CRAFTing A Career Transition

I have some personal news to share with readers today.

After ten wonderful months in the communications shop at the Cato Institute, I have accepted a position as Senior Campaign Manager with CRAFT | Media/Digital, a political consulting and public affairs firm that combines direct mail, TV, eCampaigns, advertising, and other related services under one roof.

Ben Smith has the scoop:

Of some interest to the online political world: George Scoville, currently the CATO Institute’s New Media chief, is heading over to the GOP ad firm CRAFT, I’m told.

Their clients in 2010 included the Republican committees and a horde of candidates.

I’ll be overseeing and collaborating on day-to-day operations for client campaigns, recruiting new business, and taking on some administrative duties as well.

I am looking forward to the move, which will provide me with a path for professional growth with a rapidly-expanding firm on the cutting edge of political consultancy and advocacy. In their first year alone, CRAFT exploded on to the political scene, scoring some high-profile electoral and messaging wins for their clients. With the 2012 cycle fast approaching, this is a great time to for me to make this change and to try to make a difference in the composition of our government. That’s right: after all these years, I still want to change the world!

I am eternally grateful to Khristine Brookes, head flack at Cato, to the rest of the communications staff, and to David Boaz, Cato’s executive vice president, for opening their doors to me last summer. I have had a wonderful time working for Cato and have learned much in my tenure. I wish all the folks at 1000 Massachusetts Avenue the very best in the years to come–particularly as the Liberating the Future capital campaign draws to a close, and Cato’s operations and scope of work expand–and I hope to keep in touch with all my friends.

As for this site, I expect to continue to critique public policy and politics from a Madisonian perspective. I will, of course, have clients as an employee of CRAFT, but as per my disclaimer and site policies statement, I do not accept payment in exchange for anything I publish here, and any similarity between my analysis and the positions of any of my employers (or of organizations with which I am affiliated) is purely coincidental.

As they say: Onward and upward!