When advocating for clients – whether they are involved in financial services, intellectual property, international trade, health care, energy or aerospace – Cristina Antelo brings a vault of experience and know-how honed on and off Capitol Hill. Not only does she maneuver the halls of the US Senate and House with ease, but she’s also been comfortable working the trading floors of financial markets.
Earlier in her career, Cristina was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., where she oversaw eight analysts in the company’s wealth management division, conducted trading and portfolio management, and gained hands-on knowledge about regulatory requirements and reporting.
But it was when she caught a news story about Elian Gonzales from a trading floor in Los Angeles that Cristina realized government work was where she was meant to be. She attended The George Washington University Law School and became a legal fellow for the Senate Democratic Steering Committee, then chaired by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and former Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD). Before joining the Podesta Group, Cristina worked with the government affairs practice of a leading Washington, DC, law firm, representing foreign governments, trade, financial services and appropriations clients.
Cristina brings another dimension to helping clients navigate the changing political environment: A native Spanish speaker, she is a founding member and president of the Hispanic Lobbyists Association and a board member of the Hispanic Bar Association of DC Foundation. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Washington, DC, chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. In 2009, as part of its Young Hispanic Leaders Program, the Embassy of Spain honored her for her essay, “What Does It Mean to Be Hispanic in the US?”
A true Texan, born and raised in Dallas, Cristina holds a Juris Doctor from The George Washington University Law School and a bachelor's from Georgetown University.
