|
From
the Pentagon to the private sector, Victoria Clarke has been at
the center of some of the most historic events in the United
States in recent years.
Serving
most recently as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public
Affairs, Clarke was at her desk in the Pentagon’s outer ring
when the World Trade Center was attacked on September 11, 2001. By
the time the Pentagon was hit, Clarke had already moved to the
Command Center, where she was one of a small handful of top aides
to stay with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld throughout the
day—leaving the building only to see the crash site and brief
the media. From those first moments on 9/11, to embedding
correspondents with military units in Operation Iraqi Freedom—a
program she conceived, designed and ran—Clarke has played a
leading role in shaping the public’s understanding of the war on
terrorism.
Clarke
accompanied Rumsfeld on official visits to every continent,
including trips to Kabul, Baghdad, Moscow and the Balkans. Her
televised press briefings—as well as appearances on programs
ranging from 60 Minutes to Good Morning America to The
Daily Show with Jon Stewart—have made her a recognized
public figure as well.
As
press secretary for President George H.W. Bush’s 1992
re-election campaign, Clarke witnessed history from vantage points
like Air Force One and was broadly praised for her poise and
professionalism during the campaign’s most difficult days. She
was a close advisor to Arizona Senator John McCain from the
earliest days of his Congressional career. As Assistant U.S. Trade
Representative during the first Bush Administration, Clarke worked
extensively with journalists from around the world and ran a
comprehensive private sector liaison program.
Widely
respected as one of the nation’s most innovative communications
strategists, Clarke has advised some of the nation’s best-known
executives. She has been President of Bozell Eskew advertising,
head of the Washington office of the internationally known public
relations firm of Hill and Knowlton and Vice President of the
National Cable Telecommunications Association, where she helped to
develop the first television ratings system and the cable
industry’s first on-time guarantee.
A
former photographer for the Washington Star, Clarke is a
graduate of George Washington University. She lives in suburban
Washington with her husband, Brian Graham, and her three children. |
