James C. Terrell, III
For over 30 years, James Terrell has brought his common-sense approach to public policy and public relations to both Capitol Hill and the Texas Capitol.
Terrell attributes his pragmatic, bipartisan, solutions-oriented philosophy to the combination of growing up on a fifth-generation family ranch in rural West Texas and the influence of two of his early employers, Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX) and Congressman Charles Stenholm (D-TX).
In 1983, Terrell was hired fresh out of Texas A&M University by Congressman Stenholm to head to Washington to handle agricultural and natural resource legislation. Over the next decade, Terrell worked as Legislative Assistant to Congressman Stenholm and to Senator Gramm, and as one of the youngest lobbyists ever hired by the American Farm Bureau Federation. In these roles, Terrell helped shape major legislation affecting agricultural, banking, natural resource, immigration, and gun control issues.
But the calling of the land took Terrell back to Texas in 1992, where he established a governmental and public relations practice in Austin, representing clients before the U.S. Congress, the Texas Legislature, state and federal agencies, and the media. Today, Terrell maintains homes in both Washington and Austin, allowing him to actively promote the interests of his clients at the federal and state levels.
Terrell has successfully represented numerous clients in the agriculture, banking, biometrics, energy, insurance, manufacturing, technology, waste management, water supply and wildlife industries. Much of his work has been focused in the areas of agriculture, environment, immigration, taxation and water policy.
With his deep knowledge of the federal and state legislative processes and media relations, Terrell guides clients through every step of the public policy maze from defining problems to conceptualizing solutions and developing messages to drafting and promoting legislation. Terrell’s wealth of contacts both inside and outside the Texas and U.S. Capitols give his clients the ability to build coalitions with other industry players and interest groups to maximize success.
Terrell holds a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University and a Master of Business Administration from Rice University.