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Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Quinn Gillespie & Associates Honors D.C.’s Best Spokespersons

QGA’s Annual Flak Jacket Award Presented at 2008 Flak Bash

Washington, D.C. – This evening, Quinn Gillespie & Associates (QGA) will honor D.C.’s most daring and verbally agile communicators.  The Flak Jacket Award will be given to the Best Spokesperson representing the following categories: Presidential Campaign (Republican and Democrat); Capitol Hill Press Secretary (Republican and Democrat); and Industry (business and association).   

This year, we are proud to announce the following winner in each category:

• Republican, Presidential Campaign – Ken Spain, National Republican Congressional Committee

• Democrat, Presidential Campaign – Jennifer Crider, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

• Republican, Capitol Hill Press Secretary – Don Stewart, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

• Democrat, Capitol Hill Press Secretary – Brendan Daly, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

• Industry –T. Boone Pickens, creator of the Pickens Plan, a major energy policy effort and founder and chairman of the hedge fund BP Capital Management

“We are very excited about this unique event and, given the array of front page news stories over the past year, there couldn't be a better time to honor those on the PR front lines," said Jack Quinn, Chairman, Quinn Gillespie & Associates.  “This year we have seen superb communicators not only on Capitol Hill, but in the business sector as well.  Our newest Flak Award category honors industry communication leaders and, as our judges agreed, T. Boone Pickens has been at the forefront, fighting in the trenches to redefine the energy debate   in the US.  We honor Mr. Pickens, and all of the award winners, for their ability to effectively work with the media.”

Flak Jacket Award winners were selected by the following panel of esteemed journalists, serving as judges for this year’s competition: Jeff Birnbaum, The Washington Times; Eleanor Clift, Newsweek;

Bob Cusack, The Hill; Eve Fairbanks, The New Republic; Arianna Huffington, The Huffington Post; Kathryn Jean Lopez; National Review Online; Charlie Mitchell, Roll Call; Brody Mullins, The Wall Street Journal; Bara Vaida, National Journal; and Jim VandeHei, The Politico.

Hosted by Quinn Gillespie & Associates, the Flak Bash is an annual event that draws those on the PR front lines—political spokespersons, Capitol Hill press secretaries, and industry flaks.  Nominations are submitted by the general public and evaluated by our judges.

The winners will be recognized at QGA’s Flak Bash, an award celebration held on Capitol Hill.

Quinn Gillespie & Associates (QGA) was founded in 2000 by Jack Quinn, former White House Counsel to President Bill Clinton and Chief of Staff to Vice President Al Gore, Ed Gillespie, former Republican National Committee Chairman, and Jeff Connaughton, former Clinton White House lawyer and staff assistant to Senator Joe Biden.  The firm provides public affairs counsel to leading corporations, coalitions, trade associations and public entities.  One of the only Washington firms to thoroughly integrate government relations and communications services, QGA’s team of nearly 30 professionals bring a bipartisan, multi-disciplinary approach to helping clients successfully manage public policy challenges.