Twitter: @harrispolitico
Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of POLITICO
John Harris is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of POLITICO, the must-read newspaper and website for DC power-players. Since its launch in January 2007, POLITICO has become one of the country’s most-trafficked news sites and has drawn widespread attention nationally and internationally for its efforts to create a new editorial and business model to sustain robust journalism in an era of radical change for the media industry. Harris brought two decades of experience from the Washington Post to POLITICO, and, together with co-founder Jim VandeHei, a focused editorial vision of politics and policy.
Harris ensures that POLITICO maintains journalistic integrity and the traditions of an old-guard newspaper while taking advantage of new media and technology streams. Well briefed in today’s biggest issues, he was listed in the Telegraph’s list of most influential Washington journalists and GQ’s list of the most influential people in Washington. He is a frequent guest on such shows as CBS’s Face the Nation, PBS’s Washington Week and Charlie Rose Show, and MSNBC’s Morning Joe. An inside source for political context, behind-the-scenes play by play, and the human drama that animates politics, Harris is steadfast in his goal of getting to the root of how Washington really works. Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, he offers a unique view of the rhythms of DC politics and policy, and provides context and “predictive POLITICO intelligence” to audiences looking for a deeper understanding of the issues and a grasp of how current and future policies will affect their industries.
Politics and Prose. Harris spent 21 years at The Washington Post, covering local politics, Virginia state politics, and national issues. During the Clinton years, he covered the White House and eventually used that experience to write a history of the Bill Clinton presidency called The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House. The Atlantic Monthly called the book “a responsible, honest, tough, and – best of all – considered assessment of Clinton’s presidency.” The book was a New York Times best-seller and a Times notable book of the year. In 2006, Harris also co-authored a book on presidential politics titled, The Way to Win: Taking the White House in 2008, a book Publisher’s Weekly called “an in-depth, indefatigable examination of American media and politics at the turn of the millennium.”
Forward Momentum. Harris keeps a keen eye on the way technology is accelerating the spread of information, political cycles, and the public’s expectations for change. He is passionate about journalism and news media but realizes POLITICO cannot stay complacent as a physical paper or even a website. There is always the question of “what’s next.” In addition to being editor-in-chief, Harris is influential on the business side of POLITICO, and, under his leadership, POLITICO turned a profit after only 3 years of existence. The publication now has 120 employees in its news and business operations and was recently named by Fast Company magazine to its annual list of America’s most innovative companies. Harris is also a board member of the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the American Society of News Editors.
Twitter: @adamkfetcher
Media Strategist and Managing Director, The Incite Agency
Adam Fetcher is a media strategist and managing director of The Incite Agency with experience leading complex press operations, developing successful communications strategies and navigating national crises at the top levels of government and politics. A former journalist and native Minnesotan, Fetcher was deputy national press secretary for President Obama’s reelection campaign, and served as press secretary for the U.S. Department of the Interior and assistant press secretary and director of special projects for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Twitter: @jigolden
Political and Advocacy Sales, Twitter
Jenna Golden is part of the political and advocacy sales team in Twitter's D.C. office responsible for building partnerships with national trade associations, issue advocacy groups, nonprofits, and political campaigns. In this role Jenna works to educate the Washington sector on Twitter's promoted products and to help them maximize potential on the platform. Prior to Twitter, Jenna spent three years as the Associate Publisher of The New Republic magazine where she was responsible for all advertising sales across print, online, and the live events space. Before The New Republic she managed partnerships at National Journal magazine with top national trade associations and coalitions. Jenna has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan and an M.A. in Communication, Culture, and Technology from Georgetown University.
Twitter: @tammy
Vice President of Social Communications and Strategy, AARP
Tammy Gordon is AARP's Vice President of Social Communications & Strategy. Starting in January 2010, she launched AARP's social media guidelines, established branded social platforms, trained hundreds of staffers growing the organization's engaged social presence into a nationally recognized leader. Today, she manages a ten person team of community managers, content strategists and a full time social media trainer, as well as serving a network of nearly 300 staffers across the country use social media on a regular basis.
Twitter: @katieharbath
Global Lead, Politics and Government Engagement, Facebook
Katie Harbath is the global lead for politics and government engagement at Facebook, where she focuses on political outreach. Prior to Facebook, Katie was the Chief Digital Strategist at the National Republican Senatorial Committee. She previously led digital strategy in positions at DCI Group, the Rudy Giuliani for President campaign and the Republican National Committee. In 2009, she was named a Rising Star by Campaigns and Elections magazine. Katie holds a BA in journalism and political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Twitter: @mikepanetta
Partner, Beekeeper Group
Mike Panetta is an award winning public affairs campaign strategist who specializes in using the Internet and social media for creative issue advocacy and grassroots activism. As a founding partner at Beekeeper Group, Mike manages a number of the firm's non-profit, trade association, and political clients and led its embrace of mobile technology for political, marketing and advocacy purposes. His work has been recognized with top honors from the American Association of Political Consultants, the Public Affairs Council, and George Washington University's Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet.
Twitter: @jonnorp
Director, Social Media Communications, American Airlines
Jonathan Pierce is Director, Social Media Communications at American Airlines, where he oversees global social communications for the airline. Pierce directs the social strategy for American, and leads daily community engagement with customers and other stakeholders involved with the brand. He has led the creation of a dedicated in-house social team to manage customer service conversations, as well as managing the American Airlines brand through social engagement and high profile social issues impacting the company’s corporate reputation.
Twitter: @rosenbDC
Elections and Advocacy, Google
Recognized as a leader in digital politics, Jason Rosenbaum has counseled dozens of successful House and Senate campaigns on their digital programs and built teams that have raised more than $70 million online in support of Democratic candidates since 2006. Jason currently heads up the Democratic side of Google’s Elections and Advocacy team, where he evangelizes digital technology and assists campaigns and organizations on their digital efforts. In 2012, Jason completed his second successful election cycle managing digital operations for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), where he oversaw the committee’s strategy and advised campaigns for U.S. Senate. In his four years at the committee, Jason quadrupled digital revenue, and built a department that generated more than a third of the organization’s overall funding. This was instrumental in maintaining the Democratic majority in 2010, and expanding it in 2012. Jason is a graduate of Michigan State University and The George Washington University. Follow him on Twitter at @rosenbDC.
Twitter: @aartisura
Chief Strategy Officer, Three Ships Media
Managing Director, The Emerging Media Research Council
Aarti Sura is Chief Strategy Officer of Three Ships Media and Managing Director of The Emerging Media Research Council, a digital marketing research and analytics firm. Aarti works closely with Fortune 500 companies and associations – from ABB to the Project Management Institute – advising them on digital media best practices and trends, and helping measure the impact of their marketing efforts.