Bob Van Heuvelen is a Principal at the Vogel Group.
Bob Van Heuvelen joined the Vogel Group after serving as CEO of VH Strategies which he founded in 2007, following a distinguished 32-year career in the federal government. For the past 14 years, he has achieved positive client outcomes on a wide array of issues. These outcomes have included obtaining federal funding, tax incentives and tax relief, regulatory victories, and targeted legislation to meet our clients’ policy objectives. Bob, who has been consistently recognized as a “Top Lobbyist” by The Hill, built VH Strategies into a highly regarded firm that represents clients in the energy and environment, trade, healthcare, and financial services sectors.
Prior to founding VH Strategies, Bob served as Chief of Staff to former Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) from 1997 to 2007. As Chief of Staff, he managed Senator Conrad’s policy and political operations, working with Members of Congress and their staff on both sides of the political aisle. He also advised Senator Conrad in his capacities as Chairman and a ranking member of the Budget Committee, as a ranking member of the powerful Finance Committee, and as a senior member of the Agriculture Committee. Bob has a well-earned reputation for integrity, as well as collegial bipartisanship. He helped form the Bipartisan U.S. Senate Chiefs of Staff organization, a group dedicated to combating political polarization with pragmatic deal-making.
Early in his career, Bob was Counsel to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. As Counsel, he helped conduct oversight of and write amendments to the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA” or “Superfund”).
In between stints in the Senate, Bob was the Director of Civil Enforcement at the EPA from 1991 to 1997, earning the EPA Gold Medal for his work restructuring the agency’s Enforcement Program. Before his work at EPA, Bob was a federal prosecutor, serving as a federal prosecutor, trial lawyer, Deputy Chief, and Acting Chief of the Environmental Enforcement Section at the Department of Justice, which was then the largest litigating section in the Department. In recognition of his service there, the Attorney General recognized Bob, presenting him with the “John Marshall Award,” the highest award given to career prosecutors. Bob also served six years as a member and Chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Steering Committee of the D.C. Bar. After establishing VH Strategies, Bob led the “Green Lobbyists” group during consideration of climate change legislation. This group functioned as an informal network for both information sharing and political action at the time that cap-and-trade legislation was under active consideration in Congress.
Climate
Energy
ESG
Federal Appropriations
Financial Services
Trade
The Hill’s Top Lobbyists2021, 2022