B3 Strategies Chief Executive Officer, Russell D. Smoldon, has over 30 years of public policy experience focused on energy, water, taxation, environmental, health care and economic development issues. The relationships he has with government officials, legislators and the business community in Arizona, across the country and at the federal level in Washington, D.C. are extensive.
A former legislative assistant to Congressman Thomas S. Foley, Mr. Smoldon has been involved with nearly every public policy issue affecting Arizona over the past 25 years in his role as Manager of Government Relations with Salt River Project (SRP) in Phoenix, Arizona. Prior to joining SRP, he served as the government relations representative for Idaho and Montana with Spokane, Washington-based Avista Corporation.
As a respected leader in the Phoenix business community, Mr. Smoldon serves on the board of the Arizona Tax Research Association (ATRA), the Western Business Roundtable, the Greater Phoenix Urban League, the American Legislative Exchange Council and the National Conference of State Legislators’ Advisory Council on Energy and National Tax Partnership. He serves as a member of the Arizona Supreme Court’s Child Support Guidelines and Domestic Relations Committees and the Arizona Highway Users’ Association, and has assisted numerous non-profit organizations, including the Arizona Trails Association.
Mr. Smoldon received a B.A. in Political Science and History from Gonzaga University. While attending Gonzaga University School of Law, he left to accept the position with Avista, becoming the youngest utility lobbyist in the country at the time. Smoldon also completed a number of post-graduate courses in Theory and Political Science at Eastern Washington University before being recruited by SRP and moving to Arizona.
Mr. Smoldon has a personal passion for public policy, economics and American history. He is a prolific reader and golfer. Mr. Smoldon is married to Michelle January and his son, Nick, recently graduated from Gonzaga University.