Public Affairs Veteran Damian O'Doherty Launches New Firm Focused on AI-Era Leadership

Public affairs veteran Damian O'Doherty has launched a new venture, O'Doherty & Associates, marking a departure from the firm he co-founded nearly two decades ago, KO Public Affairs. In a statement announcing his departure, O'Doherty explained that after 17 years helping to build KO, the canvas in public affairs has changed significantly. The new firm will focus on helping leaders, institutions, and innovators gain resonance in the AI epoch, combining expertise in law, influence, media, and capital strategy to address the evolving landscape of public affairs and leadership influence.

O'Doherty described his new venture as a family of firms spanning Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Colorado, with operations extending globally. The company includes a Maryland-based law practice, an Aspen influence and public affairs agency, and a global capital network designed to serve clients across multiple sectors and geographic boundaries. Among its core offerings is Health Counsel, a specialized practice that advises healthcare executives on policy and strategic decisions in an increasingly complex regulatory environment. This comprehensive approach reflects O'Doherty's recognition that modern public affairs requires integrated capabilities across multiple disciplines to effectively serve clients in today's rapidly changing business and political landscape.

The move represents a significant pivot for O'Doherty, who over the years has helped shape some of the region's most visible projects across various sectors. His extensive experience includes healthcare advocacy work, infrastructure expansion initiatives, and economic development projects around critical regional assets like the Port of Baltimore and the D.C. Beltway. He was also an early investor in MGM National Harbor and played a key role in driving affordable housing initiatives for firefighters in Aspen, demonstrating his commitment to both business development and community-focused projects. These diverse experiences have positioned him to understand the complex interplay between public policy, private enterprise, and community needs that characterizes modern public affairs work.

O'Doherty emphasized that the traditional approaches that built his previous firm no longer suffice in today's environment, stating that the boxing gloves that built KO don't fit what's next in the field. He argued that today's public affairs landscape demands new tools, sharper instincts, and a broader canvas to effectively serve clients and address complex challenges. From statehouses and health systems to data centers and global markets, O'Doherty said his new firm aims to guide leaders through an era where artificial intelligence and human storytelling are fundamentally reshaping influence itself. He concluded with a forward-looking statement that firms must be fit to fight for a new future, declaring that this next round starts now for public affairs professionals navigating the AI-driven transformation of their field.