Executive Team
Leo A. Giacometto, Founder and CEO of GAGE, has a broad background of military, political, private and public sector service. Giacometto brings a wide-range of applicable experience to GAGE in the areas of founding, strategically building, operating and managing private sector companies. He has served in all branches of the Government, the Judiciary, Legislative, and Executive branches. Giacometto as well has served in appointed and elected positions in County Government, State Government and Federal Government. He has overseen large government agencies and directed the operations of Congressional and Gubernatorial offices in both an official and political capacity.
Giacometto has previously served as a County Magistrate, State Legislator, and was confirmed by the United State Senate as a United States Marshal. Giacometto has also held Cabinet positions for two Governors: Secretary of Agriculture and a member of the Northwest Power Planning Council as well as the Chief of Staff to a United States Senator.
In addition, Giacometto is a former Director of the Tri-State Farmers and Ranchers Cooperative in South Dakota, as the Vice President of Government Affairs of Morrison Knudsen, and an Executive for Washington International both international engineering and construction companies. Giacometto served 23 years in the United States Army and Reserves, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was stationed in Panama as a member of U.S. Army’s equivalent to a SWAT Team and later served in the State Department’s Counterterrorism Section, where he was deployed around the world. He is a graduate of the United States Army Military Police Academy and an honor graduate of the Montana Military Academy.
Giacometto is the Founder and CEO of Mongolia Forward, a uranium mining project based in Mongolia. He is the Co-founder of the Pepsi franchise in Mongolia and serves on the Board of Directors for Gemnet, a Eurasian telecommunications company based in Ulaanbaatar. He is on the Board of Advisors of Silk Way Holding, a multinational aviation services company based in Baku, Azerbaijan. He serves as a Senior Advisor to Expedia, Inc., the largest online travel company in the world.
Giacometto also owns a seventh generation ranching operation in Alzada, Montana.
Senator Conrad Burns, Senior Advisor, has recently completed his third term (1989-2007) as a United States Senator from Montana where he was a recognized leader in the areas of telecommunications, aviation, natural resources, energy, defense, and agricultural policy.
Senator Burns brings to GAGE a strong, varied background as he served on the far reaching Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee which had oversight responsibility for such agencies as the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission as well as over the Commerce and Transportation Departments. He chaired the Sub-Committee on Communications during the most sweeping change in telecommunications history. Senator Burns has been praised by Yahoo as “one of the fathers of the modern Internet,” and was a strong advocate for broadband in rural areas as well as new internet and mobile phone technologies. Other areas he held jurisdictional responsibility included interstate commerce, regulation of interstate common carriers, including railroads, buses, trucks, vessels, pipelines, and civil aviation.
While Senator Burns was a member of the powerful Appropriations Committee, he was responsible for overseeing federal spending for the entire United States Government. He served as Chairman of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee where he had jurisdiction over the Department of the Interior and agencies such as the Office of Surface Mining, Bureau of Land Management, Environmental Protection Agency and the Forest, Minerals Management, National Park, and US Fish and Wildlife Services. He had oversight over land and water that produces 30 percent of the United States’ energy supply and was a strong advocate for increased domestic production and research in fuel cell technology.
As a member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee he oversaw more than $400 billion dollars in annual spending by Department of Defense where he advocated for increase funding on new and innovative technologies.
Senator Burns enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1954, and served throughout East Asia. Following his military service, Senator Burns worked for TWA and Ozark Airlines before becoming a field representative for Polled Hereford World magazine. He was also named first manager of the Northern International Livestock Expo in 1968. From this managerial position, Burns began his career in radio and television broadcasting. In 1975, Burns founded four radio stations known as the Northern Ag Network, which grew to serve 31 radio and TV stations across Montana and Wyoming.
Burns began his career in politics after being elected to the Yellowstone County Commission, serving for two years before running for the United States Senate in 1988.
Burns attended the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture for two years before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps.
A.J. Rehberg, Vice President, is a graduate of Seattle University and brings with him a unique understanding of emerging businesses from around the world. As his degree focused on International Studies, he acquired a keen understanding of a wide range of issues including: National Defense Policy, East Asian Security, International Trade, International Finance and U.S. Legislative Procedure. Prior to joining GAGE, A.J. worked for the US Chamber of Commerce in their west coast grassroots operation working on political campaigns.
Prior to moving to Washington DC, AJ was involved in numerous ventures in Southeast Asia including working as the COO of Namaste Mall, a Nepalese based e-commerce company and as an advisor to an India based knowledge process outsourcing company.
At Gage AJ has focused on medical and emergency preparedness technologies as well handling numerous international business ventures including the establishment of a Mongolia Pepsi franchise and a Eurasian telecommunications company.
He has an extensive knowledge of USAID, Millennium Challenge Corporation and US Trade Development Agency projects. As a youth, he participated in the United States Senate Page program has served at multiple national conventions and has vast experience in fundraising, public relations, and event coordination. Rehberg serves on the Board of Advisors of a social networking and e-commerce web-based company. He also serves as Vice President of Public and Government Affairs for Mongolia Forward, a uranium mining project in Mongolia.
Ryan Thomas, Vice President, brings eight years of government experience to GAGE and four years of experience advocating for private sector companies, associations and non-profit entities. Given his familiarity with government affairs and solutions, Thomas is uniquely suited to provide expert analysis on the path to successfully negotiating federal legislation, appropriations and business opportunities with local, state, federal and foreign governments.
Thomas was previously employed by the United States Senate as Senior Legislative Assistant for a Senior Member of the United States Senate, before taking a position on the Senate Appropriations Committee where he served under three chairmen. Thomas has worked directly with members of Congress in the areas of appropriations, transportation, infrastructure, education, energy, environment, Native American affairs, fossil fuel research and development, and small business and natural resource issues.
During his tenure as a professional staff member on the Senate Appropriations Committee for over six years, he was personally responsible for more than $5 billion annually in direct federal appropriations while working with a team overseeing a total of $20 billion in annual appropriations. Thomas has drafted appropriations legislation, committee reports and conference reports, as well as crafted authorizing legislation into law. During his tenure on Capitol Hill, Thomas developed a substantial skill set to aid clients in developing business opportunities with government entities and crafting successful government affairs strategies. Thomas maintains an extensive list of contacts throughout Capitol Hill, the White House Administration, federal agencies and non-governmental organizations.
Thomas was named one of the “Top 35 Staffers under 35 on Capitol Hill,” by The Hill newspaper in recognition of his outstanding government service.
Thomas graduated from Lewis and Clark College with Honors in Political Science and a focus on International Affairs. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Thomas lives on Capitol Hill with his wife, son.
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