Firm News

Steve Tugend, chair of Kegler Brown’s Government Affairs practice, has been chosen as a member of the bipartisan Speaker’s Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) and Military Affairs Task Force.

Chosen by task force chair State Rep. Rick Perales (R-Beavercreek), Tugend will serve alongside several other Ohio representatives, regional chamber leaders and directors from higher education and research institutions.

"I am excited about the depth, breadth and diversity these accomplished individuals bring to our task force,” Perales said in a press release. “Along with Speaker Rosenberger, I want to thank them for volunteering to help Ohio proactively prepare our DOD and NASA installations for an inevitable BRAC and/or DOD restructuring. I look forward to kicking off this task force with visits to Ohio’s major installations this fall."

The BRAC and Military Affairs Task Force was announced earlier this year by Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger (R-Clarksville), with the purpose of studying and analyzing Ohio’s military installations, assets and resources, in search of realignment opportunities. Meeting throughout the fall at different military institutions around the state, the task force will incorporate input from each installation’s leadership and local community in order to create a report with recommendations for future restructuring.

Tugend is a 24-year veteran of legal, legislative and political matters, which includes a focus on Ohio’s military installations. In 2004, he led the Columbus region’s effort to advocate for its defense employers during that year’s BRAC process, which ultimately resulted in the growth of more than 2,000 jobs. He currently administers the Central Ohio Defense Group, an initiative of Columbus 2020 that convenes public and private sector leaders to strategize on ways to further grow the presence of defense employers in the region. He has been a panelist at The Ohio Defense Forum, speaking on the importance of community leaders in the support of Ohio’s military bases, and has accompanied a team of community leaders to Washington, D.C., to advocate the expansion of a military base.