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| Michael LaRosa |
Michael LaRosa, former press secretary for First Lady Jill Biden, has joined Ballard Partners’ DC office as a partner.
Serving as her chief spokesperson and strategic communications advisor, LaRosa traveled to more than 75 cities and 15 countries with Biden.
He handled Biden's events at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, NATO conference in Madrid, G-20 Summit in Rome and the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles.
LaRosa also created the communications strategy for her secret trip to Ukraine, which was the first time a First Lady visited an active war zone without the protection of US troops.
Prior to working for Biden, LaRosa handled communications for the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and the House Democratic Policy Communications Committee
He also spent seven years as a television producer for cable news, at MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews.
Most recently, LaRosa was managing director at the Penta Group, a global PA firm.


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