Daniel Forest

Dan leads Michael Best Strategies’ bipartisan government relations, public affairs, and lobbying work throughout North Carolina. A former Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina, he also provides clients with strategic advice and counsel, tapping into his extensive experience and knowledge of North Carolina public policy and politics.

Dan’s Expertise: Education, Government Relations, Legislative Process, Policy Advocacy, Strategic Political Relationships

During Dan’s eight-year tenure as Lieutenant Governor, he served as President of the North Carolina Senate, as Chairman of the Energy Policy Council, and as a member of the state Economic Development Board. Dan also served as Chairman of the Digital Technology Committee of the State Board of Education, as Chairman of the Postsecondary Educational Credentials Board, and as a voting member of the North Carolina Board of Community Colleges. Dan is a long-time champion of charter schools and school choice for students and families. Among other things, he is known for having strong relationships within both major political parties and a reputation for working together to advance public policy initiatives.

Dan has spearheaded a number of key legislative achievements, including the first-of-its-kind (in America) University Campus Free Speech bill, mandatory financial literacy and economics requirements for all high school graduates, and a digital learning plan that made North Carolina the first state in the nation to connect every single classroom to high-speed internet. He also successfully advocated for opportunity scholarships for disadvantaged students, and numerous school choice bills. Additionally, Dan championed several anti-human trafficking bills, and innovative legislation supporting eVtol technology.

Dan spent his early career as an architect and ultimately as a senior partner with one of the nation’s largest architecture firms. There he led design teams in corporate, primary and higher education, and cultural projects for numerous organizations across the nation.

EDUCATION

• University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Bachelor of Science – Architecture
• University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Bachelor of Architecture

HONORS

• Recipient, Edwin Meese III Award for Originalism and Religious Liberty (from Alliance Defending Freedom)