Transportation Meets Environmental Policy in Strategic NJ Partnership

Two New Jersey-based public affairs firms—one rooted in transportation and infrastructure, the other in environmental and energy advocacy—have announced a strategic partnership. The collaboration marks a deliberate step toward integrating two fields that have long operated in parallel, but increasingly share a common path. Hawk Strategies, led by former transportation officials Anthony Attanasio and John Case, brings decades of experience in project delivery, construction policy, and government operations. TWENTYTWENTY Public Affairs, guided by environmental leaders Stacy McCormack and Debbie Mans, offers deep expertise in environmental regulation, permitting, and clean energy policy. Together, the firms aim to bridge the space where infrastructure ambitions meet environmental realities. Attanasio sees the partnership as a response to a changing landscape—one where success in infrastructure increasingly depends on environmental fluency. “We’re strengthening our ability to deliver strategic, results-driven advocacy rooted in both transportation and environmental policy,” he said. “Their insight into regulatory affairs and their strong reputation at NJDEP make them an ideal partner as we help clients overcome permitting challenges and advance meaningful projects.” McCormack echoed the sentiment, emphasizing that infrastructure and environmental goals are no longer separate conversations. “This allows us to expand our reach and bring even more value to clients working at the intersection of infrastructure, environmental regulation, and public policy,” she said. The collaboration pairs two sides of the same challenge. On one side: highway expansions, utility corridors, transit systems, and water infrastructure—all requiring speed, compliance, and public support. On the other: environmental safeguards, emissions targets, permitting hurdles, and community concerns—all demanding patience, nuance, and expertise. In recent years, both fields have had to adapt. Federal and state infrastructure funding has grown, but so too have environmental requirements. Projects now face intense scrutiny, from wetlands disruption and endangered species protections to climate resilience and carbon reduction mandates. For developers and governments alike, the gap between planning and execution has never been more complex. Attanasio, a former assistant commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation, and Case, a former chief of staff at the agency, bring institutional knowledge of how to move large-scale projects from blueprint to groundbreaking. Their backgrounds also include political organizing and private-sector work, including roles at engineering firm AECOM and in congressional offices. McCormack and Mans, meanwhile, have led nonprofits, advised health and environmental agencies, and advocated for sustainable land use, water quality, and coastal protection. Mans, the current mayor of Glen Ridge and former deputy commissioner at NJDEP, has spent years navigating the very policies that shape modern infrastructure projects. While the partnership is new, the need for integrated thinking is not. Energy corridors must comply with habitat protections. Bridge replacements now require environmental justice assessments. Offshore wind transmission lines cross both physical and political boundaries. For clients, this joint venture offers a more coordinated approach—one that understands the technical requirements of infrastructure while respecting the layered complexities of environmental governance. “We’re not just aligning two firms,” said McCormack. “We’re aligning two worlds that must increasingly work together.” Like many successful solutions in sustainable development, this partnership is not about scale but about synergy. The challenge ahead is not just to build more—but to build smarter, cleaner, and with broader vision. In that, Hawk Strategies and TWENTYTWENTY Public Affairs may be offering more than advocacy. They may be offering a model for how progress gets built in today’s policy environment—step by step, and side by side.