Peter J. Larkin

Peter J. Larkin, Senior Vice-President for Government Relations, brings over 14 years of public sector experience, as well as over 25 years of unique private sector experience, as a business owner, an association executive and a legislative agent for a major law firm, to assist clients in the strategic analysis of their policy initiatives.

Mr. Larkin was elected to the Massachusetts General Court as State Representative of the Third Berkshire District, D-Pittsfield from 1990 to 2005. During this time he served as Assistant Vice-Chairman to the Committee on Ways and Means, and was House Chairman of four different Committees. He Chaired the Education, Arts and Humanities; Commerce and Labor; Taxation, and the Criminal Justice Committees. He also served as the House Chairman to the Special Commission on Electric Utility Restructuring and was the Finance Chairman of the Chapter 6 Megaplex Commission. During his tenure in the Legislature, Mr. Larkin was instrumental in substantially authoring precedent-setting legislation such as the Brownfields Law, the Junior Operator's Law, Electric Utility Restructuring, and the Regional Tourism Facility Fund, now known as the Cultural Facility Fund. He also led the Legislature's effort to create the first Economic Stimulus Bill and the Municipal Relief Bill in 2003. Finally, he led the effort to repeal the "Pay to Play" provisions of the dispute resolution process of the Appellate Tax Board, and helped craft the Equitable Taxation and Community Investment of Insurance Companies in Massachusetts during his time as a state representative.

In the private sector, before and during his Legislative tenure, Mr. Larkin was the Vice President / owner and director of sales for a beer, wine, and soft drink wholesale distribution company in western Massachusetts until the company was sold in 1999. After leaving the Legislature in 2005 he worked as the Senior Vice-President for Government Relations at ML Strategies, LLC Boston, an affiliate of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo, P.C. (Mintz Levin) until he was recruited to be the Chief Operating Officer/Senior Vice-President of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MBC). At the MBC, Mr. Larkin initiated a strategic mission process to facilitate a leadership team transition that focused the MBC on its core mission to advance the growth and understanding of the life sciences as an economic force in the Massachusetts economy.

Mr. Larkin remains an active member of the community serving as a Member of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a member of the Berkshire Community College Board of Trustees, a Steering Committee Member of the Berkshire Wireless Learning Initiative (BWLI) and a Member of the Berkshire Compact. He has also served as the Treasurer of the Pittsfield Democratic City Committee and as a Member of the Massachusetts Democratic Leadership Council. He attended St. Joseph High School in Pittsfield Massachusetts and graduated from Saint Bonaventure University, Olean, New York with a Bachelors of Arts, History cum laude. A full list of additional community activities, awards and honors, and bills substantially authored by Mr. Larkin while in the Massachusetts State Legislature are available upon request.

He currently has residences in both Pittsfield and Boylston, Massachusetts and is married to Anne Campbell Larkin MD, who is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester and the Director of the Surgical Residency program at UMass/Memorial Hospital. They have two children Aliya, 4 years old and Matthew, 2 years old. 

larkin@libertysquaregroup.com