Our Team
Dr. Mardy Leathers - Founding Principal
Dr. Mardy Leathers is a policy economist and founder of Hashtag Strategies, where he advises senior government leaders, industry executives, and institutions on economic security, industrial strategy, workforce transformation, and national competitiveness amid accelerating geopolitical and technological change.
His expertise centers on the nexus of industrial policy, economic development, and workforce systemsthat strengthen national and regional competitiveness. As a former state workforce development director and elected official, he led large-scale apprenticeship and talent initiatives designed to strengthen economic resilience and support industry growth across critical sectors.
His current portfolio focuses on how states, nations, and organizations align labor supply, industrial capacity, market strategy, and public policy to strengthen growth, productivity, and long-term strategic advantage. This includes working with clients to develop market expansion strategies, government relations initiatives, strategic partnerships, and workforce-focused innovation models that connect public priorities with private-sector growth opportunities.
Consulting Network
Hashtag Strategies brings together a distinguished network of industrial policy experts, former senior government leaders, economists, workforce strategists, and subject-matter specialists who have shaped policy at the federal, state, and international levels.
Our team has firsthand experience designing and implementing initiatives spanning economic development, workforce systems, advanced manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, technology, education, and public investment. Because we understand how government priorities are developed, funded, and executed, we help clients anticipate policy shifts, identify emerging opportunities, and align their strategies with evolving public-sector objectives before they become market realities.
This unique combination of policy expertise and real-world leadership enables Hashtag Strategies to deliver more than traditional consulting.
