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| Anita Dunn |
SKDKnickerbocker partner Anita Dunn tops the Observer PR Power 50, which was published today, for the role that the longtime Democratic operative played in the Biden/Harris campaign.
The former campaign advisor to Barack Obama and White House communications director guided Biden/Harris messaging and tactics surrounding mail-in voting and served as the campaign’s media surrogate.
She has rejoined SKDKnick, which also consulted the Democratic ticket.
The Observer this year shifted the format of the Power List to highlight individuals rather than PR firms. That expands its universe to include corporate and non-profit PR people.
Jon Silvan, founding partner/CEO at Global Strategy Group, and Sally Susman, executive VP/chief corporate officer at Pfizer, rank as the No. 2 and No. 3 PR power players.
The Observer cited Silvan for his political work on behalf of Democratic candidates. GSG was lead pollster for Priorities USA, Biden’s SuperPac and Senate Majority PAC victories in Arizona, Colorado and Michigan. It also worked for 10 Congressional freshmen who retained their seats.
Susman earned kudos for handing PR around the pharma giant’s COVID-19 vaccine, which included handling global media, FDA, investors, competitors, doubters, haters and “a president who politicized the company’s work.”
Rounding out the Top Ten are Sean Cassidy (DKC president), Marc Johnson (Facebook VP-corporate communications), Cindi Berger (R&C PMK chairman), Michael Kempner (MWWPR founder/CEO), Peter Finn (Finn Partners founding managing partner), Tracy McGraw (Twitter senior director of global consumer communications) and Matthew Sherman (Joel Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher president).
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New York Women in Communications will hold the 56th annual Matrix Awards ceremony on May 19 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City.
