Stan Barnes
Named by Campaign and Elections Magazine as Top 5 Most influential Republicans in State of AZ
Stan is the Go-to-Expert on Arizona politics for national and local media.
- Arizona native raised on a cotton farm in Pinal County.
- Elected as youngest member of the Arizona House of Representatives in 1988. Chairman of Committee with jurisdiction over water and energy issues.
- Elected as State Senator 1994. Chairman of Government Reform Committee. Led US Delegation of Young Political Leaders on diplomatic trip to Australia.
- Go to expert on Arizona politics for national and local media. Quoted in NY Times, WSJ, Politico, Bloomberg, Arizona Republic, and regularly seen on Fox News, CNN, KTAR news radio, and all Phoenix TV News affiliates.
Emily Ryan
Emily joined Copper State in 2009. For 15 legislative sessions she has represented Copper State clients at the Arizona Capitol with her signature sharp intellect and good humor. She is a native Arizonan, and well versed on the complexities and culture of the State Capitol. Her reputation for integrity is second to none. As a result, Emily has a host of trust relationships with key decision makers in the legislative and executive branches of Arizona government. Her experience advocating on behalf of clients involves a wide variety of issues, but her true expertise is understanding the 90 individuals serving at the State House and Senate and how each fits in to the decision making process. Emily has an exceptional ability to read and understand people, which is highly valued by our clients that rely on her strategic advice. She puts these same skills to use as a professional jury consultant when not otherwise occupied during a legislative session. Emily is often cited by local and national media as an expert on the passing political scene in Arizona.
Ian Calkins
Ian joined Copper State in 2001 and has over two decades of experience on behalf of clients, with important expertise in permitting and siting utility scale electric generation and transmission projects. In addition to keen understanding of the AZ Corporation Commission, Ian has worked on behalf of energy development clients in Maricopa, Pinal, Pima, Cochise, Greenlee, Graham, Yuma, La Paz, Mohave, Coconino, Navajo, Apache, Yavapai counties. There is no one in Arizona with more on-the-ground experience with the politics and processes of utility scale generation and transmission. Ian understands Arizona energy issues and follows electric utility activities on behalf of our clients. He is detail oriented and has an ability to deliver sophisticated context to our clients when assessing Arizona’s energy issues. Ian also assists our clients with media strategy, advising clients on reporter engagement and serving as public spokesman when called upon. He has a particular skill set involving public engagement and controversial issue management for our clients.
Alice Lara
Alice is the veteran of the Copper State team, now in her 23rd year of service to our clients. Alice handles the administrative side of Copper State Consulting Group, making sure our clients receive the attention they deserve. She is a native New Mexican, bi-lingual, and an active member of a number of political and social organizations trying to make the world a better place.