SACRAMENTO – Lobbyist Shannon Smith-Crowley, a registered California lobbyist for more than 15 years who focuses on healthcare, women’s equity, life sciences and the biomedical industry, has joined Sacramento-based law firm Wilke Fleury in its Government Affairs group.

Smith-Crowley spent four years lobbying for the California Medical Association, where she focused on managed health care, medical staff, legal issues and reproductive health. She then founded Partners In Advocacy (PIA) in 2003 to specialize in medical and reproductive health advocacy. PIA expanded its mission over the years to address human trafficking and women’s equity legislation.

Notable legislative successes during her career include: developing California law that requires maternity coverage in all health insurance policies, well before the enactment of similar provisions in the Affordable Care Act; working on bills creating California’s public umbilical cord blood banking program, which provides unique material for lifesaving stem cell transplants and groundbreaking biomedical research; contributing to bills allowing HIV+ men to safely create families using Assisted Reproductive Technologies; and playing a pivotal role in developing the Modern Family Act, protecting the rights of intended parents, donors and surrogates.