Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Emily Pappas

No. 77

Pappas’s business partner Erin Niemela has been on this list for years, but for some inexplicable reason we have not deigned to have Emily here as well. Full disclosure – we did include her in a list of top lobbyists a dozen years ago but we apparently lost the plot from there. What the hell were we thinking? For two decades now Pappas has been making herself into one of the best contract lobbyists around, with widely respected expertise in everything from pharmaceuticals to energy. We’ve already rattled off their impressive client list so let’s remind everyone that Pappas has worked in the White House, the U.S. Embassy in Paris, the California Senate and the governor’s office. She is known for her ability to work well with all parties and somehow manages to keep a positive and caring attitude in the process. That is unto itself pretty noteworthy, though we’ve heard she also has a backbone of steel. Pappas was also previously a partner at Lehman, Levi, Pappas & Sadler before starting Niemela Pappas & Associates in 2014.