Vista is a smart, aggressive and strategic firm that brings a unique mix of front-line experience, business acumen and political savvy to a diverse array of clients. Our highly experienced team comes from positions of influence in every facet of public affairs: from legal and research experts in legislative and executive branches of state government, to the private sector, to political organizing and advocacy.
Vista Strategies offers decades of institutional legislative and political expertise that cuts through the often confusing, complex and arcane inner workings of government. Our team has the experience and relationships to effectively engage policy makers and deliver for our clients.
Vista breaks the mold of a traditional government affairs firm. We provide the expertise, responsiveness, and engagement of a boutique agency. Yet we maintain the strategic abilities, political capital and effectiveness of a large corporation. We understand the politics. We get the details. We know the players. It’s a unique combination that produces results.
Our Services
State Lobbying and Advocacy
Corporate Public Affairs
Economic Development
Strategic Communications
Meet the Team
TOM APODACA
Founder, Managing Partner
tom@vistastrategies.com
Mix a lifetime of business experience with over a decade in elected office – the past 5 atop the State Senate – and you get Tom Apodaca’s unique ability to deliver for his clients by bridging private-sector challenges with good public policy. Apodaca, the freshly retired Senate Rules Chairman, is the founder and Managing Partner of Vista Strategies. The new firm specializes in lobbying, corporate consulting, strategy and economic development.
Tom and his wife, Lisa – a retired public school teacher – have been married 36 years. They have two sons, Brandon (33) a fly-fishing expert in Western North Carolina, and Tate (29), who’s chasing real estate dreams in Colorado. Tom and Lisa split their time between Raleigh and Hendersonville.
For more on Tom, click here to read a recent Charlotte Observer profile about his life and public service.
JAIME KING FUQUAY
Executive Vice President
jaime@vistastrategies.com
Few public affairs professionals have stood at the intersection of government and electoral politics. Jaime King Fuquay has done it for 15 years, and she brings experience from North Carolina and New York to Vista’s executive team. Most recently, Jaime was the Director of Government Affairs for the North Carolina Education Lottery, where she managed state and federal affairs for the $2.4 Billion organization. She oversaw the lottery’s nationally recognized Responsible Gaming program, and was chief architect of the Lottery’s five-year strategic plan.
Throw in a myriad of fundraising, grassroots management, and Political Action Committee experience (for the North Carolina Medical Society and the New York State Association of REALTORS, among others), as well as a legislative affairs stint in New York Governor George Pataki’s administration, and Jaime’s expertise covers a wide range of issues.
She holds a Master’s Degree in Political Communication from the State University of New York at Albany, and a Bachelor’s in Communication from Siena College. Jaime is married and has two daughters.
HANNAH K. TEDDER
General Counsel
hannah@vistastrategies.com
Legislative aide, policy analyst, liaison, staff attorney, Congressional intern. All are hats Hannah Tedder has worn in her young career. The latest: Legal Guru/General Counsel for Vista Strategies, where she’ll help clients navigate the complexities of healthcare and regulatory policy.
Tedder hails from Advance, North Carolina. She graduated from Furman University in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, received her Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 2015, and immediately put her legal chops to the test in state government. She worked for both the Department of Environmental Quality and Health and Human Services before joining Vista.
VICKIE PATRICK
Treasurer, Executive Assistant
vickie@vistastrategies.com
Vickie is the longest-serving member of Team Apodaca (other than Tom and Lisa). She met Tom at a bank over 32 years ago and hasn’t escaped. Vickie keeps the trains running on time and keeps Tom out of trouble: She was his campaign treasurer during the Senate years, and at Vista she’s a jack-of-all-trades.