AF&PA Staff

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Julie Landry serves as American Forest & Paper Association’s Vice President of Government Affairs. Landry is responsible for leading the paper and wood products industry’s legislative agenda and driving advocacy efforts before Congress, the White House and state governments.

Landry joined AF&PA as Manager of Government Affairs in October of 2011 and has cultivated extensive experience on issues related to energy, environment, water and forestry. Over the past decade she has also led the Association’s Transportation and Tax Committees, serves as co-lead for planning and executing AF&PA Advocacy days in Washington, D.C. and oversees AF&PA PAC and grassroots activity.

Landry previously worked for the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), where she lobbied on a variety of key issues including food safety, taxes and energy.  She began her career on Capitol Hill working for Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and later served as Special Assistant to the Policy Director for the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Originally from Columbus, Georgia, Landry holds a bachelor’s degree in International Business from Auburn University. 

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Lindsay Murphy serves as American Forest & Paper Association Vice President of Strategic Communications. Murphy is responsible for crafting and executing complex strategic communications plans on notable public policy issues.

Murphy joined AF&PA in January 2019. She has led the modernization of digital assets to advance legislative and policy goals and addressed a wide variety of communications challenges – advancing issues, garnering publicity and negotiating crowded message environments. Having begun her career on Capitol Hill, Murphy previously held positions at various nonprofit, health trade associations and public affairs firms directing strategy and outreach.

An Arkansas native, she holds a master’s degree in Strategic Public Relations from The George Washington University. 

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Paul Noe serves as American Forest & Paper Association Vice President of Public Policy. Noe has extensive regulatory, legislative and technical experience, including in environmental regulation (air, climate, water, solid waste and chemicals policy), regulatory reform, renewable energy, chemicals and product stewardship, workplace health and safety, and sustainability.

He previously served as the Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at the Grocery Manufacturers Association. Noe also has broad experience in public service, including as Counselor to the Administrator in the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (2001-2006), where he helped to lead the development of regulatory policy and White House review of regulations in the administration of George W. Bush.

He previously served as Senior Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs under Chairmen Fred Thompson, Ted Stevens and Bill Roth (1995-2001), where his work focused on reforming the regulatory process. He also has been a lawyer in private practice, most recently as a partner with C&M Capitolink LLC, as well as counsel in Crowell & Moring’s Environment and Natural Resources Group.

He also previously served as a Counsel Member and co-chair of the Legislation Committee and the Rulemaking Committee in the American Bar Association’s Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice, where he co-chaired the work group that produced Improving the Administrative Process: A Report to the President-Elect (2016). Noe also co-authored a book chapter, “Beyond Process Excellence: Enhancing Societal Well-Being,” published in Achieving Regulatory Excellence by Brookings Institution Press. In the spring of 2016, he served as a policy fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he offered lectures in environmental law, legislation, advanced regulatory policy and administrative law. He has written numerous blogs and articles promoting regulatory reform, including benefit-cost analysis Bringing Accountability to Regulation: Doing More Good than Harm and good guidance practices Shining the Light on Regulatory Dark Matter: Due Process and Management for Agency Guidance Document.

Noe is a graduate of The Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a John M. Olin fellow in law and economics and an editor on the law journal.

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Andrew Topps serves as American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Topps is responsible for the association’s legal affairs and governance issues and provides overall direction for the association as a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

Topps joined AF&PA in 2010 and has held numerous positions in the legal department, including Attorney, Assistant General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel. He was promoted to his current position in September 2022. 

Prior to joining AF&PA, Topps was an antitrust associate in private practice where he represented clients in investigations and litigation conducted by federal and state enforcement agencies. Topps also spent time at the Federal Trade Commission where he investigated transactions for potential violation of the antitrust laws.

Topps received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia where he majored in Economics with a minor in Government and International Relations. He received his Juris Doctorate from the Georgetown University Law Center. Topps is licensed to practice law in Washington, DC and Maryland. 

 

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Elizabeth VanDersarl serves as American Forest & Paper Association Vice President of Strategy & Operations. VanDersarl is responsible for providing strategic guidance for the goals of the association and overseeing human resources, facilities, meetings, information technology and some finance functions at AF&PA.

VanDersarl joined AF&PA in 2005 and has held numerous positions, including Vice President of Government Affairs. Prior to joining the association, she helped lead the development of regulatory policy and White House review of regulations at the Office of Management & Budget. Her areas of focus included homeland security, transportation, labor, housing and health. VanDersarl also served as Counsel to Ranking Senator Fred Thompson (R -TN), on the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. Her first job in Washington, D.C. was with political pollster and pundit Frank Luntz. Before arriving to the nation’s capital, she was an Assistant State’s Attorney in Illinois.

VanDersarl holds an undergraduate degree from Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana and a law degree from the University of Notre Dame.