Steve Parrish was a Senior Vice President of Phillip Morris USA;[1] more recently he has been a senior vice president of coporate affairs for Altria Group Inc. (the parent of Phillip Morris).[2] On many occasions he has acted as a spokesman for the tobacco industry.
Before joining Philip Morris he was partner with the Kansas City law firm of Shook, Hardy & Bacon.[2]
In 1989 Parrish worked with Philip Morris International in Lausanne, Switzerland coordinating international product liability legislation for PM, and in June 1990, he was appointed Vice President, Corporate Scientific Affairs, Philip Morris Management Corp. He was named Vice President and General Counsel for Philip Morris USA in October 1990.
In 1994 the company CEO Geoff Bible announced that Steve Parrish would coordinate PM Companies legal, scientific corporate affairs, government affairs and communications activities on various tobacco issues. In this role he handled many of the details of the Master Settlement Agreement between the tobacco industry, the State Attorneys General, and the Clinton Administration.
He appeared on CBS's 'Face the Nation' (1 September 1996) saying:[1]
"We have received requests from the Justice Department for testimony and for documents. We have cooperated. We will continue to cooperate."
A domestic violence shelter in New York was named in his honor in 2008.[3]