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.