ViaNovo Adds Senior Strategists with White House, Congressional and Fortune 500 Experience
(Washington, D.C. and Austin, TX) - January 19, 2006 - Three leading strategists from American business and politics today joined the international management and communications consulting firm ViaNovo.
William Moore, a longtime congressional and campaign operative, and Robert Norcross, a former general counsel in the financial services industry, join ViaNovo from Public Strategies, where both were senior Managing Directors. Michael Shannon joins the firm from the Boston Consulting Group prior to which he served as Director of Media Planning for Bush-Cheney '04, and in the Office of Strategic Initiatives at the White House (see bio sketches below and for more, see www.vianovo.com).
Moore will provide Capitol Hill experience and coalition campaign management from the Washington, D.C. office. Shannon's work in Austin will focus on strategic communications, media planning and research analysis. Norcross, who will specialize in public policy, advocacy and crisis strategy, is opening ViaNovo's new Dallas-Fort Worth office.
"The arrival of Billy, Rob, and Mike allows ViaNovo to continue to provide our clients with the strategic counsel of an expanding group of trusted experts," said ViaNovo co-founder Matthew Dowd. "We're proud to add old and new friends to our superb team."
ViaNovo was founded last May by Dowd, Blaine Bull, Tucker Eskew and James Taylor. ViaNovo applies its own, new proprietary process - AIMD (Audience, Insight, Message and Delivery) - across a range of services, including strategic planning and communications, threat assessment and competitive positioning, crisis communications, brand strategy, media relations, issue campaigns, alliance and coalition building, and grassroots mobilization. The firm has offices in Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Washington, and Monterrey, Mexico.
William Moore
Billy Moore contributes decades of Capitol Hill experience and campaign know-how to ViaNovo's management and consulting team. He is a veteran of more than 50 election campaigns and worked for 26 years in the U.S. Congress. Based in ViaNovo's Washington, D.C. office, Billy blends insight on government, the media, policy issues and public opinion to help clients achieve their high-stakes goals.
For the past five years as a Public Strategies Managing Director, Billy has directed the U.S. government sales strategy for a worldwide provider of information technology services and has managed a coalition of finance corporations and real estate associations. He also directed strategic advocacy projects for diverse clients, including: a Catholic health system, a global computer manufacturer, an international Real Estate Investment Trust, an election system hardware and software manufacturer, a scientific research and development non-profit and a real estate development company.
Billy's work on electoral campaigns dates to 1969 and includes races for local, state, congressional and presidential offices. He served U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen (Texas) for ten years and was Chief of Staff to U.S. Representatives Jim Chapman (Texas) and David Price (North Carolina), also serving on the staffs of the House Appropriations and Budget Committees.
Billy is a regular guest lecturer on Congress and elections at the United States War College, the Johns Hopkins University Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He also served as Chairman of the Duke University School of Law Center for the Study of Congress. Billy attended the University of Texas at Austin.
Robert Norcross
Rob Norcross brings to ViaNovo's management and consulting team a depth of experience in public policy and advocacy strategy, legislative and regulatory affairs and crisis management. Based in Dallas-Fort Worth, Rob contributes issue expertise that spans financial services, health care, government procurement and elections.
Rob's distinguished professional background includes working for eight years as a Managing Director with Public Strategies Inc., the international public affairs firm based in Austin. Rob directed diverse client teams, coordinating on behalf of an international client base an array of public policy, advocacy, communications, government affairs and crisis-management strategies and programs. Earlier, he led the firm's Targeted Communications Division and was responsible for overseeing the development and execution of advocacy and mobilization communications for a variety of clients.
Previously, Rob served as President of the Texas Conference for Homeowners' Rights, Inc., a coalition that successfully advocated the passage of legislation and a constitutional amendment to end the state's 150-year prohibition against home-equity loans. Rob coordinated the outreach activities of more than 35,000 corporate and individual association members and managed a team of 32 lobbyists working to secure passage of the historic legislation. Prior to his work with TCHR, Rob served as the general counsel of the Texas Bankers Association, coordinating the organization's legislative, regulatory and litigation strategy. His career also includes several years in private practice with a San Antonio law firm.
Rob is a summa cum laude graduate of Texas Tech University, from which he earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence, MBA and BA (in Finance).
Michael Shannon
Michael Shannon is a veteran of two presidential campaigns and he served as a member of the White House staff during George W. Bush's first term. In 2004, as Director of Media Planning for Bush-Cheney 04, Mike managed the placement of the campaign's entire advertising budget. In 2001-02, Mike served as Associate Director in the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives, helping promote key presidential initiatives by developing strategic planning materials and analyzing public opinion research and history. Previously, Mike was a Strategy Associate on the 2000 Bush for President Campaign, with responsibility for analyzing polls and media buys and designing email marketing strategies.
Mike's private sector experience includes positions with two management consulting firms and a large international energy company. His accomplishments include: redesigning the customer returns policy of an industrial goods company; evaluating the North American natural gas market to help a Mexican power utility assess its future supply needs, and; participating in the billion-dollar acquisition financing of a power company.
Mike earned an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management and he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from Vanderbilt University.
Contact:
Matthew Dowd (512) 744-0044
Tucker Eskew (703) 549-0330