Leadership

Background

A nationally recognized, award winning public affairs and government relations professional, Gibson McKay is a pre-eminent political strategist, campaign authority and government relations specialist. McKay has helped defend the Arizona cannabis industry from predatory & punitive legislation since 2017. He is working with some of his clients to develop a framework for Schedule VI that protects medical cannabis patients, adult consumers, & existing cannabis businesses.

McKay is a pragmatist who believes that the delicate cannabis ecosystems designed by the majority of American states are better being federally regulated with a few hundred words instead of hundreds of pages.

The architect of more than 150 successful initiatives, referendums and candidate campaigns at the state, local and national level, McKay achieves results by safely guiding his clients through treacherous political terrain.

Prior to launching Sherpa Public Affairs, he was a founding Director of Veridus, one of Arizona’s most prestigious government relations lobbying firms.

McKay aided Governor J. Fife Symington in establishing the Arizona Department of Gaming, acting as Communications Chief – he was pivotal in establishing Arizona’s Indian gaming compacts.

Shaping his philosophy, McKay cut his teeth working for Arizona’s senior statesman, former United States Senator John McCain. Shuttling between Arizona and Washington, D.C. for most of the ‘90s helped McKay understand the power structure inside the beltway. McKay served Senator McCain’s presidential bid as his “whip” during the Republican National Convention in 2008.

McKay helped lead the charge on the Right to Try legislation signed into law on May 30, 2018 by President Trump.

Right to Try Act

Right to Try opened a path for terminally ill patients who have exhausted their government-approved options and can’t get into a clinical trial to access treatments.

After 41 states had passed Right to Try laws, the signing of the bill in May 2018 was made the law of the land, creating a uniform system for terminal patients seeking access to investigational treatments.