The National Restaurant Association (NRA) announced that Brendan Flanagan has been promoted to vice president of State and Local Affairs, a new position in the expanded Political and State Affairs department. Flanagan will lead the NRA’s engagement in public policy matters at the state and local level, working directly with state restaurant association executives and their staff members, as well as the state-focused governmental affairs staff of Association members.

“Brendan has been an effective advocate for the National Restaurant Association, our state partners and our members for nearly a dozen years,” says Rob Gifford, executive vice president, Political and State Affairs. “The restaurant industry provides jobs in every community in every state, and Brendan’s expertise will be of continued value as we promote pro-restaurant policies at the state and local level, allowing restaurants to create even more jobs nationwide.”

Flanagan has spent nearly 20 years working on public policy issues for the restaurant industry at the local, state, and federal level. For the past 11 years, he has worked in the NRA’s Policy and Government Affairs department, mostly recently as a senior director of federal relations. Prior to joining the NRA in 2001, Flanagan was director of government relations for the International Franchise Association. Previously, he was vice president for government relations at the Restaurant Association of Maryland (RAM). Following his graduation from the University of Maryland, Flanagan served as a legislative aide to former Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD).