William P. “Bill” Elwood works in strategic partnership with Seven Hills Strategy Group. He brings extensive government relations and association management experience as a Senior Advisor, consulting on specific issues and needs for our clients. With nearly five decades of work in Virginia government, including forty-one as a registered lobbyist, Bill has developed extensive expertise in the Virginia state budget, earning the respect of legislators and staffers serving on General Assembly budget committees and helping numerous clients navigate difficult legislative, budgetary, and regulatory issues. He enjoys close bipartisan relationships in the executive and legislative branches, and he has a sterling reputation for professionalism, integrity, and expertise in the government relations community.

Prior to founding both AEGIS Associates and Elwood Consulting in 2010, Bill served as Vice President and Government Affairs Director at Advantus Strategies, LLC from 2004 to 2009. He previously founded and served as President of ADVISORY OPINIONS for ten years, providing government relations, association management and special project management services to a wide variety of clients. 

Bill has long been deeply involved in the association management community, including past tenure as a President of the Virginia Society of Association Executives (VSAE). At various times, he has served on a contract basis as the Executive Director of four statewide associations, including the Virginia Coalition of Private Provider Associations (VCOPPA), the Virginia Career College Association (VCCA), the Virginia Association of Independent Specialized Education Facilities (VAISEF), and the Virginia Government Employees Association (VGEA). In honor of his accomplishments in the association management profession, he was presented with the VSAE Award of Excellence in 2002, the highest distinction awarded by VSAE.

Bill’s legacy of expertise and experience has made him a trusted and respected voice on numerous state policy work groups and task forces. He has served on Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Safe and Sound Task Force and on the DMAS Behavioral Health Redesign Advisory Council. Beginning in 2020, he was a member of the General Assembly’s Work Group on the Administrative Transition of Private Special Educations Services. Previous appointments include service on two work groups of the Governor’s Mental Health Task Force and the Advisory Group of the Virginia Commission on Youth Study on the Use of Federal, State and Local Funds for Private Educational Placements of Students with Disabilities, as well as the Host State Finance Committee for the Council of State Governments and the Attorney General’s Task Force on Drinking by College Students. 

Very active in the community, Bill has served Bon Air United Methodist Church in numerous roles over many years as a member and leader of the congregation, extending his dedication through church missions to afflicted communities. He is a 1984 graduate of Virginia Tech with a B.A. Degree in History and continued involvement in Virginia Tech Alumni organizations. Bill is the father of two adult daughters, Alex and Charlotte. He and his wife, Sandra, currently reside in Williamsburg, a beloved home base for excursions to wineries, festivals and sporting events around Virginia, the United States and throughout the world.