I’m proud to have served as the Vice President of Veterans Healthcare for Philips North America where we seek to improve patient outcomes for military families like mine. VA is Philips largest global client and the Department has an outsized influence on the delivery of American Healthcare as the largest Integrated health network in the US and through it’s 4th Mission to serve as a backstop health system for all Americans during times of crisis. I’m pleased to have led a multi year effort that culminated in 2020 with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs selecting Philips to create the world’s largest tele-critical care system, further integrating tele-health and delivering quality care for veterans. But to date I’m most proud to have jointly led Philips’s efforts to create, and add to our formidable catalogue of solutions, the ATLAS virtual care station alongside VA clinicians, patients and caregivers.

For over two years I was privileged to co-lead FleishmanHillard’s Veterans and Military Families practice. In that role I developed communications strategies for major clients from the technology, healthcare, consumer, automotive and finance sectors to connect and better communicate with those individuals and families that sacrificed to defend our Nation.

I led the agency wide communications activities for NHTSA, the nation’s automotive industry regulator during a period on unprecedented change and upheaval across the automotive sector. At NHTSA I worked closely with internal and external USDOT partners to reduce roadway deaths and injuries through high-visibility behavioral advertising campaigns, enforcement of vehicle safety standards and regulations, and effective communications between stakeholders. I was a real challenge and privilege to develop and direct the communications strategies for the announcement of several significant NHTSA initiatives including Vehicle-to-Vehicle communications, Advanced Braking, Driver Alcohol Detection Devices, Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety, and Child Safety Seats. I also led NHTSA’s communications efforts for vehicle defect investigation, enforcement, behavioral campaigns, regulation, cyber security and stakeholder relations.

For four years I served the Nation by leading the US Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) Office of Public Affairs (OPA), which communicates on behalf of the Secretary to over 20 million living Veterans and other stakeholders as well as to over 330,000 DVA employees. I was responsible for the design and execution of communications planning across the Department’s major lines of business including the Veterans Health Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration and the National Cemetery Administration. As the Department’s chief crisis communication officer, I worked with the Press Secretary, the Office of the Secretary, General Counsel and other key staff in responding to breaking events, designing effective media engagement strategies and communicating the department success in serving the needs of the Nation’s Veterans. As the Director of Public Affairs and Deputy Assistant Secretary I also supervised a team of over 70 public affairs officers based between Washington, DC and seven field offices across the country who in turn assisted me in directing the activities of more than 300 additional public affairs officers located at VA Healthcare, Benefit and Memorial facilities nationwide. Together with the OPA office of Online Communications we expanded the Department’s social media presence to include the official Blog “Vantage Point”, robust Twitter, Flickr and YouTube sites as well as brining on-line clinician monitored Facebook sites for all 152 VA Medical Centers. I collaborated with other leaders in interagency communications for Veteran stakeholders as a member of the DOD/VA Senior Oversight Committee on Wounded Warriors and the DOD/VA Joint Executive Council. I also worked with communications counterparts with Veteran Service Organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations and Private Businesses in creating communications plans and products to explain public private partnerships that support Veterans.

Years before many Americans would learn of cyber vulnerabilities I assisted the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team, the National Cyber Security Division and the Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity and Communications in developing cyber security communications strategies targeting the owners and operators of the Nation’s critical infrastructures and Information Technology systems. When interest was low but threats were growing daily I advised the National Cyber Security Alliance, the Multi State Information Sharing and Analysis Center and Department on media outreach planning for the National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2007 and 2008 campaigns. I counseled leaders on the media and stakeholder outreach campaigns for the National Cyber Exercise series, Cyber Storm 1 and 2, and provided recommendations for simulated media affairs injects to the exercise designers and directors. I oversaw the design and execution of stakeholder engagement for the Government Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (GFIRST) 2007 National Conference. In this role I assisted the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team in planning and executing the weeklong series of events designed to educate and inform security practitioners on the latest tools and available resources.

Time of my life! Back before WiFi was a household word I founded and led Web Soapbox Inc. (Soapbox), an advanced media affairs company that provided mobile workplace environments via broadband Internet connectivity and on-site technical support to the Presidential Inaugural Committee, Obama for America campaign, Hillary Clinton Presidential Campaign and traveling National Press Corps. Years later Soapbox provided the Obama Primary and General Election campaigns with nomadic wireless (WiFi) and Ethernet broadband service for New Media, web-streaming, press filing and remote staff operations from February 2007 to inauguration night. Soapbox provided exclusive, full time broadband coverage and on-site traveling support to President Obama’s press corps since January 2008 as well as to the press corps accompanying Senator Clinton and Senator Edwards during the primary campaign. I also led the deployment of webSoapbox support to many major 2008 presidential debates including those sponsored by CNN/YouTube, ABC News, MSNBC, PBS, National Public Radio and FOX News Channel. I was lucky enough to be chosen as the satellite video and web-streaming executive producer of President Obama’s presidential announcement rally in Springfield, IL in February 2007. The Soapbox team and I first supported presidential campaign operations during the 2004 campaign cycle, traveling with the Dean for America, John Kerry, John Edwards, Joe Lieberman, Richard Gephardt, and Bob Graham campaigns. Soapbox received industry-wide praise for our reliable service world-wide at over 2000 sites.

Following my tenure at the White House I served as the principal spokesman and communications advisor for Senator Reid during the turbulent era of the Senate’s transfer of power, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the Anthrax attacks on the Hart Senate Office Building. While there I developed and coordinated strategic communications and crisis communications strategies with stakeholders in the Senate Majority Leader’s Office and Majority Whip Office and various U.S. Senate committee staff offices. I supervised speechwriters, junior spokespersons, production assistants, web-designers, researchers and legislative staff in support of the Senator's leadership and State communication goals. I also promoted programs and policies involving Senator Reid’s leadership on the Environment & Public Works Committee, the Senate Appropriations Committee, Public Lands Stewardship, National Energy Policy, and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. I was intimately involved in the strategic communications strategy opposed to the proposed Federal Nuclear Waste Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.

For an amazing four years that was a gift I can never repay I was privileged serve the Nation as Vice President Gore’s principal traveling aid for media affairs. In accompanying the Vice President on hundreds of domestic and international trips, I was responsible for the project management and implementation of broadcast radio & television logistics, media telecommunications support, interviews and media availabilities, scheduling execution, media field operations and the organizational management and support of several hundred credentialed members of the traveling press corps. In this role, I was also called to serve as the OVP Press Secretary’s Aid-de-camp, assisting with news releases, off-the-record briefings, news analysis, briefing the Vice President before interviews as well as meetings and events on message strategy. I provided program management of the Vice President’s Press Advance department and provided on-site leadership development and workforce training for several hundred advance field staffers.Because of my time with the Vice President and OVP I have extensive on-the-record spokesperson experience and has been quoted in regional and national media outlets including: American Journalism Review, ABC News, The Associated Press, Bloomberg Newswire Service, FOX News Channel, CBS News, Dow Jones, The Las Vegas Review Journal, The Las Vegas Sun, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Public Broadcasting Service, Reuters News Service, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today and U.S. News and World Report among others.