Damian Kunko, Senior Vice President, is a government relations expert who has been assisting companies, trade associations, and universities develop federal funding and policy strategies since 1996. Damian’s specific expertise is assisting clients develop new technologies and creating policies that incentivize their deployment in the Energy and Defense sectors.
During his career, Damian has secured over $1 billion in federal funding for clients and has led the formation of several national trade organizations and advocacy coalitions. He has extensive experience advancing public policy and federal financing initiatives for a variety of industries including: offshore/undersea energy, propulsion, security systems, water power, wildfire resiliency, advanced materials (composites and specialty alloys) for ground, ship and aerospace systems, advanced/additive manufacturing, medical research, and environmental technologies. Prior to joining SMI, Damian lobbied for a variety of rural telecommunications, mobile medical, and information systems clients. He also served on the staff of a Member of Congress from Washington State.
Damian holds a B.A. in Political Science from Washington State University and served in the U.S. Marine Corps.