10 highest-paid lobbyists of 2026 MD General Assembly session — and who they work for

Each Maryland legislative session, corporations, municipalities, unions and interest groups pour millions into having an advocate on the ground in Annapolis.

These lobbyists meet with House of Delegates and Senate standing committee chairs, along with other policymakers, to nudge favorable outcomes for their clients. But their time with members of the General Assembly comes at a price. The State Ethics Commission tracks these payments and dropped earnings reports for the period between Nov. 1 and April 30. The most recent legislative session ran Jan. 14 to April 13.

Here are the most recent top earners in Maryland’s lobbyist community and the organizations that pay them.

1. Lisa Harris Jones

 Lisa Harris Jones, the founding and managing member of Harris Jones & Malone, tops the list with a reported $3,530,600.

Before co-founding her firm in 2000, Harris Jones practiced law focusing on corporate securities, mergers and acquisitions, government relations, real estate financing, and land use. According to her bio, she was the first woman and the first person of color to top the earnings list for registered lobbyists in Maryland.

Harris Jones is listed as a registered lobbyist for 80 organizations, including Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.; DoorDash, Inc.; Johns Hopkins; The Home Depot; Inc.; McDonald’s; Microsoft; Southwest Airlines; Verizon; and Walmart.

Lawmakers have been battling their constituents’ skyrocketing utility bills over the past several legislative sessions, which has led to a more prominent presence of utility companies like BGE, Washington Gas and Pepco Holdings, LLC, some hiring multiple lobbyists, to Annapolis.

2. Gerard Evans

The president of Evans & Associates, Gerard Evans reported earning $2,499,666.66.

He began his career in the Maryland General Assembly as an aide to the late Sen. Victor L. Crawford and was a legislative assistant to the late Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller Jr. Evans also formerly chaired the Prince George’s County Democratic Party and served as the former deputy chair of the Maryland Democratic Party.

Evans is listed as a registered lobbyist for 53 entities, including tech company Accenture, auto retailer Carvana, Luminis Health, Motorola Solutions, the offshore wind energy company Ørsted North America, data center company Quantum Maryland and criminal justice nonprofit the Vera Institute of Justice.

Data centers were regulated in the Utility Reducing Energy Load Inflation for Everyday Families, or RELIEF, Act of 2026.

Offshore wind represents another energy fight. President Donald Trump’s administration opposes the projects, slowing the progress of those already approved in Maryland.

3. Timothy Perry

A founding member of the firm Perry Jacobson, Timothy Perry netted $2,471,048.20. Like Evans, he worked for Miller, serving as chief of staff. 

Perry lobbies for 78 organizations, including AT&T; Anheuser-Busch Companies; the Baltimore Orioles; Cisco; GBMC HealthCare; Mercy Medical Center; Nissan North America, Inc.; consumer good corporation Procter & Gamble; Tyson Foods, Inc.; United Healthcare Services, Inc.; and Washington Gas.

4. Frank D. Boston III

Frank D. Boston III, who has his own law firm, reported accruing $1,786,800. Prior to founding Boston Plaut Attorneys at Law, he was a clerk with Whiteford, Taylor, & Preston LLP, and served on the Felony Trial Division of the Baltimore Office of the Public Defender.

Boston lobbies for 45 organizations, such as Adventist HealthCare, Inc.; Amazon.com Services, LLC; CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield; DC United; DIRECTV; Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.; the Maryland State Fraternal Order of Police; and Molson Coors Beverage Company USA LLC.

DC United is jockeying for an affiliate stadium in Baltimore City. The Maryland Stadium Authority published a preliminary design report for such a stadium in May 2025. Legislation to fund the project sponsored by Sen. Antonio Hayes and Del. Mark Edelson, both D-Baltimore City, did not pass during the 2026 legislative session.

5. Michael V. Johansen

Michael V. Johansen, an administrative partner and the chair of administrative law and regulatory compliance practice at the firm Rifkin Weiner Livingston LLC, reported $1,426,740. Prior to his foray in lobbying, Johansen served as legislative staff to the Senate Budget & Taxation Committee and the Department of Fiscal Services.

Johansen counts 83 lobbyist clients, including Berkshire Hathaway Energy GT&S, LLC; Encompass Health; FedEx Corporation; Google LLC; H&R Block Management LLC; Instacart, Pepco Holdings; UPMC Western Maryland hospital; and self-driving car company Waymo LLC.

Legislation to regulate the use of autonomous vehicles on Maryland roadways failed to pass during the 2026 legislative session.

6. Jonas Jacobson

Perry Jacobson made the list twice. Jonas Jacobson, its managing partner and co-founder, reported $965,332.

Prior to his lobbying career, Jacobson worked at the Maryland Department of the Environment. He also previously advised former Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith and directed the Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection.

Hallmark Cards, Inc.; Nissan North America, Inc.; Procter & Gamble; Sheetz, Inc.; and US Wind, Inc. are among his 47 lobbying clients.

7. Bruce C. Bereano

An Annapolis fixture, Bruce C. Bereano reported earning $941,873.55 last cycle. He was the first lobbyist in the state to earn $1 million.

Bereano was convicted of federal mail fraud in 1994 but still lobbied while going through the appeals process. He was ultimately sentenced to 10 months in 1999, half of which he served at a halfway house. The other five months were spent in home confinement. Bereano was disbarred in 2000, but his law license was restored earlier this year.

Bereano is now registered as a lobbyist for 53 organizations, including Choice Hotels International, Inc.; Licensed Beverage Distributors of Maryland, Inc.; the Maryland Wholesale Cannabis Trade Association; and the Town of Ocean City.

8. Delora Sanchez Ifekauche

The founding principal of Cornerstone Public Affairs’ mid-Atlantic office, Delora Sanchez Ifekauche raked in $933,155.81.

She founded the Maryland Managed Care Organization Association, a trade organization for care organizations that serve the state’s Medicaid program, and previously served as the director of policy and advocacy for state affairs at the Johns Hopkins University and Health System.

Sanchez Ifekauche represents 58 clients, including Adobe; AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, LP; Capital One; credit reporting company Equifax Inc.; Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc.; the Maryland Hospital Association; MedStar Health; Pepco; and the Sports Betting Alliance.

9. Gregory S. Proctor Jr.

The president and CEO of G.S. Proctor & Associates, as well as vice chair of Old Line Bank’s board, Gregory S. Proctor Jr. reported $924,700. 

Proctor champions 47 organizations, including AAA Club Alliance/AAA Mid-Atlantic, MGM Resorts International, Pepco and Washington Gas.

10. J. Steven Wise

J. Steven Wise, who joined the firm Schwartz, Metz, Wise & Kauffman, P.A. in 2002 and became a partner in 2008, took home $901,939.60. His practice focuses on administrative law and regulatory matters, including liquor board licensees in licensing and enforcement proceedings and healthcare professionals in licensing and disciplinary proceedings.

Wise represents 36 organizations, including Amazon.com Services, LLC; BGE; the Maryland State Medical Society; and urgent care provider Patient First.