Meghan Pennington

Meghan advises clients on high-stakes public affairs challenges based on 15 years of working in government and the private sector. She draws on her experience in senior roles on Capitol Hill to help businesses and organizations communicate their values and priorities to the ever-changing stakeholder landscape.

At Penta, Meghan provided counsel to Fortune 100 companies, trade associations, and nonprofits as they navigate the intersection of government, politics, and business strategy. Prior to joining HPS, Meghan served in top communications roles on Capitol Hill for a decade. Most recently, Meghan was the communications director for U.S. Senator Tom Carper, a Democrat and ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Before joining Senator Carper’s staff, Meghan served as communications director for Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Prior to her time in the House of Representatives, she spent four years in the Senate working as press secretary for the late Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.), as well as deputy press secretary and press assistant for former Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D–Md.). Meghan also served as regional field director in Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley’s successful gubernatorial reelection in 2010.

A native of Hagerstown, Maryland, Meghan studied philosophy and political science at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she also served a term as the Student Government Association’s Vice President of Academic Affairs. She was also the founding chairperson of the Provost’s Student Advisory Council. Meghan lives in Washington, D.C., where she is president of the WGIRLS DC chapter, a charitable organization that brings together professional women to invest in and engage with underserved women and girls in the greater Washington area.