D. Michael Stroud, Jr.

Michael Stroud is a member of Taft’s Washington, D.C. office and Public Affairs Strategies Group (PASG). With more than two decades of experience in government and private practice, he helps clients navigate Washington’s evolving legislative, political, and regulatory landscape.

Prior to joining Taft, Stroud was a partner at a prominent national law firm focused on government relations, appropriations, transportation, national security, water resources, and export controls. He has also served as Vice President of Government Affairs and General Counsel of the International Liquid Terminals Association (ILTA), where he provided strategic guidance on the full range of government and regulatory issues facing the organization.

Stroud served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs and Assistant Secretary for the Private Sector at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, handling port and transportation security and serving as a liaison among Capitol Hill, the private sector, and the department. He also served as Deputy Chief Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security and as a Congressional Relations Officer at the United States International Trade Commission. Earlier in his career, Stroud served as Director of Intergovernmental Relations at Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC Water), one of the nation’s largest combined water and wastewater utilities, where he helped secure federal legislation vital to the utility’s operations and improved service for thousands of ratepayers. He also served as an attorney in the Department of Commerce’s Chief Counsel’s Office for Trade Enforcement and Compliance and as Associate Corporation Counsel at a national nonprofit organization.