(March 15) — ERG Partners today announced that Nicole Wilbourn and Nick Wachinski, two highly skilled and experienced state government relations and public affairs professionals, have accepted the Harrisburg-based public affairs firm’s invitation to become partners.
Nicole Wilbourn comes to ERG Partners as Partner and Vice President of Legislative Affairs. With fourteen years of experience in both public and private government sectors, she served more than a decade in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, guiding policy and drafting legislation most notably as Senior Research Analyst for the PA House Insurance Committee. She became Senior Government Affairs Representative for Highmark, Inc. and its subsidiaries in Pennsylvania and three other states after leaving the House. Most recently Wilbourn worked as a lobbyist and government relations consultant for Bigley & Blikle, focusing on health care, pharmaceutical and insurance issues.
Nicholas J. Wachinski joins ERG as Partner. He will become Vice President and General Counsel. As an attorney, he has more than 15 years of experience representing clients in private sector legislative, regulatory and legal matters as Executive Director of a national trade association and in the c-suite level in private industry. He has worked on legislative, regulatory and policy issues in 40 states and Congress, and has led large coalitions in complex legislative projects. For the last seven years Wachinski has worked in Pennsylvania with a Harrisburg government relations firm, successfully leading coalitions and securing passage of two major legislative initiatives that reformed judicial processes and patient care.
ERG Partners President John Nikoloff said, “Nicole and Nick bring a combined wealth of experience, relationships and successes in public affairs, public relations and government relations. I could not be more pleased that they accepted my invitation to become partners and expand our ability to serve business, corporate and association clients, in all sectors of the economy.”
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