Washington, D.C. – The Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA) is pleased to announce Mike R. Wakefield as the recipient of the 2025 Betty Murphy Award, which will be presented at the National Policy Conference on May 16, in Washington, D.C.
The Betty Murphy Award is given each year to an unsung hero, member, trailblazer, with entrepreneurial spirit, a community service leader, an organization builder who inspires others' efforts.
RNLA President and Executive Director Michael Thielen said, “RNLA success is due to its members, and few members have done more for RNLA than Mike. He was a key organizer of our National Policy Conference and has led volunteer lawyer election integrity efforts in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Maine, and more. Mike is a master of bringing people together and getting things done behind the scenes.”
RNLA Board of Governors Member Joanne Young added, “Mike is the quintessential man behind the scenes ensuring success, whether it be the U.S. Army, the White House, the Senate, or the RNLA Board and our major events. His efforts for the RNLA include the outstanding programming for our signature National Policy Conferences and deployments to critical states to work election integrity.”
Mike is Partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Holland & Knight where he is a member of the firm’s Public Policy & Regulation Group and National Security & Defense Industry Sector Group. He has a long history of service to the country and engagement in the public policy process. After graduating from the University of Virginia and the University of Virginia School of Law, Mike was a captain in the U.S. Army, where he served in the Judge Advocate General Corps (JAG) and completed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Military Honors Program. Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mike was senior counsel and a professional staff member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. He also has served as senior counsel to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and legislative counsel to Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.).
Mike is currently a member of the RNLA Board of Governors and has held a variety of roles in the organization such as Vice President for Programming and Vice President for Washington, D.C. Affairs.
Betty Murphy was a longtime Washington, D.C. attorney who in 1975 became the first female member of the National Labor Relations Board. Following her many years of government service, Murphy joined the Washington, D.C., firm of Baker & Hostetler LLP where she was a partner and a leader of the firm's labor and employment group.
RNLA is the national organization of Republican attorneys. The mission of RNLA is to advance professionalism; open, fair, and honest elections; career opportunity; and Republican ideals. For more information, please visit: http://www.rnla.org.
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