Who We Are

Ken Burnette

Travis Smith

A founding partner at LINK, Travis Smith helps to oversee the firm’s operations, while also guiding clients as they navigate the political landscape. 

Travis has worked with small businesses and Fortune 500 companies in the fields of technology, finance, real estate, energy, healthcare, gaming and engineering. He has nearly two decades of experience in government, campaigns, as well as corporate and political messaging. At LINK, Travis leads issue advocacy campaigns as chief strategist and guides the research and development of messaging all the way through implementation. Working closely with our clients, Travis takes complex problems and devises outside-the-box solutions.

He has successfully managed some of the most difficult and expensive U.S. House and Senate races in the country. After a hard-fought victory in 2010, Travis served as Chief of Staff to Rep. Kevin Yoder in Congress. From there he went back into the private sector to apply his knowledge and expertise helping corporate communication teams distill and convey complex messages to their target audiences. 

Travis owns and operates a number of businesses in the corporate and political space, including the political research and polling firm co/efficient he co-founded in 2019. This nationally-recognized firm was chosen as the research partner for a joint effort between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services to assess attitudes around the COVID-19 pandemic.

A San Francisco Bay Area native, Travis now lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife Kristin and their four children.

Dave Abrams

Abigail Barden

Abigail Barden graduated in 2024 from James Madison University with an undergraduate degree in political science. While a full-time student, she held roles as a Data Course Developer and Research Assistant at the American Political Reform & Innovation Lab and served as the Legislative Review Data Analyst for the Virginia Department of Health. A Richmond native, Abigail continues to reside in her hometown, where she is a Senior Project Manager at LINK, specializing in creating and executing strategic public affairs plans and campaigns.

Robert Barlow

Whitney Billings

Whitney Billings has years of freelance and in-house graphic design experience. At LINK, she creates visually persuasive direct mail on behalf of our clients. She graduated from Liberty University in Virginia where she received her degree in Studio and Digital Arts: Graphic Design. Born and raised in Maine, Whitney now resides in Georgia with her husband.

Morgan Brooks

Ron Butler

Ron Butler has over 30 years of experience in political and public affairs campaigns. At LINK, Ron develops and oversees comprehensive public affairs strategies.

Ron is the co-founder of Creative Direct, a LINK-affiliated company. Since forming Creative Direct in 1997, Ron Butler has grown the business from a small regional player to one of the largest and most successful voter contact firms in the nation, with clients from Maine to Hawaii. Under Ron’s leadership, Creative Direct played a pivotal role in U.S. Senate, Gubernatorial, and Congressional races across the country. Prior to forming Creative Direct, Ron managed many successful campaigns for local and statewide office.

Ron resides in the greater Ft. Lauderdale area with his wife, Elizabeth, and their two children.

Rachel Clawson

As Art Director at LINK, Rachel Clawson manages the design team and oversees the entire creative process. She has several years of professional design experience and serves as our in-house photographer.

Working closely with copywriters, Rachel works through the entire creative process from formulating ideas, design concepts, and copy to produce eye-catching designs that effectively communicate our clients’ message. She has overseen thousands of projects for clients across the country, including direct mail, websites, branding, video production, collateral, and digital media.

Prior to joining LINK, Rachel ran her own full-time graphic design and social media management company. Rachel has years of experience managing social media engagement for accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers, developing websites, and creating graphics for social causes and campaigns.

A native of Pennsylvania, Rachel joined LINK in 2020. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Studio and Digital Art from Liberty University and now resides in Virginia with her husband.

Dean Goodson

Dean Goodson has over 12 years of Virginia government and political experience. He has worked on two statewide campaigns, served as senior staff for three members of House leadership, including two Virginia House Speakers, and represented homebuilders and developers before local governments and the General Assembly.

Dean was responsible for overseeing the House Republican Campaign Committee’s operation in 2021 and 2023. His efforts helped Republicans successfully reclaim the House Majority in 2021. In 2022, he joined Speaker C. Todd Gilbert’s office where he served as Chief of Staff. Dean brings extensive legislative experience that allows him to assist those looking to navigate the Legislative and Executive branches.

A Charlottesville native, Dean now lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife Jesica and their two daughters.

CJ Grover

CJ Grover manages some of LINK’s most high-profile clients, including running the Scoop & Score effort to pass legislation to help lure the Kansas City Chiefs to a new stadium on the Kansas side of the state line.

CJ resides in Overland Park, Kansas with his wife and their three children. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and Juris Doctor from the University of Kansas.

Jacob Hawkins

Jacob Hawkins is an ultra-competitive digital operative with over a decade of experience strategizing and executing award-winning political and public affairs campaigns. He currently serves as President of Digital at LINK Public Affairs. His experience includes consulting on presidential and statewide campaigns, the highest-spending ballot initiatives in history, and leading the launch of a $300MM+ education foundation as its first Executive Director. He can build a digital program from the ground up: from identifying and acquiring target audiences, to developing software platforms and websites, to designing and placing advertisements.

Jacob is a graduate of Georgia College. He resides in Atlanta with his wife Lenze.

Elisabeth Martin

As Project Manager, Elisabeth Martin supports LINK’s senior partners and executes strategic public affairs campaigns with a focus on LINK’s Georgia clients. A graduate from the University of West Georgia, Elisabeth holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications with a concentration in Public Relations. Elisabeth has served in multiple executive board positions within the university’s Public Relations Student Society of America chapter, to which she credits her skills of professionalism and leadership. She also was an active member of Bluestone: a student-led public relations firm through which she would lead on creativity and client engagement. 

A proud Georgia native, Elisabeth currently resides in Smyrna with her husband.

Justin Roth

Justin Roth is a seasoned political and policy professional with expertise in legislative strategies, critical domestic policy matters, and foreign affairs. He has more than two decades of experience in government affairs and lobbying for multiple trade organizations. Most recently, he served as Chief of Staff for three prominent United States Congressmen and a U.S. Senator, including former Senator Martha McSally, and former Congressman Ron DeSantis.

Throughout his tenure, Justin has leveraged his experience in public policy and communications to advise representatives and shepherd major legislative victories. He has overseen virtually every aspect of the legislative and policy process, with expertise in the areas of financial services, foreign affairs, and press and legislative operations. During his time as a Chief of Staff, he also oversaw the political operations of each Member he served.

Justin has also utilized his legislative and policy background to advance the mutual interests of organizational partners such as the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) and the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America. During this time, he served as a leading government affairs professional, running federal lobbying efforts, providing strategic planning, and representing members on all federal legislative and regulatory issues. 

Justin graduated with his Master of Science in History of International Relations from The London School of Economics. He also holds his Bachelor of Science degree from Florida State University, where he currently serves as a University Trustee, with a double major in Political Science and History.  He splits his time between Northern Virginia and Florida with his wife Jill and their two boys.

Chris Rubel

Parker Slaybaugh

Parker Slaybaugh is Vice President at LINK Public Affairs, where he leads public affairs campaigns for companies, developers, trade associations, and advocacy organizations facing complex political, policy, and reputational challenges. With nearly 15 years of experience spanning government, lobbying, strategic communications, and broadcast journalism, Parker helps clients navigate the intersection of policy, politics, media, and public opinion.

Parker is a nationally recognized leading voice in data center public affairs and community engagement. He has spoken at corporate events and industry conferences across the country about the importance of engaging communities early, building trust before opposition takes hold, and treating public acceptance as a central component of project development. He advises data center developers, operators, end users, and industry organizations on policy strategy, project approvals, stakeholder engagement, and reputation management, and has helped lead campaigns for projects in multiple states.

His land-use experience extends beyond data centers to energy generation, industrial developments, and other major rezoning and economic development projects. Parker specializes in politically sensitive proposals that require local government approval and may face organized opposition. His work combines research, stakeholder engagement, grassroots advocacy, coalition development, paid media, and strategic communications to build support and advance projects through challenging approval processes.

Parker also leads legislative and issue-based campaigns involving gaming, taxation, economic development, and other high-profile policy matters. He has extensive referendum experience, having worked to support and oppose multimillion-dollar statewide and local referendums involving gaming and other consequential public issues.

Before joining LINK, Parker served as Chief Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry in Governor Glenn Youngkin’s administration, where he helped advance policy initiatives, economic development, business recruitment, regulatory reform, and industry engagement. He previously worked as a lobbyist and helped establish a statewide trade association representing many of the nation’s largest grocery retailers, including several Fortune 100 companies.

Parker began his career as a television reporter and anchor in Richmond, Virginia. His work earned a regional Emmy Award, an Edward R. Murrow Award, and multiple Associated Press honors. He lives in Richmond with his wife, Madelaine, and their daughter, Margaux.

Taryn Spencer

As Digital Associate at LINK, Taryn Spencer coordinates and manages digital campaigns and assists with targeting, placements, and reporting. Taryn graduated from Liberty University in 2023 with a Bachelor’s degree in Strategic Communication. In May of 2025, she completed her Master’s in Business in Branding Strategy at the VCU Brandcenter. While pursuing her studies, Taryn has developed a strong foundation in strategic thinking, brand development, and audience insights. She currently resides in Richmond, VA.

Jay Walker

Jay Walker is a 20-year veterans of Georgia politics and public affairs. Jay most recently served as Senior Political Advisor to Governor Brian Kemp’s successful 2022 re-election campaign.  Throughout his career, Jay has worked to elect Congressmen Drew Ferguson, Barry Loudermilk, and Rick Allen and served as an advisor to Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. Jay was the Chief of Staff to Speaker of the Georgia House Glenn Richardson and Executive Director of the Georgia House Republican Caucus from 2019 to 2020.

At LINK, Jay will develop and oversee comprehensive public affairs strategies and provide strategic advice to corporate clients on public affairs matters with a heavy focus on Georgia companies. Jay will continue his political practice, including advising Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, with Creative Direct, a LINK-affiliated company.

A proud graduate of the University of Georgia, Jay currently resides in Perry, GA with his three daughters. Jay services LINK clients out of the Atlanta office.