Podesta received her
J.D. degree from the
University of Virginia Law School and graduated with honors from the
University of California, Berkeley. Podesta worked as a congressional aide to members of Congress, including U.S. Representatives
Robert Matsui and
Earl Pomeroy, and US Senator
Bill Bradley. She also served as assistant general counsel at the
Air Transport Association and general counsel at the Airlines Clearing House. In 2007, Podesta founded Heather Podesta + Partners, which, as of 2012, was the nation's largest woman-owned government relations firm. The firm's lobbying clients include companies in energy, finance, healthcare, retail, real estate, education, transportation, and weapons. In 2010, the
National Law Journal ranked Podesta as one of "Washington's Most Influential Women Lawyers". In 2012,
National Journal ranked Podesta as one of "Washington's Most Influential Women" and
GQ named her one of the "50 Most Powerful People in Washington".
The Hill has repeatedly named her one of its "Top Lobbyists".
Tom Perriello from Virginia's 5th Congressional District in 2009 Podesta was once known for supporting and advising Democratic candidates across the country. In the 2012 federal election cycle, Podesta and her colleagues bundled more than $300,000 on behalf of the
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee,
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Senate Majority PAC, and individual Democratic candidates. On March 29, 2017, Podesta renamed her firm from "Heather Podesta + Partners" to "Invariant". She began to hire Republicans. The firm has since lobbied for large insurance corporations such as
Prudential and
New York Life. of North Carolina,
Susan Fisher Sterling, director of the
National Museum of Women in the Arts and Heather Podesta at a 2009 party in Washington, D.C. Podesta sits on the National Advisory Council of the
Institute of Governmental Studies. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of
Ford's Theatre and serves on the Washington D.C. Police Foundation Board. ==Art collection==