James Sonne first came to the Bryce Harlow Foundation as a Fellow in 2006. He served on the BHF Alumni Advisory board for several years, and now, nearly twenty years later, he returns as a member of the Foundation’s Board of Governors.
At the time of his Fellowship, James was working on Capitol Hill while attending graduate school, and he vividly recalls the impact the program had on him. “While I appreciated the financial support, what made the difference was the mentorship from the Foundation board,” James said. “Their openness and willingness to engage made a lasting impression.”
After law school, James began his career in corporate law in New York but quickly realized he wanted to work closer to policy. “With the help of connections and friendship I made during his time as a Fellow, I was able to make introductions that eventually helped me shift my direction” James said. “Returning to the Foundation allows me to help rising advocates in their careers the same way others helped me.”
Today, as Vice President and Head of Government Affairs at PGIM, James brings experience from government, private practice, trade associations and in-house leadership roles. He views the evolution of advocacy through a broad lens. “While the mechanics of advocacy and communications tools have changed, the fundamentals have not,” James said. “Substance still matters. Time with decision-makers is limited. The ability to explain an issue clearly and usefully remains what makes someone effective.”
At the same time, James acknowledges that expectations for advocates have increased, particularly as regulators play a more central role and policy discussions require a higher level of technical understanding. “The work demands more than prepared lines,” James said. “It requires real fluency in the issues and the ability to engage at depth.”
His advice to Fellows is simple: stay open. There are many paths into the government advocacy profession. and there are many ways to build a career that adds value by drawing on a combination of legal, policy, communications and strategic skills.
James looks forward to his role on the Board as an opportunity to help Fellows navigate these shifts and support a profession that matters, perhaps more than ever, in helping shape public policy.
