Dana S. Wood

Director of Government Relations

Phone number
(202) 342-8608

With over three decades of public policy advocacy experience, Dana Wood represents clients’ interests before Congress and the Executive Branch, helping them develop major policy initiatives in the areas of the environment, energy, trade, health care, agriculture, tax and pensions and data privacy and technology. Co-chair of the firm’s Government Relations and Public Policy group, Dana manages the advocacy efforts for leading manufacturing and service companies, including several Fortune 500 companies, and advises numerous trade associations with large national memberships.

Dana’s prodigious work ethic and the respect, credibility, and trust she has earned with countless legislators, policymakers, regulators, and staff on both sides of the aisle, have resulted in considerable successes for her clients -- even in the most challenging regulatory and political climates. Her ability to understand, analyze, and relate multiple issues and stakeholders allows her to advance each client’s often distinct goals. Her comprehensive approach incorporates not only substance, integrity, and diplomacy but also reliability and teamwork.

In addition to productive communication with external stakeholders, Dana is also dedicated to a high degree of accountability within her team so that client ambitions become tangible results. Endgame-driven, Dana is committed to remaining accessible, holding regular meetings with client teams to ensure initiatives and projects stay on track.

Before joining the firm, Dana worked in the office of Senator David Durenberger (R-MN). On the political side, she served as an informal advisor to two Republican initiatives on the environment and was an executive director of the Women’s Coalition with the Dole for President campaign. Dana was also a member of the Government Affairs team at the 1996 Republican National Convention, the Women’s Advisory Committee for Bush/Quayle 1988, and the Women’s Leadership Network. She served on the board of directors for Leader PAC and the National Committee for the Women’s House Republican Victory Committee.

Dana is not licensed to practice law.

“I know from decades of experience what it takes to succeed at the intersection of policy, government and politics, and my passion for serving clients drives every action I take.”

Working with labor and industry, assisted in the enactment of several Buy America provisions for the iron and steel industries, including: 1) permanent Buy America requirements applicable to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Water Infrastructure Finance Innovation Act program in the 2014 Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA), as well as programmatic spending requirements in federal appropriations to the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund in Fiscal Years 2014, 2015, and 2016; and 2) improvements to various Buy America policies applied to transportation infrastructure federal-aid programs in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act of 2014, as well as Buy America requirements in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.

Assisted in the development and successful execution of public policy strategies for a major clinical laboratory during consideration of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 and the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) of 2014, which revised the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS).

Assisted a clinical laboratory in obtaining provisions in the FY 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and in the FY 2017 NDAA report addressing TRICARE’s lack of coverage for certain laboratory developed tests.

Obtained favorable provisions in authorizing and appropriating health legislation affecting plasma protein therapies.

Assisted a technology company in obtaining clarification in the Truth in Caller ID Act of 2009.

Assisted a consortium of technology companies and academic institutions in securing research and development funding for flexible electronics for defense applications in the FY 2008 defense appropriations bill.

Assisted a major steel company in obtaining important enhancements to the U.S. anti-dumping and countervailing duty laws enacted in the 2015 Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation.

Assisted steel and specialty metals companies in overturning an administrative weakening of the Specialty Metals Amendment by the Department of Defense.

Assisted a steel company in securing a deficit reduction contribution (DRC) in the Pension Funding Equity Act of 2004.

Assisted a steel company and trade associations in legislative campaigns related to trade law initiatives, including Section 201 and Section 421 of the U.S. trade laws.

Assisted several companies in securing trade relief in miscellaneous tariff bills.

Assisted separate equipment producers in obtaining Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval of hardship waivers in 2014 and 2016.

Assisted a major refinery in obtaining a provision to allow the export of crude oil as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016.

Secured provisions in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to enhance requirements on education, inspection, and training on underground storage tanks.

Participated in several efforts in 1992-2000 to amend the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), more commonly known as the Superfund. Dana’s involvement dated back to the 1986 reauthorization, when she helped organize a coalition to successfully advocate a broad-based tax mechanism in lieu of a ​“disposal tax” to finance the Superfund program.

Served in a leadership role in the business community with respect to amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) on corrective action.

Assisted a coalition that led to the enactment of the Land Disposal Program Flexibility Act of 1996, involving land disposal restrictions.

Secured an amendment to the 1990 Clean Air Act reauthorization allowing the steel industry more time to meet the residual risk standards for coke ovens in the toxic air title of the legislation.

Secured provisions favorable to the crop insurance industry in farm credit legislation and the car rental industry in tax legislation.

Secured legislation important to her son James Wood, who suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, with the enactment of the MD-CARE Act of 2001 and the subsequent reauthorization. Also engaged in funding through the annual defense appropriations process. Finally, advocated for the successful passage of the 21st Century Cures Act, signed into law in 2016.

The Best Lawyers in America© (Woodward/White, Inc.), International Trade and Finance Law, 2016-2023.