White House Communications Director
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The White House Director of Communications, also known as Assistant to the President for Communications, is part of the senior staff of the President of the United States, and is responsible for developing and promoting the President's agenda and leading the President's media campaign after he occupies the White House. The director, along with his or her staff, work on speeches such as the inaugural address and the State of the Union Address. The current holder of this position under President George W. Bush is Kevin Sullivan, who took over the position from Nicolle Wallace (née Devenish) on July 24, 2006. The Communications Director is usually given an office in the West Wing of the White House.
Historically, the position of White House Communications Director is typically given to a senior public relations staff member of the candidate's campaign staff. Typically this is either the Deputy Campaign Manager or the Campaign Communications Director. The Communications Director works closely with the White House Press Secretary, who was typically a co-worker in the president's campaign. For instance, during the 1992 Clinton Presidential Campaign, George Stephanopoulos was Deputy Campaign Manager, who became the Communications Director after Clinton's election.
As the President's voice and vision must be clear, the Communications Director must ensure that all aspects of communications are covered to ensure that the administration's message has been delivered successfully. A communications strategy must be devised to promote the President's agenda throughout all media outlets. This can include, but certainly are not limited to, the State of the Union address, televised press conferences, statements to the press, and radio addresses. The communications office also works closely with cabinet level departments and other executive agencies in order to create a coherent strategy through which the President's message can be disseminated.
[edit] Fiction
Toby Ziegler (played by Richard Schiff) is prominently featured as President Bartlet's Communications Director in the television series The West Wing. He was later replaced by Will Bailey (Joshua Malina) in the seventh season of the show.
