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Rory Davenport has extensive experience managing integrated global public affairs campaigns and profit centers. He is an accomplished and versatile corporate and public affairs executive who excels at developing strategies, cultivating and managing talent, and effectively managing business operations. He developed and managed the “Community Voice” campaign – a grassroots program – for PBS in 1994 and 1995.

Rory has worked on many significant public policy issues including telecommunications deregulation, healthcare reform, utility deregulation, privacy, and mining law reform. He also worked on such notable campaigns as the United-US Airways merger, the Microsoft antitrust issue, and the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement.

Rory possesses almost two decades of political and public affairs experience. He became a public affairs executive in 1988 after establishing himself in the political arena as a political director for a state party and a manager of a U.S. Senate campaign. He has also worked on two presidential campaigns as a state director and deputy field director.

Rory recently managed the public affairs practice in Washington, DC for Hill & Knowlton. He served as Senior Vice President and Director, Public Affairs and he reoriented the practice to help clients navigate the intersection where corporate, international and public affairs meet. Rory supervised the account work on four of the firm’s top 12 global public affairs clients and made contributions to clients throughout the firm’s network.

Prior to joining Hill & Knowlton, Rory built and enhanced two practices at two of the largest global communications agencies. He formed the political and international affairs group at Fleishman-Hillard’s Washington, DC office. Earlier, he significantly expanded the firm’s grassroots group to include a full offering of public affairs services. Rory also founded the grassroots and political programs practice for Edelman Worldwide and served as its first director.

Rory has conducted campaigns in 10 countries and several members of the former Soviet Union. PRWeek, a leading industry trade publication, awarded the communications campaign he managed for Russia’s Ilim Pulp Enterprises International Campaign of the Year in 2003.

As an early practitioner of electoral-style public affairs campaigns, Rory was well-positioned to work on some of the most visible and complex issues debated in Washington over the past 18 years. His former clients include United Airlines, AT&T, SBC, ExxonMobil, PBS, FujiFilm, Microsoft, Pfizer, R.R. Donnelley & Sons, a coalition of the regional bell operating companies, Republic of Chile, Tyumen Oil Company, North Rhein Westphalia, News Corp., LexisNexis, Metromail, Edison Electric Institute, American Chemistry Council, The Prudential, National Railway Labor Conference, a coalition of hard rock mining companies, Wal-Mart, Manville Personal Injury Trust, Pakistan Textile and Apparel Group and the American Ambulance Association. He has worked on an array of issues such as antitrust, international trade, market access, privacy, telecommunications deregulation, utility deregulation and healthcare reform.

Rory received a bachelor’s degree in political science from The Florida State University.