Partners
Greg Riels
Greg Riels is the founding partner of Capital Park Partners and has served as a strategic advisor to presidential candidates, a U.S. senator, congressional chiefs of staff, and flag officers—along with a select clientele of U.S. and international companies, entities, and individuals.
Previously, Greg served as the Director of Government Relations for Advanced Tactical Systems, a U.S. subsidiary of a publicly listed, global defense and aerospace conglomerate with 4,000+ employees and nearly $1 billion in annual revenue. In this position, he led a U.S. team responsible for government and external relations, strategic communications, and international business development.
Greg held the position of Director, Government Affairs, for Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, a leading international law and government relations firm. In this position, Greg served clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to small businesses representing key global industries, including energy, technology, and defense.
Previously, Greg served as a senior aide and military advisor to U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole during her tenure on the prestigious U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee. In this role, Greg was responsible for coordinating legislative and oversight efforts among various constituencies, including U.S. senators and congressmen, U.S. military officers, and senior staff serving in the U.S. Congress, White House, Department of Defense, various U.S. government departments and agencies, and foreign government and military officials.
Before his business and public service careers, Greg served in the U.S. Navy as an F-14 “Tomcat” pilot and as a flight instructor, admiral's aide, and Navy Reserve officer, flying senior Navy Department officials worldwide in the C-37B (Gulfstream 550) aircraft. He also served as a Security Assistance Officer and the Reserve Support Coordinator on the staff of Commander Naval Forces Europe, Commander Naval Forces Africa, and Commander Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy. Greg retired from naval service as a commander in 2016.
Greg is a cum laude graduate (B.B.A.—Finance and Management) of Texas A&M University and earned a Master's in Public Leadership degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He attained the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America and was selected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Texas Lyceum—one of the state’s premier leadership organizations.
An avid pilot, Greg has flown over 3,000 hours over 33 years. He holds an FAA Airline Transport Pilot license and maintains type ratings in the Gulfstream V and Gulfstream 550 aircraft.
Brian Downey
Brian Downey is the managing partner of the Washington, D.C., office of Capital Park Partners and brings decades of experience to the Capital Park team. His operational acumen, combined with his policy and Defense Department budget expertise, brings an incredibly capable skill set to client engagements.
In the final position of a 25-year career as a naval officer, Brian served at the Pentagon as the Senior Navy advisor for force development to the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy. In this role, he developed and coordinated the yearly Defense Planning Guidance, the document that guides investment for the Defense Department’s $750B annual budget. He was frequently called upon to advise the Deputy Secretary of Defense and to represent DoD to the National Security Council.
Brian also advised the policy secretary on the program review and strategic portfolio review processes, shaping the budget and vision for the department. Additionally, he led Policy’s 2019, 2020, and 2021 Congressional budget rollouts; developed future Pacific force structure; commissioned studies on developing new Arctic seaports and regional security centers; and advised foreign ministries of defense on DoD best practices.
During his operational Naval Aviation service, Brian flew the F-14 Tomcat in combat missions over Iraq and Afghanistan during three six-month warship deployments supporting Operations Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. Transitioning to the FA-18F Super Hornet, he lived abroad in Japan for six years, where he deployed for ten additional multi-month patrols. Serving as a fighter squadron department head and then Carrier Air Wing Five operations officer aboard the USS Kitty Hawk, George Washington, and Ronald Reagan aircraft carriers, he helped protect U.S. interests against foreign adversaries in the waters around the Korean peninsula and in the South China Sea.
Brian’s diverse education includes engineering, national security, strategy, business, and financial services disciplines. He earned a BS in Aeronautical Engineering from the United States Naval Academy and holds three master’s degrees: a strategy-focused Master’s in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, a defense-focused Executive Master’s of Business Administration from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a financial-services-focused Master’s of National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University’s Eisenhower School. He is a DoD Joint-Qualified Officer and a U.S. Navy TOPGUN graduate.
Robert Wright
Robert (Rob) Wright is the managing partner of the Austin, Texas, office of Capital Park Partners and brings decades of experience to the Capital Park team. His operational and strategic experiences working within the Department of the Army and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) offer a unique, functional, and capable skill set to clients. He is a retired U.S. Army colonel with over 26 years of experience.
Previously, Rob served as the Senior Regular Army Advisor to the Texas State Adjutant General. He advised the leadership of the Texas National Guard on all aspects, from manning, training, and equipping an organization consisting of over 19,000 personnel. His efforts consistently facilitated a trained, manned, and equipped organization ready for worldwide missions.
Rob served directly to the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, leading the Senior Leader Division charged with managing the assignment, utilization, and education of over 3,500 executive-level active-duty Army leaders. He interacted with numerous executive leaders at the Department of the Army, institutes of higher learning, and numerous “think tanks,” ensuring the executive-level leaders were exposed and educated, and ensuring the success of our nation's defense. Rob served as the operations officer for the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps-Turkey in Istanbul. He coordinated the efforts and operations for over 30 separate strategic country partners. His direct report staff consisted of over 13 separate nationalities. Additionally, Rob was selected by the Chief of Staff of the Army to establish the Army’s “Soldier for Life” program. He led the effort for the Central United States to facilitate the transition of soldiers into the private sector. He directly coordinated and collaborated with numerous small businesses, Fortune 500 companies, trade schools, major universities, and non-profit organizations.
Rob served two combat tours in Iraq: one as a battalion operations officer and the second as a battalion commander. He was responsible for the security of two separate Iraqi provinces. He directly coordinated the security, training, and deployment of over 35,000 Iraqi Security Forces. During this deployment, he also led two Provincial Reconstruction Teams—one manned by the U.S. Department of State and the second an international team, the only one in Iraq.
Rob has a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University, a Master of Arts in Management from Webster University, and a Master of Arts in National Security Strategy from the National Defense University’s National War College. Rob also served as a fellow for Seminar XXI, a fellowship through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), earning a certificate in National Security Strategy. Rob is a DOD Joint Certified Officer and a graduate of the NATO Senior Officer Policy Course.
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