Marty Irby is a freelance author, one of the top lobbyists in Washington, D.C, and the President and CEO of Capitol South, LLC, a Washington, D.C. based public affairs and lobbying firm. Irby worked in the U.S. House of Representatives for Congressman Ed Whitfield (KY-01) as Press Secretary, Communications Director and Science, NASA, and Agriculture Policy Advisor. In August of 2020, Irby was recognized by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, II, with an Award for his extraordinary efforts to reduce violence in the training of horses, only the second occasion in history the British Crown has given such a presentation.
Irby served as president of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ and Exhibitors’ Association from 2010-2012, where he led the charge to bring an end to the painful practice of “soring” walking horses. Prior to his presidency Irby was an 8-time World Champion equestrian rider and director of sales and marketing at the world’s largest walking horse breeding farm.
Irby was named by The Hill as one of the Nation’s Top Lobbyists for 2019 and 2020. He was recognized by President Donald J. Trump in the Oval Office on national television in November of 2019 at the signing of the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act that Irby helped usher to passage.
Marty Irby currently serves on the campaign steering committees for both U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter, GA-01, and Nancy Mace, SC-01, as President of Competitive Markets Action, and as a Director and Board Secretary at the Organization for Competitive Markets. His written works have been published in USA Today, NBC News, The Hill, The Daily Caller, Horse Nation, The Washington Examiner, Chicago Daily Tribune, New Haven Register, The Tennessean, The Knoxville News Sentinel, The Pennsylvania Capital-Star, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Horse Nation, and numerous other publications across America.
Irby was raised on a horse and cattle farm in Mobile County, Alabama, graduated from the University of South Alabama with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, and attended Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. where he resides today.
