Marland Buckner has spent his career at the intersection of the public and private sectors. He is currently Co-Founder and Principal of MB² Solutions LLC, a public affairs firm with offices in Washington, DC and Richmond, Virginia. Marland previously served for seven years as Director of Federal Government Affairs for Microsoft, where he worked closely with senior leadership and executive staff to integrate Microsoft’s philanthropic, policy, and political efforts. Marland represented Microsoft across a range of areas including education, workforce development, interactive entertainment, and co-chairing a key partnership that drove consensus for reform of the nation’s high-skilled immigration system. Marland also led Microsoft’s efforts to create a first of its kind $20 million partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor to provide technology skills training nationwide. Before his tenure at Microsoft, Marland served in several staff roles in the U.S. Congress, including Legislative Assistant to Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) as well as Senior Policy Advisor and Chief of Staff to then-Congressman Harold Ford Jr. (D-TN-09). Marland has also served as a policy analyst at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and the Progressive Policy Institute.