Dimitrios J. Karakitsos

Dimitrios Karakitsos is a Washington, D.C., public policy attorney who focuses on developing legislative and executive branch strategies around complex policy matters. He is a co-leader of the Public Policy & Regulation Group's Environment Team. He serves as the firm's senior Senate Republican political liaison, coordinating on behalf of clients with GOP leadership, committee chairmen and members of the Senate Republican conference on issues critical to the firm’s clients.

Mr. Karakitsos has successfully worked with numerous clients on Capitol Hill and within the executive branch on issues ranging from energy and environment to trade and international treaties. He has engaged with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and senior White House officials in multiple administrations to successfully negotiate and advance high-stakes and complex policy outcomes for clients. He has advocated on behalf of companies on a litany of energy and environment related legislation, federal infrastructure bills, appropriations, tax reform proposals, as well as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) reauthorization process. He has extensive experience in the manufacturing, chemical, oil and gas, renewable energy and coal sectors and has assisted a variety of stakeholders to navigate new regulatory requirements, congressional investigations and the ever-changing political landscapes.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Karakitsos served as Republican senior counsel on the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. He was the principal Senate drafter and negotiator of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, a bipartisan effort to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the first major environmental legislation signed into law since 1990.

In addition, Mr. Karakitsos participated in the development and passage of a major infrastructure law, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), serving as lead Senate negotiator on environmental streamlining and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reform. He also worked on legislation related to the energy industry, including hydraulic fracturing, and was a lead negotiator of the Chemical Safety and Drinking Water Protection Act. Along with his legislative work, Mr. Karakitsos staffed and organized countless congressional hearings and participated in numerous congressional oversight and investigative initiatives.