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Principal, Washington, DC Office – 76 Group

Jeff Small is a Principal at the 76 Group and leads the firm’s Washington, DC Federal Affairs office, where he specializes in energy, mining, and natural resources policy. He brings more than 15 years of experience in federal affairs, with senior service in Congress and the executive branch.

Jeff previously held a presidential appointment and senior staff position at the U.S. Department of the Interior, where he built strong relationships across the executive branch. Besides his service at Interior, Jeff spent over a decade on Capitol Hill. He served as Chief of Staff in the U.S. House of Representatives for four years and held several other senior legislative roles, including Legislative Director and Legislative Assistant.

Jeff is nationally recognized for his success in negotiating and passing complex mining bills and federal land exchanges. Over his career, he has authored and advanced seven major exchanges into law—unlocking economic development projects and securing vital water rights. His work has supported projects such as the Resolution Copper Superior Mine (projected to supply 25% of U.S. copper demand and generate $60 billion in economic activity), the Freeport-McMoRan Bagdad Mine (supporting nearly 4,000 jobs and contributing $339 million annually to Arizona’s economy), and the reinstatement of the Twin Metals Minnesota mineral leases (preserving jobs and stability in the domestic critical minerals supply chain).

Jeff served as Executive Director of the Congressional Western Caucus, where he expanded membership, passed bipartisan legislation, and led efforts to defend resource development against overreach. At the Department of the Interior, Jeff Small worked on reopening National Parks after COVID-19, implementing the Great American Outdoors Act, modernizing NEPA, and supporting large-scale resource and energy projects.
Throughout his career, Jeff has helped pass 19 bills and 96 appropriations requests into law, securing more than $2 billion for water, forest management, mining and infrastructure priorities.

Jeff graduated cum laude from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, where he played football. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and two daughters.