Who
We Are

Mary Vought is the President and Founder of Vought Strategies, a Washington D.C.-based PR firm established in 2013.

Vought has over 15 years of public relations, political, and crisis communications experience. Previously she worked in the U.S. Senate for Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) as his Communications Director and then senior advisor. She also worked in the U.S. House for several Members of Congress, including working at the House Republican Conference for then Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN).

Her work which has focused on health care policy, government oversight, disability advocacy, and more, has also been published in The Washington Post, USA Today, Fox News, Newsweek, and The Wall Street Journal. In her spare time, she proudly advocates for those in the disability community, including her youngest daughter, who has cystic fibrosis.

Mary is also an Independent Women’s Forum fellow where she writes on policies of health care, government regulations, and culture. She has two children and resides in Arlington, Virginia.

Joe Koss is the Director of Media Relations for Vought Strategies. He assists with managing clients and oversees broadcast media bookings, opinion and print piece placements, and critical media strategy. Before working for Vought Strategies, he was the Digital Editor at Conservative Review, where he co-hosted and produced several videos and podcasts and helped manage the social media platforms.

Prior to that, he was the Communications Director for several state and national candidates and spent time working in the Michigan State House.

Joe is a graduate of the Ave Maria School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor and passed the Michigan bar. He then served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Charles T. Huguelet in Kenai, Alaska.

He and his wife homeschool their five children and live in Metro Detroit, Michigan. Joe is a youth hockey coach and the director of hockey operations with his local youth hockey association.

Jessica Marston is a Public Relations Advisor for Vought Strategies. Previously, Jessica taught communication classes at Cornell University, serving as a full-time lecturer.  She instructed on best communication theory and practice with a common sense and relational approach. She has also been an adjunct professor at SUNY-Cortland, George Mason University, and The George Washington University.

After time in academia, Jessica created her own business, Veritas Communications, which provided communication training for the legal profession.  She worked with law firms in both New York City and Washington, DC.

Jessica holds her BA and MA in Communication from Wheaton College.  She and her husband live in Arlington, VA raising their three children.  Jessica enjoys travel, outdoor activities, and art and design.

Aryeh Shudofsky has spent more than a decade as a senior policy advisor and political writer.

He came to Washington, D.C., after working on Wall Street and in the alternative investment space. Aryeh has written pieces that have appeared in numerous leading publications, including the Financial Times, the Washington Post, and Newsweek. He lives in the D.C. Metro Area with his wife and four children.