FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2015
Media Contact:
Kristen Thomaselli, 202-602-1854
Derrick White Joins Forbes-Tate As Senior Vice President
Health Care Lobbying Veteran and Former Top Republican Senate Aide Latest Addition to Growing, Bipartisan Government Affairs Team
WASHINGTON, DC – Forbes-Tate Founding Partners Jeff Forbes and Dan Tate announced today that Derrick White, a seasoned political veteran and respected government affairs professional in the pharmaceutical and health care sector, is joining the bipartisan Washington government affairs firm on October 1st as Senior Vice President.
White served on the state, DC and Judiciary Committee staffs of United States Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), current Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and Senate Judiciary Committees. While with Chairman Hatch from 1996 to 2001, Mr. White covered healthcare and trade issues, and also served as Deputy Communications Director.
White comes to FT from the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), where he was a lead Republican lobbyist. Prior to his three years with BIO, White worked for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) for eight years. At BIO, White played a central role in the group’s engagement on the Prescription Drug User Fee Act reauthorization (PDUFA V) via the Food and Drug Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA), the Drug Quality and Security Act, patent reform, the 340B Drug Pricing Program, and vaccines. White was also engaged in BIO’s efforts on the Senate HELP Committee’s forthcoming Innovation for Healthier Americans legislation.
Over the course of his roughly 20 years in politics and government relations, White has also been active in the Republican Party and campaign efforts. He worked on Senator Hatch’s last three campaigns and participated in various capacities, including through the NRSC Special Teams program, in Senate races for Senators Thune (2004), Burns (2006) and Toomey (2010).
“As we continue to expand our policy and political reach to benefit our clients, we are looking for professionals who can build on FT’s success of finding compromise and solutions in the political center. Derrick has the relationships, technical knowledge, and wisdom to help our clients succeed and we’re thrilled to have him on the team,” said Founding Partner Dan Tate.
“This firm has thick roots in the health care and pharmaceutical sectors and Derrick’s addition to our team immediately boosts our reach and capabilities for our clients,” said Founding Partner Jeff Forbes.
“Forbes-Tate has established a rock solid reputation in Washington and beyond for providing the highest quality bipartisan lobbying services while being an exciting place to work. Their success comes not just from their talented team, it comes from the unusually good collaborative chemistry the FT team has. I’m very proud to join their ranks,” White said.