Tom Needles, a Principal of Compass Consulting Group, has served as a government relations professional for more than a decade. Previously, he served in the state and federal governments for 15 years, including eight years as Senior Advisor to Ohio Governor George V. Voinovich, as a Special Assistant to George H.W. Bush in the White House, and as a congressional press secretary and legislative assistant on Capitol Hill.

Mr. Needles has been involved throughout his career in numerous volunteer and philanthropic efforts. He has been appointed by two Ohio Governors to serve as Chairman of the Ohio Higher Educational Facility Commission; he is the Founder and President of Children First Columbus, a nonprofit foundation that has awarded more than 400 educational scholarships to low-income Columbus families; and he is the President of Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates, a non-profit program that helps at-risk and disadvantaged students throughout the State of Ohio.

An Ohio native, Mr. Needles received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Walsh College in Canton, Ohio, where he also was recognized as one of its Outstanding Alumnus and received its Community Service Award. He also earned two Master of Arts degrees, one from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio, and the other from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he was a guest lecturer.

Back to Top

Ted Hollingsworth, a Principal of Compass Consulting Group, has been serving as a government relations consultant for several years after nearly two decades of experience in federal and state government. Previously, he was Chief of Staff to Ohio Senator George V. Voinovich for his entire first term, from 1999 to 2005. Prior to his Senate service, Mr. Hollingsworth was legislative director for then-Congressman Mike DeWine of Ohio.

Mr. Hollingsworth also was director of Governor Voinovich’s Washington Office, where he served as the chief lobbyist for the State of Ohio before the executive branch and the Congress.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mr. Hollingsworth received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Russian from Haverford College, where he was awarded Honors in Russian. He also received a Master of International Affairs degree from Columbia University and was awarded a Certificate in Soviet Area Studies from the W. Averell Harriman Institute for Advanced Study of the Soviet Union.

Back to Top

Patrick Smith, a Compass Associate, has been an active participant in various aspects of the political process since 2001. Most recently, he was an aide in the Ohio Senate for State Senator Kevin Coughlin from October 2005 to October 2007. During his time with Senator Coughlin, he helped craft legislation, negotiate changes with interested parties, shepherd bills to enactment and manage many challenging constituent cases. He also served as the committee secretary for the Senate Health, Human Services and Aging Committee where he assisted Chairman Coughlin with managing the issues and legislation that came before that committee.

In June of 2006, Smith took a six-month leave of absence from the Ohio Senate to travel to Summit County and serve as the campaign manager for Senator Coughlin’s successful re-election campaign.

A native of Sandusky, Ohio, Smith received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science from Kent State University in 2005 where he also served a year on the Undergraduate Student Senate as the Senator for Business and Finance, received the Leadership Excellence Award in the spring of 2003 and stayed active as a campaign volunteer in different federal, state and local races.

Back to Top