Brian Ballard has made a name for himself as one of the top government relations professionals in the country. As the president of Ballard Partners, he leads a firm that provides unsurpassed advocacy to some of the world’s leading organizations with the goal of helping them reach their policy objectives.
Brian Ballard founded Ballard Partners in Tallahassee, Florida, in 1998. Under his direction, the firm has grown to encompass numerous offices across the country and around the world. What’s more, through the Ballard Global Alliance, he has expanded his firm’s reach through strategic partnerships with like-minded firms in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Canada, and Australia.
Along with Brian Ballard’s high-profile reputation in political circles, he has increasingly become known for his charity. Since 2016, he has given generously to Florida State University (FSU), the institution of higher learning that’s based in the same city where Ballard Partners was launched.
$1 Million Donation to Florida State University
In 2026, Brian Ballard and his wife, Kathryn, donated $1 million to FSU’s Food for Thought Pantry. Called an “extraordinary gift” by FSU President Richard McCullough, it comes at a time of rising food insecurity among students.
The Ballards’ first act of charity to FSU saw the couple donate a $1.1 million building in downtown Tallahassee that now houses the university’s Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship. Later, in 2020, Brian Ballard created a scholarship to honor his former Ballard Partners colleague Gregory Turbeville, who passed away in the same year.
Gregory Turbeville was a longtime government relations professional at Ballard Partners. He joined the firm in the early 2000s and remained there until his death in 2020. That period saw Ballard Partners expand across Florida, where it now maintains eight offices.
A Commitment to Clients
Interviewed for a 2014 article in Sunshine State News, Turbeville noted that, despite the firm’s growth, Ballard Partners has not lost touch with its guiding principles. “I think the commitment to clients and the integrity of the work has remained as strong as ever,” he said.
Turbeville’s extensive background in politics in the Sunshine State enabled him to serve as a trusted confidant to Brian Ballard during the firm’s expansion. Prior to joining Ballard Partners, Turbeville was a policy director for Governor Jeb Bush and the chief of staff for Florida Speaker of the House John Thrasher.
His background in Florida politics also saw him serve as a governor-appointed member of the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission and as a staff director for a budget and policy committee in the Florida legislature. Nicknamed “Turbo,” he was known for his expertise in policy.
“There wasn’t an issue that Turbo was not able to offer an insightful and thoughtful opinion on, often making many of us reconsider our own,” said Jeb Bush upon learning of his former colleague’s death. “Our team and our administration would not have been nearly as successful without his grit, good humor, and leadership.”
Beloved by Bolleagues
Beyond his work, Turbeville was beloved on a personal level by his colleagues, with Brian Ballard calling Turbeville a “longtime partner and friend.“ Bush added that, despite Turbeville’s significant contributions to his administration, he was even more grateful for his friendship. Thrasher said simply, “I loved him.”
A week following Turbeville’s death, Brian Ballard announced that he would be endowing a scholarship fund at the FSU College of Music in his former colleague’s name. As those close to Turbeville knew, he had a deep love of music and was known to always keep his guitar close by. Because he was also an ardent Seminoles fan, a scholarship at the FSU College of Music was a natural fit.
“In our grief, we have been inspired to create a living tribute to honor Greg’s blessed memory,” said Brian Ballard in his announcement of the scholarship fund, which will help high-achieving students who have a demonstrated financial need to pursue their dream of studying music.
