PRESS RELEASE from ONE

Advisory For:
August 12-13, 2011
Contact: Kimberly Hunter
ONE Vote 2012 Engages Presidential Candidates at Iowa Straw Poll
Top GOP Consultants, Friends of ONE Available for Interviews
 
Ames, Iowa - On August 13th, Republican political consultants Rich Galen, Alex Vogel and Tony Fratto will join the ONE Campaign, a non-partisan advocacy organization dedicated to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa, at the Iowa Straw Poll in Ames.  The three of them will help engage the Republican presidential candidates on ONE’s key issues and are available for interviews upon request.
 
As ONE prepares to launch ONE Vote 2012 in the Hawkeye State, ONE members will have a tent at the Straw Poll to meet and speak with the presidential candidates about effective American efforts that are saving millions of lives in the world’s poorest places, all for less than 1 percent of the U.S. budget.
 
The ONE tent will feature the Isiserettes, Iowa’s own youth drill and drum corp. The tent will also include a photo booth for ONE members to send photo messages to Members of Congress and presidential candidates that will show their support for effective programs that help prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, provide childhood vaccines, and teach advanced farming techniques that help families feed themselves.
 
ONE has been on the ground in Iowa since 2006, with the launch of its ONE Vote ’08 effort, and has established a grassroots network of advocates that includes more than 15,000 local ONE members. At ONE, we’re not asking for your money, we’re asking for your voice.
 
ONE Guests Available for Interviews on Friday, August 12th and Saturday, August 13th:
 
·         Rich Galen: Political consultant; Columnist for Mullings; Frequent contributor to Fox News, CNN, ABC News
·         Alex Vogel: Political consultant, Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti Inc.;
·         Tony Fratto: Political consultant, Hamilton Place Strategies; Former Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Press Secretary to President George W. Bush
·         Ginny Wolfe, U.S. Director of Communications, ONE; Former Counselor to Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D.
·         LTC Jeffrey Ash, Urbandale, IA resident, veteran, and ONE Member

MEDIA NOTE: ONE’s Tent will be located outside the West entrance of the Hilton Coliseum.

U.S. Press Secretary Kimberly Hunter will be on Straw Poll grounds to request and schedule interviews:
                Kimberly Hunter
                Kimberly.Huntery@one.org
                 M: (202) 344-5494
           
Participant Biographies:
 
Rich Galen has been described as "what you get when you cross a political hack with a philosopher." His career includes work in and out of politics, in and out of the United States. In 2003-2004, Rich did a tour of duty in Iraq where he went at the request of the White House. The assignment - which was to have lasted about eight weeks, stretched into six months. While there, he was responsible for bringing the message of the positive aspects of what the coalition was doing in Iraq back to Middle America.
 
Rich has been press secretary to Dan Quayle, when the former Vice President was a Congressman and a U.S. Senator; and to Newt Gingrich when Gingrich was House Republican Whip and, in 1996 became the communications director of the political office of Speaker Gingrich. Rich also has extensive non-US business and political experience. At the time of the dissolution of the Communist governments in Eastern Europe, he was one of a select number of Americans sent over to help build a democratic political infrastructure. He spent a significant amount of time in Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, and what was then Czechoslovakia.
 
In Washington, DC, Mr. Galen is an often quoted source for many of the major American news outlets. He has maintained excellent contacts with all of the networks, major daily newspapers, major news weeklies as well as the Associated Press and Reuters wire services. Mr. Galen is a frequent guest on television shows on FOX, CNN, the "Today" show, on "Good Morning America," on ABC "World News Tonight" and on "Larry King Live." Rich and his wife, Susan, live in Virginia. They have one son, Reed.
 
 
Alex Vogel has a true insider’s perspective on Washington’s legislative, communications and political challenges. In fact, he has spent more than a decade counseling Members of Congress, campaigns, corporations and trade associations on elective strategies for overcoming those challenges. Alex’s analysis and insights have made him a frequent contributor on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, and to the Washington Post.
 
In the years prior to launching Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti Inc., Alex served as Chief Counsel to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D. He was the architect of political and legislative strategy on tort reform, technology, telecommunications, asbestos reform, entertainment industry issues and campaign finance reform. As a Senate leadership staffer, Alex developed an intuitive understanding of both the process and practical operation of the Senate.
 
Holding a Top Secret Security Clearance, he was the Majority Leader’s liaison to the 9/11Commission and coordinated issues relating to domestic security and preserving continuity of government for the legislative branch. Alex also directed the appointment of all boards and commissions falling within the authority of the Senate, giving him a unique insight into and familiarity with the appointments process. During his time in Majority Leader’s office, Alex also served as the liaison to the Senate High Tech Task Force, building important and long lasting relationships with key figures in the technology industry.
 
Prior to serving the Majority Leader, Alex was General Counsel for the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). During his tenure, the NRSC waged an unprecedented campaign that culminated in the historic recapture of the Senate majority by Republicans. Alex also provided counsel to Republican Senators on ethics, campaign finance and election law matters. In an earlier position as the Deputy Counsel for the Republican National Committee (RNC), Alex advised the Committee and its state party organizations on issues relating to federal, state and local campaign finance, and government ethics rules.
 
Today, Alex is a sought after lecturer and speaker on politics and elections. He has spoken at diverse venues including the German Marshall Fund, the CATO Institute and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Alex was named by Details magazine as one of the “Most Powerful Men Under 39” and was named twice to Roll Call newspaper’s “Fabulous 50”- a listing of the most influential people on Capitol Hill. Alex Vogel parlays that “influence” into positive action for a distinguished list of Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti Inc. clients.
 
Alex lives in Upperville, Virginia with his wife, Virginia State Senator Jill Holtzman Vogel and their five children. Alex received his B.A.at the University of California at San Diego, and his J.D. - George Washington University Law School.
 
 
Tony Fratto, with two decades of experience in Washington, has earned a reputation as a trusted and authoritative voice on economic, legal and public policy issues. 

Fratto founded Hamilton Place Strategies, a consultancy based in Washington, D.C., offering public relations, crisis communications, and public affairs consulting services. As both an economist and a communicator, today he helps clients by combining his deep policy experience at the highest levels of government to strategic policy, communications, legal, and crisis management issues related to international investment, finance, markets, regulation, trade and development issues. Fratto is an on-air contributor with the CNBC Business News Network addressing current economic policy issues, and his columns can be found on CNBC.com. Fratto also founded the policy discussion web site, RooseveltRoom.net. 

After serving as a senior official in the U.S. Treasury Department, Fratto moved to the White House in September 2006 as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Press Secretary. 

In this role Fratto worked directly with President George W. Bush and senior cabinet officials as the White House’s lead spokesman and communications adviser on a broad range of economic and legal policy issues. He worked directly with the national press corps, opinion leaders, and foreign news media, regularly briefed reporters from the White House podium and participated in on-camera cable and network interviews. 

Fratto was the White House communicator responsible for international and domestic economic policy issues -- including international trade; global financial markets; banking; and international development and global health issues. He was also the White House’s lead spokesman on legal issues; Supreme Court cases; U.S. intelligence issues; terrorist financing; and financial crimes. 

Before moving to the White House, Fratto distinguished himself as an influential voice on economic policy during his time at the U.S. Treasury Department where he initially served as the Department’s spokesman on domestic and international finance and international development policy, and later as the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, responsible for all Treasury issues. Fratto was directly involved in policy development on international development issues, like the U.S. plan for 100% cancelation of debt for heavily indebted poor countries, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation. He was instrumental in the Administration’s communications strategy in dealing with emerging market crises, currency policy, macroeconomic policy, counter-terrorist finance, and tax policy. Fratto assisted three U.S. Treasury secretaries on activities ranging from preparation for G7 and G20 finance ministers meetings to congressional testimony, interviews and speeches. Combining his work at the Treasury and the White House, Fratto directed and participated in communications efforts in more than 60 countries around the world. 

Before joining the Bush Administration, Fratto served as a communications specialist for the Bush-Cheney campaign. Prior to that he served as Vice President of Government Affairs for the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, where he led successful public affairs and issue campaigns resulting in important infrastructure investments and legislative policy changes in Pennsylvania. 

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Fratto received his bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh, and attended the university’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Judy, and their young children, Antonio and Juliette.
 
Ginny Wolfe is the U.S. Director of Communications at ONE, leading the global anti-poverty group's U.S. communication and media outreach efforts. Wolfe comes to ONE with more than 30 years of experience in directing public affairs and political campaigns at both the state and national level.
 
Most recently, Wolfe was Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at Manning Selvage & Lee, a global communications firm. Previously, Wolfe served as Senior Counselor and spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and as Communications Director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, where she spearheaded nationwide communications activities in the 2002 election cycle.
 
In addition to serving as a key advisor to two governors, Ms. Wolfe has been involved in every presidential campaign since 1976, and worked in the U.S House of Representatives, in the White House, and for a global public relations firm.
 
She has also served as an on-air commentator for Fox News, NPR, Marketplace, Al Jazeera, Al Hurra, and Washington Post radio, and is one of National Journal’s “100 Washington Insiders.”
 
LTC Jeffrey Ash received his commission in 1995 after completing Officers Candidate School in Fort Benning, Georgia and has been working as small business owner with Shelter Insurance since 1993.  Ash is currently serving in the Army Reserves.
 
“I have seen firsthand how American investments in the world’s poorest people help us maintain our position of global leadership,” said Ash. “Addressing the basic needs of those suffering from extreme poverty is a smart investment in our national security.”
 
Before starting his business in Iowa, LTC Ash served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm as commander of the 43rd Support Group from 1990 – 1991.  But his service didn’t stop in the Middle East.  He was on Bosnia and Hungary from 1995-1996.
 
In 2003 he served as the Army Material Command and Forward Support Element as Southwest Asia Operations Officer in Kuwait.
LTC Ash was the maintenance Branch Chief for the Multi National Support Transitional Command in Baghdad in 2007 and was re-deployed in 2008 as Battalion Commander for another Multi National Division.