Lucas Bolar has been hired as Communications Director in the office of newly-elected Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA). Bolar was Deputy Press Secretary for Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) before joining Scalise's special election campaign staff. (PF tipster)
Adfero Group has added veteran communications strategist Michael Wm. Schick as a Partner. Schick has more than 25 years of experience managing integrated communications campaigns involving issue advocacy advertising, online communications, media relations, ally development, crisis management, litigation and lobbying support. For the past five years, Schick was Senior Vice President at Porter Novelli in Washington, D.C., and served as the company's global leader for alliance building. Schick's prior experience includes heading communications at the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform and COO of Justice Fellowship, the public policy arm of Prison Fellowship. (PF Tipster)
Ted McKenna at PR Week reports that, "former Ketchum VP of public affairs Randy DeCleene is now special assistant for strategic communications to US Army Secretary Pete Geren, a former Texas congressman. Prior to joining Ketchum, DeCleene was deputy press secretary to vice president Dick Cheney." (In Brief Blog - PR Week)
Alexandra Haynes has been hired as Press Secretary in the office of Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY). Haynes replaces Amanda Keating. (CQ's "People on the Move")
Rep. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) has hired Marvin Buenconsejo as Communications Director. Buenconsejo spent the past 17 years in television news in Hawaii, working at Fox affiliate KHON-TV and NBC affiliate KHNL-TV. He replaces Michael Levin. (CQ's "People on the Move")
Josh Driskell has been promoted to Press Secretary for Rep. Frank D. Lucas (R-OK). Driskell was a field representative. He replaces Jim Luetkemeyer, now an assistant vice president at Widmeyer Communications. (CQ's People on the Move)
The Tax Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Washington devoted to researching tax and fiscal policy, is looking to fill the position, Manager of Media Relations. Prefer: Working experience at a television news operation. Other broadcast or print media experience desirable, as well as experience promoting the work of think tank scholars to the media. Credentials: B.A. expected, but strong writing skills and persuasive delivery essential. Salary: competitive and commensurate with experience. Please send resume to ahern@taxfoundation.org with ‘media job’ in the subject line.
MSNBC’s Tucker Carlson had many opinions to share during a talk last week with Senate flacks as part of a Senate Press Secretaries Association speaker series in the Russell Senate Office Building.
Carlson began with how unvetted Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is:
“Obama’s the kind of guy you sit with on a flight from Dulles to LAX and you have a few glasses of red wine. You have a great semi-drunk five hours across the country. But you don’t know anything about the guy. He could be the escaped state mental patient.”
His thoughts on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.): “You are a drunk, boorish house guest. Get the hell out of here.”
And Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.): “I can tell you that McCain doesn’t know why he got it. I like the guy. He never yelled at me.” (The Hill)
We're not sure if it's the annual fly-in for the many clients of Watkins Global Strategies or if it's to attend the annual White House Correspondent's Dinner, but a certain PF Tipster (hint: not Pedro) reports seeing the esteemed Peter Watkins on the streets of Washington D.C. Peter, who served as uber-spokesman (Northeast and West Coast) for the White House Office of Media Affairs, Deputy Press Secretary for the First Lady, and as Press Assistant to the President, is now the President of Watkin's Global Strategies, a strategic communications firm based in Utah. (PF Tipster)
Former White House press secretary Tony Snow was discharged from a Spokane hospital where he had been admitted for an undisclosed illness. Sacred Heart Medical Center spokeswoman Pat Servine said Snow was released Thursday morning. Patient privacy rules prevented her from giving details about his illness, she said. Snow was admitted to the hospital after falling ill and canceling some appearances Tuesday at Eastern Washington University. We're glad you're feeling better TS! Hang in there. (AP)
Jennie Gibson has been hired as communications director for Rep. Robert E. "Bud" Cramer, D-Ala. Gibson replaces Adam Muhlendorf. (CQ's People on the Move)
Jared Whitley has joined the White House communications office as associate director. Whitley, a Salt Lake City native, has worked on media for Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, as press assistant and as acting press secretary. In January, Whitley volunteered for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's GOP presidential campaign in Iowa. Before coming to Washington, Whitley was a newspaper reporter in Utah. He graduated from the University of Utah in 2003. Good luck in you new post! (CQ's People on the Move)
J. Mart at Politico has the scoop again! John McCain's campaign is bringing on a top figure from the Bush-Cheney reelection to help with strategy and communications. Starting May 1, Nicolle Wallace will serve as a senior adviser to the campaign. Wallace served as communications director for Bush-Cheney '04 and held the same post in the White House at the start of the president's second term. She since moved to New York and has been on contract with CBS, offering political analysis for the network. But now she's cut ties with CBS and will be available to McCain full-time, participating on the campaign's strategy calls and adding another voice to the campaign's tight-knit inner circle. Wallace will work closely with McCain adviser Steve Schmidt and communications director Jill Hazelbaker in fashioning the candidate's message and press strategy. (The Politico)
Want to be a press secretary on the Hill? Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Oh.) is hiring. The candidate should be experienced and willing to work in an aggressive, proactive press shop to coordinate media contacts and activities for much of the Senator's home state. In addition to coordinating and helping develop a statewide media strategy, the press secretary will work with the press assistant to manage press contacts in 12 media markets including urban, rural and suburban areas.
Interested applicants should email cover letter, resume and two page writing sample to Human_Resources@brown.senate.gov. No phone calls please. (PF Tipster)
The Hill’s Jim Mills interviews media relations specialist and former DoJ Spokesman Mark Corallo about his career on Capitol Hill and his current work with the media shield bill. Good stuff! To follow what's shakin in Congress and get your Jim Mills fix, check out The Hill's blog.
Khristine Brookes, who has been with The Heritage Foundation since 1999 and was their Director of Media Relations, has been named Vice President of Communications at CATO, where she will run their government relations, web and tradition media operations. Matt Streit has been named Acting Director with her departure. (PF Tipster)
Christopher Honey has been hired as Press Secretary for Rep. Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA). Honey was political director for Progressive Majority, a political action committee. He replaces Jacob Ritvo, who is now Press Secretary for Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-IN). (CQ’s “People on the Move” column)
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) has hired Mike Rosen as his new Communications Director, to be based in the Austin office. Rosen is a familiar face to Austinites since he has been the State Political Reporter for KTBC, the Fox affiliate in Austin. Before that, Rosen worked at KAMR in Amarillo, Texas. He is a graduate of the University of Houston. Rosen replaces Jack Hirschfield who left McCaul’s office at the end of January for a job with Pfizer. (PF tipster)
Eastern Washington University has canceled a planned speech by former White House spokesman and conservative political commentator Tony Snow after he fell ill. Snow was to appear at several events in Cheney today as part of the EWU Presidential Speaker Series. The nature of his illness was not immediately available, but spokesman Dave Meany said Snow did go to a local hospital. Snow was diagnosed with colon cancer several years ago, and he left his position as press secretary for President Bush in September to deal with the disease. He has said the cancer is in remission. Snow arrived in Spokane on Monday, as news was breaking that he had been hired as a political commentator by CNN. He made his first appearance on Larry King Live on Monday night from the Davenport Hotel. Hang in there Tony! Our thoughts and prayers are with you. (ABCnews.com)
Washingtonian's Garrett Graff writes in this month's "Capital Comment" that Kevin Madden, Mitt Romney's former press chief and veteran Capitol Hill aide, is "loved by the media and at some point seems destined for the White House briefing-room podium." He received the coveted "up" arrow. Madden, who has moved back to Washington following the campaign, has artfully managed to remain a key player in D.C.'s highly-competitive spin market. You can watch him tonight on Washingtonpost.com and Newsweek.com, along side Karen Finney, spokesperson for the DNC, as they debate the issues throughout the night following the Pennsylvania primary. (Washingtonian and The Politico)
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