Elizabeth Leoty Craddock

Elizabeth "Liz" Leoty Craddock is a government relations attorney in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C., office. She is a co-leader of the Public Policy & Regulation Group's Agriculture & Food Policy Team. Ms. Craddock draws on two decades of legislative and private sector experience to help corporations, industry organizations, trade groups and nonprofit entities work with elected and appointed officials to develop, negotiate and pass legislation critical to the success of the U.S. economy. Her areas of focus include energy, environment, natural resources, agriculture, climate change and trade policy, as well as social justice ethics, sanctions and governance issues.

Known for her bipartisanship, strategic thinking and ability to manage the practical aspects of the legislative process, Ms. Craddock has facilitated the enactment of hundreds of legislative bills. Among her many accomplishments, as staff director of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, she helped secure the bicameral passage of a package of 80-plus public lands bills that had been blocked by more than three Congresses and were successfully included as part of the National Defense Reauthorization Act of 2014. As legislative director and counsel to former Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), she played a key role in the passage of the bipartisan Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast Act (RESTORE Act) and, previously, the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA). These and other pieces of high-profile, high-impact legislation have directed billions of dollars to projects in Louisiana and other Gulf Coast states.

Ms. Craddock understands the complex – and often competing – political and business priorities of legislators, corporate leaders and other stakeholders, and helps her clients keep the end result in view, while managing the tactical steps necessary to achieve success. Throughout her career, she has interacted directly with Democratic and Republican Senate and House leadership, members of the Cabinet of the United States, White House officials and staff at every level, and senior executives from major national and international companies and trade groups. She understands the role and value of collaboration and compromise as the primary levers of policy and economic progress.

In addition, Ms. Craddock has extensive experience negotiating legislative language as well as procedural process agreements with legislative and committee staff, and the Senate and House at large. While on Capitol Hill and in private practice, she also spoke frequently before industry conferences, boards of directors and trade associations on a wide range of policy developments.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Ms. Craddock was a government relations attorney for a law firm in its Washington, D.C., office. She also previously ran the D.C. office of an international oil and gas industry association, where she created, developed and implemented the association's programs and strategies at the state and federal levels. She worked regularly with other relevant trade associations, companies and lobbyists to advocate on issues impacting members, and facilitated outreach on Capitol Hill and with federal agencies.

During law school, Ms. Craddock served as a student attorney. In addition, she was a legal fellow for the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Energy and Commerce. Prior to that, she worked as a legislative assistant for former Rep. Dale E. Kildee (D-Mich.), and as staff assistant for former Rep. Karen Thurman (D-Fla.)