Who We Are

Our team of professionals comes from a wide-range of business and political backgrounds and is dedicated to providing clients with best-in-class strategic counsel and business development services.

Marland Buckner - Founder and Principal

With over 20 years of policy and political experience, Marland Buckner serves as Founder and Principal of Global Strategic Partners. Buckner founded the firm with an eye to providing clients with an interdisciplinary approach unique to public affairs. In this capacity Buckner has worked with clients across a range of sectors including technology, energy, education, and agriculture.

Prior to founding Global Strategic Partners, Buckner served for seven years as Director of Federal Government Affairs for Microsoft Corporation in Washington D.C. During his tenure at Microsoft, Buckner worked closely with senior leadership and executive staff to integrate Microsoft's philanthropic, policy, and political efforts. He helped develop and lead policy advocacy for the company's Entertainment and Devices division as well as other efforts critical to the company, including high-skilled immigration, workforce development, and education policy.

Before his tenure at Microsoft, Buckner served in several staff roles in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, including as Legislative Assistant to Senator Charles Schumer as well as Senior Policy Advisor and Chief of Staff to then-Congressman Harold Ford Jr. Buckner has also served as a policy analyst at two think tanks based in Washington D.C.: The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and the Progressive Policy Institute. Buckner's writing has appeared in a variety of publications, and he frequently serves as a commentator and panelist on policy and political issues.

Buckner earned his Bachelor's degree in political science and history and his Master's Degrees in history from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, and completed his doctoral examinations at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He also holds a certificate in Business Administration from Georgetown University. Active in the local community, Buckner serves on the board of the Washington D.C. Coalition for the Homeless, Potomac College, and the advisory board of the D.C. Project, a green jobs training program for D.C.’s homeless.