Miriam Quintal boasts a decade of advocacy and client success at Lewis-Burke, managing the federal relations portfolios for large academic institutions, scientific societies, and facility management organizations. Miriam fiercely protects client priorities, leveraging her unique combination of scientific training with political insight. Her wealth of knowledge and federal research enterprise acumen provides value to all components of client interests: supporting university leadership, shepherding research initiatives, and shaping policy across a range of issues. Recent advocacy efforts include successfully guiding large-scale science projects through the appropriations process, restoring funding for key programs proposed to be eliminated in the President’s budget request, establishing new agency funding for research infrastructure, and creating opportunities for clients to showcase research and leadership in Administration initiative areas. Miriam co-leads the firm’s National Science Foundation (NSF) practice and works closely with the higher education and research advocacy community to champion the Foundation.
Issue Expertise: Basic research (National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, Department of Energy Office of Science), STEM education, computing and computational science, math and physical sciences, engineering, and space and astronomy.
Additional Experience: Miriam has twice served as NSF lead for the Association of American Universities (AAU) Innovation Task Force. Before joining Lewis-Burke, Miriam gained policy experience as a Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow with the Board on Science Education at the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. At the Academies, she contributed to several projects, including a review of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s education programs and a study of gaming and simulations for science education.
Vital Statistics: Miriam developed her passion for politics while growing up in the DC region, before venturing north to get an undergraduate degree in chemistry with highest honors from Smith College and a Masters Degree in Organic Chemistry from Harvard University. She has been a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and a Fulbright Fellow. Miriam loves raising her son in DC alongside her wife. She is deeply engaged in her community, serving as a Founding Trustee and coordinator for Minyan Segulah, a local independent prayer community, and volunteering with Jews United for Justice, which aims to advocate for local policies that improve the lives of disadvantaged residents of DC and Maryland.