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• Effective Strategies for Positive Advocacy with GSTA Strategic Advisor, TJ (Tyler) Kaplan

  • When
    25 Aug 2026
  •  
    4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
  • Location
    Online

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  Tyler “T.J.” Kaplan is the founder of MMB Strategies and has built a career applying his education and expertise to public affairs and politics.  Since 2011 he has been a strategic advisor to Fortune 500 companies, associations, and nonprofits. He leverages his deep relationships with key state government decision-makers in the areas of technology, healthcare, transportation, education, and utilities to achieve success on behalf of his clients.

  TJ’s recent work includes leadership roles in the completion of a multi-year campaign to pass tax-related legislation on behalf of heavy-duty equipment rental companies; comprehensive updates to bicycle lane requirements and electric bicycle statutes in partnership with stakeholders representing varied perspectives; and overcoming stiff opposition to a coalition of data center companies’ efforts to extend industry-related tax incentives. TJ has also led successful campaigns on numerous state budget matters, including expanding school-based mental health services (Apex), Hepatitis C screening, and newborn screening (NBS) for X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy.  In 2025 he led a broad coalition focused on student mental health to secure $2.385M in state dollars to hire school social workers in LEAs that currently do not have one.  Over the last decade, he has also leveraged his expertise to assist numerous technology companies in achieving their business development goals. These efforts include passing beneficial legislation and facilitating successful partnerships with state agencies across all state government divisions.  

  TJ got an initial taste of politics while working in the US Congress, later joining the Georgia Tech Research Institute as a policy analyst where he supported a Georgia Senate committee cataloging the state’s technological assets and developing strategic recommendations for advancing science and technology in Georgia. His work drew the attention of the State Senate President Pro Tempore, who hired him as a legislative aide to manage relations with the governor’s staff and stakeholders seeking to influence legislation in the General Assembly. This experience expanded TJ’s expertise and reputation as a successful strategist and coalition builder.

  As an undergraduate at the Georgia Institute of Technology, he was selected as an Eben Tisdale Fellow with the Computing Research Association in Washington, where he also studied at Georgetown University’s Institute on Business and Government Affairs.  TJ serves on the Georgia Institute of Technology Alumni Board of Trustees, the board of State Law Resources (an international network of top-tier lobbying firms), and the Exploratory Committee for an Atlanta LGBTQ+ Community Center housed within the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority.

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