Anita Dunn

Beginning with her time as an unpaid intern answering phones at the White House and culminating at Obama for America headquarters on the night of November 4th, 2008, Anita Dunn rose to the very pinnacle of strategic communications. As the brain-trust behind the most disciplined, coherent, and creative presidential campaign ever, she implemented a strategy that broke the traditional rules of campaign-messaging, shattered fund-raising records, and helped turn America in a new direction. She then served as White House communications director during the first year of President Barack Obama’s term, giving her unique insight to interpret and comment on the decisions being made at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

A partner at SKDKnickerbocker, one of the leading strategic communications firms in Washington, DC, Dunn has advised a wide range of national political leaders. In 1999, she served as communications director and chief strategist on the presidential campaign of Senator Bill Bradley, for whom she once served as chief of staff and political director. From 2001–2002, she served as senior political advisor to Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle as well as consultant to the Senate Democratic Caucus. In 2004, she developed strategy and produced the media campaign for Senator Evan Bayh, who won re-election with the highest percentage of support in recent history. Dunn advised the entire Democratic leadership on political communications issues when she served as the communications director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) for both the 1988 and 1990 election cycles. In the House of Representatives, Dunn has advised Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and served as chief strategist and media consultant to several senior Democratic members facing challenging re-election battles, including Congressmen John Dingell, Lloyd Doggett, and Alan Mollohan.