Former Murphy aides Kelley, Bryan launch consulting firm

Two former senior administration officials to Gov. Phil Murphy announced the launch of a new joint venture March 30, Newark-based Elysian Consulting Group, a national economic development and public affairs consultancy.

The duo behind Elysian, Joe Kelley and Dan Bryan, say the firm will provide expertise on economic and tax policy, real estate development and finance, corporate strategy, public relations and political strategy for clients ranging from health care systems to Fortune 500 corporations, film studios, nonprofits and more.

Kelley most recently served as the governor’s deputy chief of staff for economic growth, stepping down earlier this month. He was also recently appointed and confirmed by the Senate to serve on the Board of Commissioners for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

For Murphy, Bryan most recently served as senior advisor for strategy and communications, and was one of the chief architects of the governor’s two election victories. He departed the governor’s office in February 2022 to serve as executive director of an advocacy group and PAC headed by First Lady Tammy Murphy.

“Our mission is to serve as a compass for our clients and ensure they don’t waste time or money navigating the worlds of economic development, public policy, and public affairs without a roadmap,” said Kelley in a press release. “We believe that our expertise across a variety of disciplines positions Elysian Consulting Group to quickly become a leader in providing effective public affairs and economic development consulting services to clients in a variety of industries.”

“New Jersey is seeing unprecedented growth in key new industries from film production to clean energy and more – but those opportunities bring complexity and the need for strategic thinking to evolve great ideas into sustainable businesses,” said Bryan. “With our unique skill sets in both economic development and public affairs, Elysian Consulting Group will be able to offer clients the level of insight and guidance that they need in order to capitalize on the opportunities that lay in front of them.”