Terry Neal, former national political reporter for The Washington Post and a longtime communications consultant and media relations strategist, has moved to Washington, D.C.-based public affairs giant Podesta Group, where he will serve as a principal in the firm's PR practice.
Neal, who began his journalism career as a reporter for the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel and The Miami Herald, joined The Washington Post in 1994, where he first served as a metro reporter before being promoted to its national desk in 1997 and becoming a political reporter, and later, a political columnist for washingtonpost.com. Neal, who briefly exited the daily newspaper in 2000 for a director stint in Burson-Marsteller's Washington, D.C. media practice, left the WaPo in 2007.
Neal later served as a senior VP and strategic media director for Hill+Knowlton Strategies and a communications director for CGI Group subsidiary CGI Federal. Most recently, he was a senior communications consultant at government-backed mortgage entity Fannie Mae.
At Podesta Group, Neal will lead the PA firm’s crisis communications and media relations practices.
Podesta Group PR Managing Principal David Marin referred to Neal as “a battle-tested communicator with the right acumen and experience to help us continue to advance and diversify our strategic communications offering.”
Podesta, which was founded in 1987, accounted for more than $9 million in net fees last year, according to O'Dwyer's rankings of PR firms.
Greg Honan, who worked in the Biden White House as director of message planning and chief of staff for its office of communications, is joining public affairs firm Seven Letter as a managing director.
David Bassity, who was VP for football communications for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, will join the Big Ten Conference on July 20.
BPCM brings on former Prada SVP marketing & communications Christian Langbein as its EVP of growth and strategy, a newly created role... MikeWorldWide names Joseph Sorrentino as its first chief intelligence officer. Sorrentino joins from Weber Shandwick, where he was EVP, analytics & intelligence... Pacers Sports & Entertainment, which operates the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and WNBA’s Indiana Fever, hires Kieran Donahue as EVP and CMO. Donahue has served as chief marketing officer at IHOP and VP, brand, marketing & digital for the Americas at Marriott... Ballast Rock Asset Management, a diversified alternative investment manager, appoints Michael Welch as head of investor relations and capital formation.
Renault Group brings on Paul Michon as corporate communications director, effective Sept. 1. He joins from Kering, the luxury goods marketer.
SKDK makes Loren Riegelhaupt, Michael Czin and Julie Andreeff Jensen agency partners... Coca-Cola Company promotes Gary McElyea to lead its pan-European Public Policy & Government Affairs agenda, and Sophia Chrysopoulou to serve as head of EU public affairs... Rithum, a commerce solutions provider, appoints Kim Miller as CMO and head of global strategy. 
