Lockhart Strategies International, founded by Sydney McNiff Ferguson in 2005, is a global consulting, government relations, and strategic communications firm with a special expertise in energy, health, and environmental issues.
Sydney McNiff Ferguson — President
Sydney McNiff Ferguson is President of Lockhart Strategies International, LLC, where she brings to her clients vast years of experience advising on domestic and international environmental, energy, political, and public relations issues.
Ferguson previously served as Managing DIrector of the Carmen Group's Energy Practice, where she worked on alternative energy tax legislation and carbon trading legislation.
As Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Corporate Communications for USEC, Inc., (NYSE-USU) the world's largest uranium enrichment company, Ferguson served as liaison between the company and the Department of Energy, negotiating new lease terms to build the next generation uranium enrichment facility in Piketon, Ohio. While at USEC, Ferguson also quarter-backed the "HEU Agreement with the Russian Federation", assuring that the United States would receive the next tranche of nuclear warhead material to be down blended and used as uranium feed. In addition, to being responsible for all legislation, and annual appropriations affecting the company, she managed day-to-day external company communications including oversight of print, media, TV and Press Conferences for the company.
Prior to joining USEC, Inc., (NYSE-USU) Ferguson served as Managing Director at Qorvis Communications, where she supervised the communications and government relations programs for clients including Invensys, British Nuclear Fuels, XL Capital, the Embassy of Saudi Arabia, USEC and SunTrust Bank.
From 1991 to 2000 Ferguson ran her independent consulting firm, Sydney Ferguson Consultants. She represented companies such as Hearst Publications, Worth Media, and the President's Summit for America's Future. She also developed of a new business strategy for Sotheby's in Washington, D.C.
Prior to establishing her firm, Ferguson served as Vice President of Jack Ferguson Associates, whose clients included U.S. Borax, Northwest Energy, and Conoco. In her capacity as Vice President, Ferguson worked directly on the passage of the Alaskan Natural Gas Pipeline Act; the construction of the H3 tunnel in Hawaii; and the building of the Los Angeles metro rail.
A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Ferguson came to Washington to serve as Legislative Assistant for Energy and the Environment to Congressman Paul N. "Pete" McCloskey, Jr., and three years later to Senator S.I. Hayakawa, also of California.
She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Wild Salmon Center in Portland, Oregon; the National Sailing Hall of Fame in Annapolis, MD; and Youth Service America in Washington, DC. She sits on the Chairman's Council for Conservation International where she is one of the co-founders of the Women's Conservation Forum. Ferguson is a Member of the Board of Associates at the National Rehabilitation Hospital and the Advisory Board of Zero to Three. Ferguson also serves on the Presidential Advisory Committee on Sustainability at the Colorado College.
Ferguson served for 12 years on the Board of the Washington Choral Arts Society, where she directed its visit with the National Symphony Orchestra to perform in Moscow's Red Square in 1993, and in Paris at Notre Dame in 1996.
She is a member of Women in Nuclear, ACORE and the US Transport Council.
Ferguson received a BA in Political Economics from the Colorado College where she wrote her thesis, "A Cost Comparison of Nuclear versus Coal for Electrical Generation 1985-2000." She has completed two executive education courses at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business: Finance and Accounting for the non-Financial Executive (April 2003) and Negotiation and Influence Strategies, April 2004.