IHLA Government Relations Advisors
The Conlin State Strategies (CSS) team work with IHLA Leadership to advise regarding legislative engagement, grassroots engagement, and administrative engagement of interest to IHLA membership. CSS provides weekly written reports during the Iowa legislative session, and ad hoc major development alerts regarding issues of interest to IHLA Members.
IHLA Legislative Committee
The Legislative Committee work alongside Andy and Dennis to assure the IHLA voice is heard on bills or legislative issues that are important to members. Have an interest in Government Affairs / Legislative Activity? JOIN THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE! Prior experience working with legislators is not required. This is a great opportunity to learn more about how bills get passed and impact healthcare on the state level.
Meet Andy and Dennis
Andrew T. Conlin is a seasoned advocate with two decades of experience in government relations, state policy, and public affairs. Both as both a legislative staffer and a lobbyist, Conlin has played a role in almost every significant policy conversation in Iowa since 2017. Since launching Conlin State Strategies in 2020, Conlin has secured significant policy, procurement, and appropriations successes for a diverse and dynamic roster of clients. He is a trusted voice and advisor to many key policymakers and business leaders in the Hawkeye State. From 2017-2020, Andrew had a front row seat to some of the most significant policy discussions at the Iowa Capitol in a generation. As the Chief of Staff to Senate President Charles Schneider, he advised on all the issues confronting the Legislature, including income and property tax reforms, education, health care policy, and enhancing Iowa’s economic competitiveness.
Before coming to the Iowa Senate, he held leadership roles with Strategic Elements in West Des Moines, Iowa and Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) in Washington, DC. As a result, he has worked to influence state and local policy from all 50 states over the course of his career. Conlin is directly responsible for the enactment of state laws in more than half of the country. After spending over a decade in Washington, D.C., Conlin returned to his midwestern roots and now resides in West Des Moines, Iowa with his wife and new puppy. He is involved in his community as Chairman of the West Des Moines Plan and Zoning Commission, an officer of the local Purdue alumni club, and a volunteer with the WesleyLife Meals on Wheels Program. Conlin is a proud graduate of Purdue University.
Dennis J. Tibben has more than 15 years of experience in advocacy, public policy, and association management. Most recently, he served as the Executive Director of the Iowa Board of Medicine, and the Bureau Chief overseeing the Executive Officers and operations of more than two dozen professional licensure boards. In this role he helped to implement the most extensive realignment of state government operations in more than a generation, while also guiding efforts to eliminate regulatory barriers and reimagine board functionality. This experience helped to further enrich his deep regulatory and state administrative expertise. For more than ten years, Tibben served in multiple leadership and government relations roles for the Iowa Medial Society, as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics, Iowa Chapter. A recognized health policy expert, he has played a central role in the enactment and implantation of dozens of statutes and regulations. He is frequently called upon to serve as a guest speaker on the legislative process and grassroots engagement, with a focus on helping to make the process more transparent and approachable to all.
Dennis has served in leadership roles in both Democratic and Republican administrations in Iowa, and has previously run multiple legislative campaigns. He has successfully worked with legislative majorities from both parties to find common ground and achieve meaningful policy results. He has served on numerous state and national governing advisory bodies, helping to guide the work of organizations including Iowa’s Medicaid program, nonprofit organizations, and the American Medical Association’s state advocacy operations. Tibben received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Iowa State University and his Master of Public Administration from Drake University.