ALEXANDRIA, Va. The United Motorcoach Association has retained a Washington firm, BKSH & Associates, and one of its managing directors, Becky Weber, to provide government relations and lobbying services.

BKSH & Associates is a bipartisan firm, providing government relations consultancy to a select group of domestic and international clients.

It is part of Burson-Marsteller, the world's largest communications agency, and is led by Charles Black, who is perhaps best known as one of the nations leading Republican political strategists. Black served as a senior advisor to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and as a spokesman for the Republican Party.

Weber and BKSH provide government relations services to the National School Transportation Association, which is managed by UMA.

Weber specializes in transportation and local government issues. She has held senior staff positions on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and at the U.S. Department of Transportation.

At USDOT, she worked in the legislative division of the Office of the General Counsel. As a U.S. House staff member, Weber served as counsel to Republican members of the transportation and infrastructure committee on matters under the jurisdiction of the surface transportation subcommittee.

She served on the Bush/Cheney Transition Advisory Team for the Department of Transportation in 2001, and was a national campaign founding member for the Elizabeth Dole for President exploratory committee in 1999.

She holds a law degree from the University of Kansas and a bachelor degree from Baylor University.

"From my vantage point, retaining BKSH and Becky Weber further strengthens our ties with the school bus industry, a relationship that seems natural given that one-third of (UMA) members operate home-to-school school bus service on a contract basis," said Victor Parra, president and CEO of UMA.

"Becky is the top transportation lobbyist in town. She's well respected by both Democratic and Republican members of Congress."