Former Senate Chief of Staff Joins APCO

Washington, D.C. (June 11, 2008) – Alicia Peterson Clark, former chief of staff for Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), joins APCO Worldwide as a vice president and senior advisor in the Washington, D.C., office, Robert Schooling, managing director, announced today.

Mixing experience in the executive and legislative branches with presidential and congressional campaign experience, Peterson Clark brings more than 14 years of public affairs expertise to the firm.

“As someone who has first-hand experience in the way that public policy and public opinion intersect, Alicia’s knowledge will provide great value to APCO’s clients in Washington, D.C., and beyond,” said Schooling. “Alicia’s public affairs know-how from her years in government service is a beneficial resource for clients and colleagues alike.”

Peterson Clark started with Sen. Burr when he was in the House of Representatives. After serving as chief of staff in the House, she worked with the Bush-Cheney campaign during the 2000 presidential race, in the White House during the first George W. Bush term and returned to start Burr’s U.S. Senate operation as his chief of staff in 2005.

“In the world of public affairs it is important to be forward-looking when developing legislative or public policy strategies,” said Peterson Clark. “At APCO, I’ve found a team of professionals who specialize in seeing what lies ahead and building strategic plans that consistently meet those challenges.”

While serving as chief of staff for Sen. Burr, Peterson Clark provided daily strategic counsel on the implication of current events, public policy, legislation, communication, planning and political issues. She successfully helped to build Burr’s Senate organization and developed a strategic planning process to achieve annual legislative, communication and operational goals. She assisted in efforts to successfully pass several pieces of legislation, including major public health preparedness initiatives that were signed into federal law in 2006. She led staff teamwork on a wide variety of issues including energy, bioterrorism, health care, education, national parks, veterans, appropriations, national security and economic development.

Between 2000 and 2004, Peterson Clark held a range of positions in the political arena including surrogate and state media director for the Bush-Cheney election in 2000 where she built a nationwide team of communication professionals to manage daily media operations on behalf of the campaign. She also successfully directed communication teams on behalf of cabinet nominees seeking Senate confirmation during the Bush-Cheney presidential transition. In the White House, she served as a special assistant to the president, deputy director in the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives and assistant to the vice president for political affairs in the Office of the Vice President, where she managed more than 70 vice presidential events in support of congressional and gubernatorial candidates in 2004.

About APCO Worldwide

Founded in 1984, APCO Worldwide is an independently owned global communication consultancy with offices in major cities throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. APCO was named 2007 PR Agency of the Year by PRNews; 2006 Agency of the Year by PRWeek; 2007, 2006 and 2005 European Consultancy of the Year by Public Affairs News; and 2004 Public Affairs Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report. Clients include corporations, governments, industry associations and nonprofit organizations. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., APCO includes among its clients seven of the top 10 companies on Fortune’s Global 500. Core services include corporate, investor and internal communication; crisis management; issue management; government relations; litigation communication; media relations; coalition building; opinion research; market entry; corporate responsibility; and online communication. APCO is a majority women-owned business. For more information, please visit www.apcoworldwide.com.

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Contact:
Elizabeth Wolf
+1.202.778.1470
ewolf@apcoworldwide.com