Named one of the 500 most influential people in Washington and one of The Hill’s top lobbyists, Mike Layman is Chief Advocacy Officer for the International Franchise Association. He drives public policy initiatives and coalitions in support of franchising at the federal, state and local levels, and oversees IFA’s advocacy, legal and research functions.

In recent years, Mike oversaw the efforts to overturn the National Labor Relations Board’s 2023 joint employer standard, spearheaded advocacy leading toward U.S. Senate support and rejection of major executive branch nominees, helped secure franchisee eligibility for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds, and helped lead business community opposition to the Protecting Right to Organize Act (PRO) that would legislate away the franchise model. He has delivered speeches around the country on public policy issues and has been interviewed by numerous national publications.

Prior to joining the IFA in January 2015, Mike managed government relations activities at both the law firm Littler Mendelson and the Society for Human Resource Management, respectively. From 2001 to 2007, he served on Capitol Hill, where he was Legislative Director for U.S. Representative Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania and Professional Staff Member on the House Government Reform Committee staff under committee chair, U.S. Representative Tom Davis of Virginia.

Mike earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and a Master of Business Administration from Georgetown University. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, Christi, and three daughters.