Matthew Celentano is the Executive Director of The League and a Government Relations Specialist with Funk & Bolton, P.A. He joined the Firm in December 2017, following 16 years as the Deputy Director of Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative, an organization focused on the interests of health care consumers.

As a member of the Funk & Bolton government relations team, Mr. Celentano’s responsibilities include outreach to Maryland government officials to advance the interests of the insurance industry and their policyholders. In addition to communicating directly with State legislators and their staff on pending legislation, Mr. Celentano works closely with the Maryland Insurance Administration on matters relating to the regulation of insurance in Maryland. He serves on policy workgroups to ensure that the industry’s interests are understood and taken into account by policymakers. He helps manage and advise the State trade associations that the Firm represents, including The League and the Alliance of Maryland Dental & Vision Plans.

Mr. Celentano is a Baltimore native and graduated with honors from the University of Vermont. He currently lives in rural Baltimore County with his wife Katie and their three children. In a previous life, Mr. Celentano was head wrangler, rodeo amateur, and fly fishing guide at a guest ranch in rural Wyoming.

Luke P. Pinton joined Funk & Bolton, P.A. in November 2023 as an Associate and maintains a portfolio spanning both the Firm’s government relations and legal practice groups. Luke specializes in work that lies at the crossroads of public policy and the law.  His unique background and expertise position him perfectly to provide creative solutions for nuanced public policy objectives.

Prior to joining the Firm, Luke spent nearly a decade as staff to senior members of the Maryland State Senate, including seven years serving as Chief of Staff to Senator William C. Smith, Jr., Chairman of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.  Luke was also a Legislative Aide to Congressman Jamie Raskin in his role as a State Senator.

Luke gained in-depth experience and understanding of the legislative and policy-making landscape in Maryland during these years and is able to apply this rare insider expertise to his current work. In his years within the Maryland General Assembly, Luke served as a strategic, public policy, and political advisor on several landmark enrolled bills, including: the Secure and Accessible Registration Act, the Housing Opportunities Made Equal Act, the Maryland Police Accountability Act package of 2021, Jaelynn’s Law, the Reproductive Health Protection Act, and the Child Victims Act of 2023, among others.

Serving as Chief of Staff to a committee chair also provided Luke a comprehensive, intricate understanding of the committee process in the Maryland legislature as he worked on legislation across a broad range of interests and issues.  Luke has built strong relationships in and around the Maryland General Assembly, including entities like the Maryland Courts’ Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure.

Luke earned a Juris Doctorate, magna cum laude from the University of Baltimore School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Philemon Kendzierski represents clients before the Maryland General Assembly and relevant state agencies. He joined Funk & Bolton in 2020 in an analyst role, and has since built a portfolio of expertise on issues ranging from insurance, Paid Family & Medical Leave to Cannabis. Philemon also staffs and represents the League of Life and Health Insurers, Maryland’s state trade association for the life and health insurance industry, as well as various other clients in the insurance space and beyond.

Prior to joining Funk & Bolton, Philemon had a variety of other political and government relations experiences, including interning with Congressman John Sarbanes, Delegate Jared Solomon, the Senator Ben Cardin campaign, and being a Federal Fellow at the University of Maryland. Most recently, Phil served on the staff of the Maryland Democratic Party.