Potomac Flacks

Sen. Inouye Names Two New Press Secretaries

Peter Boylan has been hired as Press Secretary for Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI). Boylan was a reporter for the Honolulu Advertiser for the past six years, where he covered government and crime.  Lori Hamamoto has also joined Inouye’s staff as Press Secretary. She spent the past 15 years as a public relations professional, working with the New York Knicks, the National Football League and the Japan Society.  Boylan and Hamamoto succeed Mike Yuen, who has returned to Honolulu. Before coming to work for Inouye, Yuen was a reporter for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.  (CQ’s “People on the Move” column)

Chris Lisi Communications

Politico's Suite Talk reports that Chris Lisi has left her role as a vice president at The Glover Park Group to start her own consulting firm. Chris Lisi Communications will handle a variety of projects including PR, government relations, grassroots organizing and event production.

Chris is a Washington insider - spending time on the Hill, AARP and Fleishman-Hillard. She will use her vast experience to help a wide array of clients - from healthcare to hospitality (Politco's Suite Talk). 

JOB OF THE WEEK: GW's Director of Media Relations

The George Washington University is hiring a director of media relations. The director will serve as spokesperson for the University; works in close collaboration with the VP for external relations and assistant VP for communications to identify opportunities and develop and execute plans to secure positive media coverage of University experts, initiatives, announcements and events to manage crisis communications. 

Oversees media interviews with the university president and other senior staff and advises university staff on responding to media inquiries. 

Directs media relations staff, assigns tasks, monitors results. Directs preparation, proofreading and distribution of news releases and other written communications to general and specialized media. 

For more information, please click on this link. 

David Bass Launches Raptor Strategies

David Bass, longtime Washington media consultant, journalist and public relations exec, has launched Raptor Strategies, an aggressive new firm with the tagline, “New Times Demand New Strategies.”
 
Bass is a 20-year Washington veteran who started as a legislative intern in the Senate and moved through the media world, working for The Weekly Standard, National Journal, Campaigns & Elections, The Hill and The Washington Times. He later served in PR capacities as a consultant to many more -- the current issue of Washingtonian highlights the critical part Bass played in creation of the Politico.

Bass most recently served as Vice President and Chief Development Officer of Luntz, Maslansky Strategic Research.  Before that, he was Managing Director at Qorvis Communications.  In various consulting roles Bass managed campaigns that ran the gamut from media relations to local politics, ballot initiatives, research and branding, and state and federal government affairs.
 
In coming weeks, Raptor will announce the arrival of a senior executive, currently president of a Midwest transportation company.  “We will have plenty of Washington experience on hand,” Bass said. “But clients will benefit tremendously from the real experiences and real insights of real business leaders as well.”

Howard Consulting Group Adds Four New Staff

Even in this economy some firms are hiring…Howard Consulting Group has added four new staff:  Erica Hiar, an organizer on President Obama’s campaign; Erin Oldfield from Rep. Loebsack’s office (D-Iowa); Erin Thurston from Rep. Inslee’s office (D-Wash.) and Brynnan Wammack, who worked for the surgeon general under President Bush 43.  Oldfield and Thurston will be working in communications with Managing Director Dan Ronayne and Hiar and Wammack focus on public affairs with Senior Director John Marchant.  Photos and bios of all can be found here. (PF Tipster)

Price Floyd leaves CFAS for Public Affairs at the Pentagon

Price B. Floyd has been appointed Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. Floyd was Director of External Relations at the Center for a New American Security.  (CQ’s “People on the Move” column)

Senate GOP Conference Appoints Capitol Hill Veteran Simpson as New Press Secretary

Nick Simpson has been appointed Press Secretary for the Senate Republican Conference under Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN).  Most recently he was Communications Director to U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO).  Before joining Blunt’s staff, Simpson worked for former Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) as Deputy Press Secretary and then as National Press Secretary.  (CQ’s “People on the Move” column)

Pascrell Hires former New Jersey Reporter Brubaker as Communications Director

Paul Brubaker has been hired as Communications Director for U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-NJ).  Brubaker was a Reporter for The Star-Ledger newspaper in New Jersey.  He has also worked for The Montclair Times and The Herald News in New Jersey.  Brubaker succeeds Caley Grey, who has been hired as Communications Director for U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ).  (CQ’s “People on the Move” column)

Former Cox News Journalist Rauscher Named Press Secretary for Rep. Woolsey

Carl Rauscher has been hired as Press Secretary to U.S. Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA).  Rauscher was a News Editor at the Washington bureau of Cox Newspapers.  Rauscher succeeds Chris Shields, who will enter the MBA program at Northwestern University.  (CQ’s “People on the Move” column)

Sen. Franken Names Communications Director, Press Secretary

Casey Aden-Wansbury will serve as U.S. Senator Al Franken’s (D-MN) Communications Director.  Aden-Wansbury was Senior Director of Communications for the Children’s Defense Fund.  Before that, she was Communications Director to Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT).  Jess McIntosh has been hired as Franken’s Press Secretary, a job she held through Franken’s Senate campaign.  McIntosh was also Communications Director for the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.  (PF tipster)