Lead the market.
Shape the rules.

Strategic counsel for highly regulated and politically sensitive markets.

Association & Nonprofit Counsel Public Affairs Fractional Leadership Market Entry
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What we do

Veteran leadership at the intersection of business and social change

Third Rail Advisory serves associations, nonprofits, companies, and investors in highly regulated and politically sensitive market environments. We combine two decades of policy and industry leadership, a deep professional network, and hands-on operating experience to help clients make sound decisions, engage the right people, and protect their position as markets take shape.

Association & Nonprofit Counsel

Senior strategy and hands-on support for trade associations and advocacy nonprofits — organizational development and governance, membership communications, events and convenings, and public affairs.

Public Affairs

Political and regulatory positioning, stakeholder and coalition strategy, government relations, and strategic communications for organizations navigating contested policy environments.

Fractional Leadership

Interim or part-time senior leadership — e.g. executive director, market segment lead, or head of public affairs or policy — for organizations that need experienced hands without a full-time hire. Covers the transition, the search, and the operating plan the next leader inherits.

Market Entry

Go-to-market strategy and support for companies and investors evaluating or entering cannabis and other emerging regulated categories — landscape, stakeholder mapping, partner evaluation, and the relationships to move with credibility.

When to call on us.

Companies & investors

  • A policy fight, regulatory action, or political attack has landed on your business, and you need to mobilize fast.
  • Legislation or a rulemaking could change your business model, and you need a strategy — not just a lobbyist.
  • You’re evaluating a new market and need to engage the right stakeholders, avoid risks, and develop key relationships.
  • You have lobbyists, a PR firm, or other consultants, but need someone to run them as a single function.
  • You need political and regulatory diligence before committing capital.
  • You need senior public affairs leadership now, and a full-time executive hire is six months away.

Associations & nonprofits

  • A new sector needs to organize — a coalition, working group, or trade association — and no one has built it yet.
  • Membership, revenue, or influence has plateaued, and the board is ready to take the organization to the next level.
  • A CEO or senior executive has left, and the organization needs steady hands through the transition.
  • Governance, coalition, or stakeholder tensions are slowing the mission.
  • Your advocacy program isn’t producing results proportional to costs.
  • The board wants strategic change but lacks the internal capacity to lead it.

If one of these sounds familiar, the first conversation is free and confidential. Book a time →

About

Portrait of Aaron Smith, founder of Third Rail Advisory

Aaron Smith

Founder, Third Rail Advisory

Third Rail Advisory is the independent practice of Aaron Smith, who has spent more than two decades combining legislative advocacy, strategic communications, and coalition leadership to advance social change at the intersection of business and politics.

He is best known throughout the cannabis, hemp, and plant medicine industries for his pioneering leadership of the National Cannabis Industry Association. In 2010, Aaron co-founded NCIA and led it for fifteen years — through periods of explosive growth and industry contraction — building a first-of-its-kind trade group into the industry’s largest, with nearly 2,000 member businesses, a federal lobbying operation, the industry’s first PAC, and its biggest events and convenings. Under his leadership, NCIA and its members helped advance most of the state cannabis laws on the books today.

Along the way he managed boards and competing stakeholder interests, coordinated state and federal strategy, forged coalitions across party lines, built and led cross-functional teams, and translated policy into practical decisions for operators and investors.

Aaron began his career at the Marijuana Policy Project and later served as political director at Unite America, a national organization focused on reducing polarization through electoral reforms. He remains an active member of the NCIA board and a firm believer in the power of business to drive social and political change. He currently splits his time between Denver, Colorado, and his hometown, Santa Rosa, California.

As seen in Politico CNBC Los Angeles Times San Francisco Chronicle CNN Fox News The Denver Post NPR Axios Chicago Tribune The Guardian MarketWatch

Contact

Let’s talk.

A first conversation is thirty minutes, confidential, and useful whether or not we end up working together. Book a call or send a note.

Email aaron@thirdrailadvisory.com
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Privacy

Third Rail Advisory collects the information you submit through the contact form or booking page (name, email, organization, message) solely to respond to your inquiry. It is not sold or shared with third parties. Booking is handled through Google Calendar and subject to Google’s privacy policy. Questions: aaron@thirdrailadvisory.com.