A team with local intelligence for national priorities.
At Wisconsin Public Affairs Partners, our team has decades of experience working across political divides on some of the biggest issues facing our state. From the state and local government levels, you can rely on our team to provide trusted advice on your next project.
Josh Morby
Josh has built a career at the intersection of public affairs, workforce development, and community strategy—helping organizations translate complex policy and economic change into clear stories, durable coalitions, and real results.
From his early work as a print reporter, to his time in Wisconsin state government advising Gov. Jim Doyle and other top Democrats, to more than two decades advising employers, trade associations, civic leaders, and nonprofits, Josh has developed a reputation as a connector who understands how media, government, business, and local communities work.
His efforts have shaped statewide initiatives in workforce training, infrastructure investment, health care access, and education with a particular focus on helping national organizations navigate Wisconsin.
Josh has led communications and public-engagement strategies for major infrastructure and economic development projects, bipartisan policy campaigns, and regional economic development coalitions. He has served as a senior advisor to workforce development organizations, construction and manufacturing employers, health care systems, and philanthropic partners seeking to align talent pipelines with emerging industry demand. As a former aide to Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, Josh worked on issues ranging from manufacturing, transportation and energy, to Medicaid policy, apprenticeship expansion, and construction—translating policy goals into messages that resonate with workers, employers, and voters.
Through his firm, JRM Advisers, Josh supports large-scale initiatives and campaigns addressing Wisconsin’s coming construction and infrastructure surge. He specializes in coalition building, narrative strategy, media relations, crisis communications, and the design of public-facing platforms that help institutions earn trust. Josh is known for blending practical political instincts with a deep commitment to community impact, helping national companies navigate local concerns or helping neighborhood organizations find stronger voices.
Josh remains deeply engaged in Wisconsin, serving on local boards, advising communities, organizations, and corporations across the state. He lives in Milwaukee where he balances his professional life by spending time with his wife and their three daughters. He loves the outdoors, spending time on the water, hunting ducks, and enjoying all that Wisconsin has to offer.
jm@wisconsinpublicaffairs.com
Rusty Schultz
Rusty has established himself as a leader in public affairs and strategic communications, with a long track record on bipartisan and private sector issues, informed by years on the inside of GOP politics.
He has served on a number of high-profile battleground political campaigns and worked alongside policymakers, press, and stakeholders in Wisconsin’s statehouse for a decade. Today, he serves as Executive Vice President at Platform Communications, a Midwest-based strategic communications firm founded by Keith Gilkes, who served as chief of staff for Gov. Scott Walker—and led the effort that allowed a sitting governor to beat back a recall attempt for the first time in the nation’s history.
At Platform – and in support of Wisconsin Public Affairs Partners – Rusty leads a team of public affairs and communications strategists who have worked for presidential and congressional teams as well as local elections in Wisconsin and in other battleground states across the country. Together they support a wide array of clients that span from health care to energy—and include Fortune 500 companies and national trade associations.
Rusty was a member of U.S. Senator Ron Johnson’s 2010 communication team, served as chief digital strategist for Gov. Scott Walker’s 2018 team, and has advised the Republican Party of Wisconsin on communications and digital efforts throughout his tenure. His deep knowledge of Wisconsin’s political landscape was further forged as he served as chief of staff to Wisconsin’s Assembly leader, crafting legislative policies and strategies to tackle some of Wisconsin’s largest policy reforms. Here Rusty led efforts to develop and execute communications plans for officials and candidates which built and changed narratives—and delivered wins on policy and at the ballot box.
Through it all, Rusty’s work alongside political candidates and public officials has given him deep experience crafting strategies and activating supporters on a local, statewide, and national scale. Beyond his professional pursuits, Rusty is a 5th generation cranberry grower and remains involved in his family’s farm where he was raised in western Wisconsin.
rs@wisconsinpublicaffairs.com
A Wisconsin team for you.
In addition to Josh and Rusty’s decades of combined experience, Wisconsin Public Affairs Partners has staffing resources with experience spanning a wide array of issues – from working at the most local levels of government to advising presidential campaigns on policies, media, and political strategies. And all of it is rooted in Midwestern common sense, from the biggest battleground state in the country.
Our media strategists regularly book surrogates on state and national outlets and place opinion pieces in some of the largest outlets, or the most hyper local. Our marketing and digital team has capabilities to give your projects the air support needed to effectively deliver your messages. The Wisconsin Public Affairs Partners team has you covered for your next project – contact us today to see how we can help.