Mr. Wholey has broad experience at the intersection of Federal government affairs and business, in particular with the legislative and policy processes relating to investment, trade and international business development. Before coming to Dilworth, he co-founded the Blackship Group, a strategic marketing and government relations firm, and had been an attorney in Washington with a practice focused on legislative affairs and telecommunications. He also acted as Vice-President of Government Affairs for Jones Intercable, Inc., a national provider of cable television systems and programming prior to its acquisition by Comcast.
Mr. Wholey has acted as a business development and government relations advisor to national and international security and security technology companies doing business with the U.S. and other governments; and to early-stage enterprises and investors, assisting in the funding of numerous early-stage companies, serving as a transactional advisor to several regional and national private equity funds.
In government, Mr. Wholey served for a decade as a senior staff member in the U.S. Senate, including as Administrative Assistant and Legislative Director to then-Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole (R-KS), handling trade and telecommunications issues for the Leadership. Mr. Wholey was also Legislative Director to Senator Alfonse D’Amato (R-NY) and Counsel to the National Republican Senatorial Committee under the late Senator John Heinz (R-PA), and served on the 1988 and 2000 Bush Transition Teams.
Mr. Wholey continues to act as an advisor to Senators, candidates and committees regarding technology and national security issues, and has served variously as special outside counsel to the Senate Committee on Commerce and to the Intellectual Property subcommittee of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. He currently serves as a consultant to the Department of Defense and as a Director of several companies in the arms and security technology industry.