20. Resi Cooper

For years, Resi Cooper was U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton’s front woman on LI. Then Cooper opened up her own consulting business, her first client being none other than Democratic presidential hopeful Clinton herself. Coupled with her contacts and undeniable personality, Cooper gets things done. She has also been the magic bullet for Broadwater in the company’s fight to build a liquefied natural gas terminal in Long Island Sound. Although this consultant has remained under the radar for the past year—on the campaign trail—we have a feeling that it won’t be long until she’s back, especially if her biggest client ends up in the White House.