Potomac Flacks

Ortman to Creative America

First reported Friday in Politico’s Morning Tech Report, U.S. Department of Homeland Security deputy press secretary Chris Ortman has left to become communications director for Creative America, a grassroots organization uniting the entertainment community and others against content theft.

Prior to joining DHS, Ortman has held communications positions at the 2008 Democratic National Convention Committee in Denver and the Change to Win labor coalition.

Ortman is a native of Omaha, Nebraska, and a graduate of Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. (PF Tipster/Politico)

 

Top FEMA Flack Racusen Departs for SKDKnickerbocker

FEMA's Director of Public Affairs Rachel Racusen announced that she will be joining SKDKnickerbocker as a Vice President.

Rachel Racusen comes to the after serving nearly two years at FEMA, where she acted as the agency’s chief national spokesperson, developing and executing all external and internal communications for the agency while simultaneously running their national press office. Racusen directed crisis communications efforts for some of the worst weather disasters in recent history including Hurricane Irene and the deadly tornadoes that struck the southeast and Joplin last spring and helped coordinate rapid response efforts for high-profile incidents such as the Japan earthquake and the Gulfwater Horizon BP oil spill.

Prior to FEMA, Racusen was at the House Education and Labor Committee on Capitol Hill, where she served as the Communications Director for the democratic staff of the committee and its chairman, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA). There she devised the media strategies for key legislative priorities of the Democratic Congress and the Obama administration.

Prior to her stint on Capitol Hill, Rachel worked for Dittus Communications, a bipartisan public affairs firm, where she helped develop strategies for clients with a number of different crisis communications needs on issues ranging from retirement security to law enforcement to internet gaming rights. She has also done press work on several campaigns, including the Obama presidential campaign, as well as Senate and House races.

She graduated from Union College with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and is a native of Boston, Massachusetts. (PF tipster)

Veteran Flack and EPA Associate Administrator for External Affairs Oster Departs for KPMG, LLP

First reported by Politico Pro’s Patrick Reis, Seth Oster has departed as EPA’s Associate Administrator for External Affairs and in January will take over corporate communications for KPMG LLP, the giant tax, audit and advisory firm.

Per Politico, “Oster will be moving to New York, and starts his new gig in January.”

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson wrote in a note to the staff: “Seth has transformed the way EPA talks about our work protecting the environment and people’s health and I am deeply grateful for his service to the agency.”

Oster has had a long career in communications.  He most recently served as the MPAA’s Executive Vice President for Global Communications.  Previously he was Deputy National Executive Director, Communications for the Screen Actors Guild, Vice President, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at Napster, Vice President, Corporate Communications and Government Affairs at Stamps.com, Communications Director at the American Film Institute and Deputy Director of Communications for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).

Oster is a native of Brooklyn, NY and a graduate of the George Washington University.  (Politico Pro, PF reporting)

Aide to White House Press Secretary, Hopkins, Moving to Treasury

First reported in this morning’s Politico Playbook, Marissa Hopkins, the Special Assistant to White House Press Secretary Jay Carney (and Robert Gibbs before him), will move to the U.S. Department of Treasury later this week as Senior Adviser in Public Affairs.

Hopkins is a “veteran of the 2004presidential campaign of Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and a cum laude graduate of Boston University.”

Hopkins is replacing Molly Buford, who will become the new White House Liaison at Treasury.

Hopkins wedding announcement was recently published in the New York Times. (Politico Playbook)

Zuckman to SKDKnickerbocker, Johnson Takes Her Place

Politico's Playbook reportered this tidbit of PR news this morning: 

Jill Zuckman, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s director of public affairs and a former political reporter for the Chicago Tribune and Boston Globe, is leaving to become a managing director at SKDKnickerbocker.

--Zuckman’s successor will be Sasha Johnson, currently communications director for the FAA. Before joining the administration, Johnson covered politics as a senior producer at CNN. She is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

--FORTHCOMING RELEASE: “SKDKnickerbocker … today [will announce] that Jill Zuckman will join the firm as Managing Director. The firm is continuing to put together an all-star roster for its communications and public affairs practice. … ‘Jill is one of the most talented communicators in the Administration and we are delighted to welcome her to SKDKnickerbocker,’ said Managing Director Anita Dunn … ‘Her experience as a political reporter and as a close adviser to Secretary LaHood will serve her well as she guides a broad array of clients in need of strategic advice and executes detailed game plans for success.’ … Zuckman will join … Bill Knapp, Dunn, Hilary Rosen, Chris Cooper, Jay Marlin, Jim Mulhall, Karen Olick, Alex Slater, Emily Lenzner and Doug Thornell in Washington; [Josh] Isay, Jennifer Cunningham and Stefan Friedman in New York.” (Politico's Playbook)

DOJ Flack Matthew Miller Joins Vianovo in DC

First reported by Politico’s Mike Allen in the “Playbook”, Vianovo, a leading stategy consultancy at the intersection of business, policy and politics announced that Matthew Miller has joined the firm as a partner in the Washington office.

According to Allen, Miller joined the U.S. Department of Justice “after shepherding Attorney General Eric Holder’s nomination” and became Director of the Office of Public Affairs.

At DOJ, according to Vianovo’s release, “Miller helped lead the Obama administration’s media response to three major terrorist attacks, as well as coordinate communications for the Department’s reaction to the financial crisis, major white collar and criminal investigations, and antitrust and civil matters.”

Previously Miller served as Communications Director for the House Democratic Caucus and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) under then-Chairman Chuck Schumer (D-NY).  Miller is also a veteran of the 2004 Kerry-Edwards campaign.

Miller is a graduate of the University of Texas.  (Politico’s “Playbook”)

Obama White House Deputy Communications Director Jen Psaki Departs for GSG

First reported by Politico’s Mike Allen, White House Deputy Communications Director Jen Psaki is departing to become Senior Vice President / Managing Director at the well-known Democratic polling firm Global Strategy Group.  Her first day is Oct. 17 and her last day at the White House was Sept. 22. 

Psaki is one of the longest serving Obama communications aides, investing the last four years on both the campaign and in the White House.

According to Politico’s Allen, “Psaki, 32, started with the Obama campaign as Deputy Press Secretary in February 2007, then became Traveling Press Secretary in the Fall. She flew to 47 states (all but Oklahoma, Arkansas and Alabama) and five countries with the then-Senator.

Psaki, a native of Greenwich, CT and a 2000 graduate of the College of William and Mary, according to the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, previously served at the “Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), as well as on the re-election bids of Gov. Tom Vilsack (D-IA) and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA).

Here’s a July 2011 profile of Psaki in her hometown Greenwich magazine.

Allen reports that Psaki hopes to be an Obama surrogate in the 2012 cycle.  (Politico & the Washington Post)

Top DHS Flack Smith Joins Porter Novelli

Sean Smith, the outgoing Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has joined international PR firm Porter Novelli as Senior Vice President on the firm’s global crisis communications team.

While at DHS, Smith was responsible for developing and implementing the department’s strategic communications initiatives and major Department activities. Smith managed a 300-person public affairs staff at a diverse array of agencies under DHS including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Secret Service, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Smith will report to Kiki McLean, the agency’s global head of public affairs, and will divide his time between Porter Novelli’s Washington, D.C. and New York offices, providing service to Porter Novelli’s global network.

While at DHS, Smith helped lead the Obama administration’s public response to the H1N1 outbreak, border violence in Mexico, attempted terrorist attacks, the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and dozens of other breaking news incidents. Additionally, he initiated the administration's effort to update the formal system of communicating to the American people in times of a national incident, specifically the elimination of outdated color coded threat warnings and the implementation of a new system based on real-time alerts to communicate specific, actionable information. 

Prior to joining DHS, Smith served as a spokesman for then Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) 2008 presidential campaign and spent the general election as the Communications Director for Pennsylvania. Over the past 15 years, he has served as Communications Director and Campaign Manager for other statewide campaigns and as a consultant to dozens of clients. His experience includes working with major multinational corporations in the banking, insurance, chemical and telecommunications sectors, national and international non-profits, trade associates, labor unions and issues campaigns.

Smith earned his M.A. in public administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and his B.S. in political science from the University of Oregon. He has lectured at the United States Military Academy at West Point and Johns Hopkins University, and currently teaches at Yale University.  (PF tipster)

Shields, Finance Committee Press Secretary (Democrat staff), Heads to HHS

Erin Shields, who spent the last five years working for the Senate Finance Committee (Democratic staff) recently departed for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where she is the new Communications Director for Health Care in the office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs.

Shields is a graduate of Boston University.  (PF tipster)

Top DOJ Flack Miller Departing after 2 ½ Years

First reported in this morning’s Politico "Playbook", Matt Miller, the top spokesman and Director of Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Justice will depart at the end of July to pursue private sector opportunities.

According to Politico, “Miller has been one of Holder's closest aides since 2008, first seeing him through his Senate confirmation and then leading the department's public response to three major terrorist attacks, and the largest environmental disaster in the country's history.”

Miller was previously Communications Director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) under then-Chairman Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY).  Miller is a veteran of Capitol Hill and also spent five years at Public Strategies, Inc.

Miller’s deputy at DOJ is Tracy Schmaler.  (Politico's "Playbook")