Veazey earned her Juris Doctor from The Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University and her Bachelor of Arts from Furman University.

About Troutman Sanders Public Affairs Group:
Troutman Sanders Public Affairs Group LLC (TSPAG) is a full-service government relations and issue management firm with offices in Richmond, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. The Group advocates its clients' public policy issues and needs at the federal, state and local levels.

About Troutman Sanders:
Troutman Sanders LLP, founded in 1897, is an international law firm with over 600 attorneys serving clients from offices in Atlanta, Hong Kong, London, New York, Newark, Norfolk, Raleigh, Richmond, Tysons Corner, Virginia Beach and Washington, D.C. The full-service firm provides advice and counsel in over 30 legal practice areas and is committed to delivering professional service throughout all its locations.