Karen Hinton, the progressive PR pro who has been handling the long-running multi-billion legal battle against Chevron for its alleged contamination of Ecuador's Amazon region, is expected to become press secretary for New York City mayor Bill de Blasio.
She'll take over for Phil Walzak, who moved to another post with de Blasio's team earlier this year.
Hinton, 56, and the mayor both served in Bill Clinton's White House at the Dept. of Housing and Urban Affairs, which was headed by now New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. She did a four-year stint as acting assistant secretary for PA.
Hinton launched her career as a reporter at the Jackson Daily News and began her life in public service as a aide to Mississippi Congressman Mike Espy.
In 2013, she merged Hinton Communications into Omnicom's Mercury/Clark & Weinstock operation.
Jeffrey Nesbit, who served as communications director for former vice president Dan Quayle, is named assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Kate Bedingfield, White House communications director, will exit at the end of the month. Ben LaBolt, a longtime Biden adviser, will take the CD post.
Cathy Cochran, senior VP in Teneo’s Washington office, has rejoined the US Dept of Agriculture as director in its communications office.
Mexico is working with the DC-based Global Action on Gun Violence to push for “impactful gun violence prevention strategies” in the US.
Douglas Farrar, who was VP-communications and strategy at the Carnegie Center for International Peace, has joined the Federal Trade Commission as PA director.
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