HARRISBURG — Monday, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry announced Neal Lesher has joined its advocacy team as director of government affairs.

A public policy and communications professional with extensive experience in the legislative and executive branches, Lesher previously held leadership roles in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives — including Chief of Staff to the Pennsylvania Speaker of the House, and most recently, Director of Policy and Communications for the Majority Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. He also served as Director of Legislative Affairs in the Governor’s Budget Office under former Gov. Tom Corbett.

“Neal Lesher’s leadership, his broad success in achieving legislative accomplishments, and his in-depth understanding on a range of government issues speak for themselves,” said PA Chamber President and CEO Luke Bernstein. “We are excited to bring him on board and further cement what we believe to be a very accomplished and dynamic Government Affairs team.”

In addition to his career in the state Capitol, Lesher served as Legislative Director at the National Federation of Independent Business, where he was responsible for managing the association’s day-to-day lobbying and political programs across the Commonwealth. He also worked at the State Department of Public Welfare as Director of Legislative Affairs, where he facilitated the review and advocacy of legislative initiatives for the department across multiple programs.

“Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to work for elected officials who have shared the Pennsylvania Chamber’s goal of building a stronger economy that will benefit all Pennsylvanians,” Lesher said. “I’m happy to be here — a place I started out as an intern before I began my first job at the State House — and continue that mission through pro-growth advocacy efforts.”

The PA Chamber is the largest broad-based business association in the state with nearly 10,000 member businesses representing all sizes and crossing all industry sectors. Members include sole proprietors to Fortune 100 companies, representing 50 percent of the private workforce in Pennsylvania.

For more information, follow the PA Chamber on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or visit their website at www.pachamber.org.