In his work as a Senior Strategic Advisor to McAllister & Quinn, Shay consults and provides government relations assistance to research intensive (R1) higher education institutions. Shay brings to his work decades of experience working with the United States Congress and in leadership positions at leading R1 institutions.
Shay served as the Associate Vice President for Federal Relations at the University of Arizona as the primary advocate and lobbyist from 2006-2016 and was subsequently the Associate Vice President for National Policy at Arizona State University from 2017 to 2019. Shay is recognized for his unique, innovative approaches to federal agency and Congressional engagement and success on authorizations and appropriations, including projects valued at tens of millions of dollars. Shay has innovated engagements with Congressional delegations to develop and generate support for R1 institutions’ research portfolios. Examples from his time at the University of Arizona include developing and placing unique displays focusing on research strengths in space sciences, optics, and agriculture in every AZ Congressional office in DC which support the University in capturing more than $50 million in earmark revenue in the last cycle prior to the earmark ban in 2011. He also led early work for the University to establish its Defense Institute, a unique function for a federal relations leader.
At Arizona State University, Shay created the nation’s only (and ongoing) annual Congressional Conference on topics ranging from cybersecurity to space research. This conference directly engaged members of Congress on issues related to top priorities of the University. The first conference in 2017 featured Senator McCain’s last public address and 6 other Members of Congress chairing panels related to cybersecurity, and the next in 2018 on space innovation, featured the NASA Administrator, resulting in the ASU president speaking on innovation to the assembled top 50 NASA officials with a focus on ASU’s research priorities in space.
Prior to joining the University of Arizona in 2006, Mr. Stautz was Vice President for Technology Programs at Collins & Company, an appropriations lobbying firm in Washington DC, where he spent 8 years specializing in higher education, national security, and technology issues.
He also worked previously in Washington DC for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and for Georgetown University as a non-teaching academic, and for Senator Robert Kasten (R-WI) and Representative Mo Udall (D-AZ).
From July 2019-April 2020 he was a Republican congressional candidate for Arizona CD 2 before withdrawing due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Notable Publications:
- American Power and the Defense of Taiwan (with former US Rep. Matt Salmon) Mar 2023) by the Foreign Policy Research Institute.
- China’s 5G Challenge to the US (Nov 2020)by the Foreign Policy Research Institute.
- China is Ready for a Space War (July 2020) in the National Interest.