Principal / Public Sector Consulting
Doug Talbott is a trusted government professional with over 30 years of extensive experience in all facets of the Ohio political landscape. He has fostered lasting relationships that span, local, state and federal levels maintaining a sphere of influence that has translated to driving results for his clients.
He began his career working for former Cleveland Mayor, George Voinovich. First, on his election campaign, then performing advance work for the administration in its first year. Doug then took over as Deputy Director of Regional Economic Development Offices, a position he would hold for the remainder of both terms of the Voinovich administration. During his tenure in the role, Doug worked as part of the team that secured incentive packages for the New Albany business site, multiple phases of Easton Town Center, and retained Chase Mortgage and their 2,000 plus jobs from leaving Ohio.
Doug then worked on the transition team for newly elected, Bob Taft. He began the new administration as Director of Boards and Commission. This role allowed Doug to amass a vast network of professionals spanning dozens of industries and interests through the vetting and interview processes. During his two-year stint, he organized and facilitated over 1,200 appointments, including 16 judges while working daily with the Governor.
Halfway through the first term, Doug transitioned out of the administration, moving to the private sector and becoming the SVP for Government Affairs at the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. While there, he successfully lobbied for state funds that would go towards the construction and execution of the downtown flood wall, and the historic Lincoln Theater.
After successfully lobbying with the Chamber, Doug formally began his career as a contract advocate, serving clients for nearly 20 years. He has collaborated with leaders in both the executive and legislative branches, to consistently provide a trusted voice for his clients to key decision makers in the Ohio political landscape.
Vice President / Public Sector Consulting
Hurst Talbott joined the Public Sector Consulting team in 2023, bringing a youthful but experienced approach to the firm. He carries a unique blend of experience to the world of government advocacy, having worked almost exclusively in client-facing roles since his professional career began.
Hurst joined the Cleveland Guardians front office, upon early graduation from Defiance College. During his tenure with the Guards, Hurst managed over 1,000 different accounts spanning season tickets, suites, groups and corporate partners gaining strong relationships and navigating the ever-changing landscape of professional sports and its fans.
After leaving the Guardians, Hurst joined the Ohio Lottery Commission and its efforts to provide critical funding for education in the state. As Draw Game Product Manager, Hurst oversaw a portfolio of games that amassed over $2 Billion dollars in annual sales, including Keno, Pick 3,4,5, Mega Millions and Powerball. During his nearly three-year tenure, Hurst worked with members of the commission, state officials and Lottery Industry partners nationwide to deliver consecutive years of record transfers to the Lottery Profit Education Fund (LPEF).
Hurst also participated and graduated from the Governor’s Leadership Academy that provides an opportunity for public employees to gain valuable insight into all facets of the State executive branch.
Hurst has made an immediate impact on Public Sector Consulting and its clients upon joining the firm, quickly earning the trust of Government stakeholders. He has recently joined the OITA advisory board, helping to drive initiatives important to members. He has also started spearheading PSC’s Legislative efforts, monitoring pertinent legislation and providing clients with detailed analysis on bills important to their interests. Most recently including advocacy for the successful passage of the FORCE Act combating Organized Retail Crime in Ohio.
Strategic Advisor, Government Technology
Public Sector Consulting is thrilled to have Mike on the team, leveraging his decades of experience to drive growth and innovation for our clients in the technology sector.
Mike Dean is a seasoned sales executive with over four decades of experience in enterprise software, CRM, ERP, and cloud-based solutions. He has a strong track record of leading high-performing teams and driving sales growth across state and local governments, K-12 education, and Fortune 2000 organizations.
Most recently, Mike served as Regional Vice President at Salesforce (2019-2025), where he led teams responsible for selling Salesforce CRM and associated solutions—including Tableau, Mulesoft, Marketing Cloud, Data Cloud, and Slack—to government agencies in the Midwest and Northeast. Under his leadership, his teams successfully expanded Salesforce’s presence in the public sector, providing cutting-edge digital transformation solutions.
Before joining Salesforce, Mike was an Area Vice President of Sales at Oracle (2013-2019), where he oversaw public sector ERP sales across the United States. His teams sold Oracle’s comprehensive suite of ERP, HCM, and CRM applications, including Oracle E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, and Hyperion. He played a pivotal role in helping state and local governments modernize their operations through cloud-based enterprise solutions.
Earlier in his career, Mike held leadership roles at ACS (a Xerox Company), EMC, and BearingPoint (now Deloitte), where he specialized in business process outsourcing, software solutions, and consulting services for government and enterprise clients. He spent over seven years at Oracle (1996-2004) as a Regional Sales Manager, directing teams across 11 states and driving revenue growth in database and enterprise applications. He began his career at Unisys providing IT Solutions to State and Local Government in Ohio for 18 years.
With a deep understanding of enterprise technology sales, public sector engagement, and digital transformation, Mike continues to be a strategic leader in the industry, delivering innovative solutions that enhance operational efficiency and service delivery for government agencies and large organizations.
