The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) recently held its annual Capital Forum in Washington, D.C., where noteworthy leadership changes were announced. This year’s forum marked the transition of leadership within the organization, reflecting its ongoing commitment to addressing important issues through bipartisan collaboration.

New Hampshire AG Elected as President

NAAG elected John Formella as president of the organization. Formella, who has served as New Hampshire’s attorney general (AG) since 2021, brings a wealth of experience and a strong track record of addressing public safety and legal challenges.

“I am honored to lead this organization at a time when collaboration across party lines is more important than ever,” said Formella. “Together, we can tackle critical issues like the opioid crisis and drug trafficking to protect our communities and uphold justice.”

Other NAAG Leadership Elections

The Capital Forum also saw the election of other key officers:

• President-Elect: William Tong, Connecticut AG
• Vice President: Marty Jackley, South Dakota AG
• Immediate Past President: Leticia James, New York AG

2025 Presidential Initiative: Combating Substance Abuse and Drug Trafficking

One of the key responsibilities of the NAAG president is to identify a major issue for the organization to focus on during the upcoming calendar year. Presidential initiatives help shape programming, trainings, and policy efforts for AGs and their staff nationally. Formella’s initiative for 2025, “Building on the Opioid Litigation Success: AGs Leading the Fight Against Substance Abuse and Drug Trafficking,” focuses on supporting law enforcement, enhancing prevention and treatment, and leveraging opioid settlement funds to address fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other illegal drugs.

About AG John Formella

Since 2021, Formella has led efforts to strengthen public safety, combat fentanyl trafficking, and address youth mental health challenges. His work includes major settlements on opioid claims and consumer protection lawsuits against tech giants.

About NAAG

Founded in 1907 and based in Washington, D.C., NAAG is a nonpartisan organization that supports the nation’s AGs and their staff through advocacy, training, research, and collaboration. NAAG serves as the national forum for state and territory AGs to address issues important to their work, offering resources such as national and customized training programs, research and analysis, and a multistate settlements database, supporting their efforts to uphold the rule of law and protect the Constitution.

Troutman Pepper State Attorneys General Team

	Ashley Taylor – Co-leader and Firm Vice Chair Ashley is co-leader of the firm’s nationally ranked State Attorneys General practice, vice chair of the firm, and a partner in its Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group. He helps his clients navigate the complexities involved with multistate attorneys general investigations and enforcement actions, federal agency actions, and accompanying litigation.
	Clay Friedman – Co-leader Clayton is a partner in the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group and co-leader of the State Attorneys General practice, multidisciplinary teams with decades of experience crafting effective strategies to help deter or mitigate the risk of enforcement actions and litigation.
	Stephen Piepgrass Stephen leads the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group. He focuses his practice on enforcement actions, investigations, and litigation. Stephen primarily represents clients engaging with, or being investigated by, state attorneys general and other state or local governmental enforcement bodies, including the CFPB and FTC, as well as clients involved with litigation, with a particular focus on heavily regulated industries.
	Michael Yaghi Michael is a partner in the firm’s State Attorneys General and Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Groups, nationwide teams that advise clients on consumer protection enforcement matters and other regulatory issues.
	Samuel E. “Gene” Fishel Gene is a member of the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) practice, based in the Richmond office. He brings extensive regulatory experience, having most recently served as senior assistant attorney general and chief of the Computer Crime Section in the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia, and as special assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia for 20 years.
	Chuck Slemp Chuck advises clients on a wide range of complex issues that frequently involve government actions, including investigations, inquiries, regulatory matters, and litigation. With a distinguished background in the law and public service, he served as chief deputy attorney general of Virginia before joining the firm. In addition to overseeing the Department of Law and Division of Debt Collection, Chuck managed a team of attorneys who handle complex litigation and investigations. He also directed the attorney general’s legislative affairs and represented the attorney general in various capacities.
	Tim Bado Tim is an associate in the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group, where he represents corporations and individuals facing potential civil and criminal exposure. Tim’s experience in government investigations, enforcement actions, and white-collar litigation spans a number of industries, including financial services, pharmaceutical, health care, and government contracting, among others.
	Jessica Birdsong Jessica is an associate in the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement Practice Group. She received her J.D. from the University of Richmond School of Law, magna cum laude, where she served as associate articles editor of the Journal of Law & Technology.
	Chris Carlson Chris Carlson represents clients in regulatory, civil and criminal investigations and litigation. In his practice, Chris regularly employs his prior regulatory experience to benefit clients who are interacting with and being investigated by state attorneys general.
	Blake R. Christopher Blake collaborates with clients on matters related to government contracting, investigations, and disputes. His senior-level government experience generates valuable insights and strategies for clients across a variety of industries.
	Nick Gouverneur Nick Gouverneur is an associate with Troutman Pepper.
	Natalia Jacobo Natalia is an associate in the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy and Enforcement (RISE) practice. She focuses her practice on two primary areas: government contracting and state attorney general work.
	Namrata Kang Namrata (Nam) is an associate in the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group, based in the Washington, D.C. office. She routinely advises clients on a wide variety of state and federal regulatory matters, with a particular emphasis on state consumer protection laws relating to consumer financial services and marketing and advertising.
	Michael Lafleur Michael is an associate in the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy, and Enforcement Practice Group. Based out of the firm’s Boston office, Mike has deep experience in litigation, investigations, and other regulatory matters involving state-level regulators and state attorneys general.
	Susan Nikdel Susan is an associate in the firm’s Consumer Financial Services Practice Group, and focuses her practice on consumer financial services matters. She has defended several of the nation’s largest and most influential financial institutions in individual and class action litigation involving the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and other consumer privacy statutes.
	Lane Page Lane specializes in federal and state regulatory investigations and complex civil litigation. He focuses on representing financial institutions and other businesses, with a particular emphasis on consumer protection and fair lending issues.
	Trey Smith Trey is an associate in the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement Practice. He focuses his practice on helping financial institutions and consumer facing companies navigate regulatory investigations and resulting litigation.
	Daniel Waltz Daniel is a member of the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group and State Attorneys General team. He counsels clients in connection with navigating complex government investigations, regulatory compliance, and transactions, involving state and federal government contracting obligations. Drawing on his broad experience as a former assistant attorney general for the state of Illinois, Daniel is a problem solver both inside and outside the courtroom.
	Cole White Cole is a member of the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy and Enforcement (RISE) group. He has a decade of experience working in the attorney general community, having joined the firm from the Wyoming Office of the Attorney General, where he was assistant attorney general.
	Stephanie Kozol Stephanie is Troutman Pepper’s senior government relations manager in the state attorneys general department.