Mark Ritacco is a senior advisor in Manatt’s government and advocacy contracting practice with nearly 20 years of federal advocacy and county government leadership experience.

Mark has a deep background in federal advocacy, intergovernmental affairs and public sector strategy, with a focus on county government operations, multi-level policy coordination, bipartisan relationship building, coalition development and public-private collaboration. Mark has a unique understanding of the federal funding process from managing the Appropriations Committee portfolio while working in the U.S. Senate, a strong track record delivering results for local governments and subject-matter knowledge in emerging county priorities, such as mental health, artificial intelligence, infrastructure and public safety.

Prior to joining Manatt, Mark was Chief Government Affairs Officer for the National Association of Counties (NACo), where he led federal advocacy on behalf of 3,069 county governments nationwide, engaged directly with Congress, the White House and federal agencies and supported local leaders in accessing federal programs, grants and regulatory pathways. During his tenure, he helped orchestrate the largest-ever federal investment in America's counties through the American Rescue Plan and leveraged strong bipartisan relationships to shape favorable national policy for local governments. Mark previously spent more than a decade in the U.S. Senate as Director of Strategic Initiatives for Senator Christopher Murphy and currently serves on the board of the Center for Civic Education.