Jim Manley Named Senior Director of QGA Public Affairs

Former Chief Spokesman for Majority Leader Reid, Senator Kennedy to Expand PR and GR Practices

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- QGA Public Affairs announced today that Jim Manley will join the firm as a senior director in both the Communications and Government Affairs groups.  The Capitol Hill veteran, who most recently served as chief spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), will work closely with QGA Communications President John Feehery to expand the successful bipartisan, bicameral public affairs practice.  

Called "one of the most powerful aides on Capitol Hill" by Roll Call, Manley brings to QGA a wealth of insight and experience garnered from working in Congress for more than two decades.  

"Quinn Gillespie is fortunate to have someone of Jim Manley's caliber," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).  "After 21 years in the Senate, no one knows more about Capitol Hill and how Washington works than Jim," added Reid.  

As a senior communications advisor and spokesman for the Majority Leader, Jim spent six years at the nexus of politics and policy for every issue facing the Senate.  Before he was tapped to join Reid's leadership office, Manley spent nearly 12 years as press secretary for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) and the US Senate Committee on Health, Education Labor and Pensions.  In that role, he worked on communications and press strategies for legislation such as minimum wage and pension reform, reauthorizations of the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA), the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and No Child Left Behind.  Prior to that, Manley worked in the press office of then Majority Leader George Mitchell (D-ME).  

"Jim's hire is a major coup for QGA Public Affairs," said QGA Communications President John Feehery.  "Jim and I have had our fair share of political disagreements over the years, but through it all, we have developed mutual respect and a good friendship.  He will add an extra dimension of insight and experience for our clients and I am certain he will be a very successful addition to our already deep bench."

Manley's connection to politics pre-dates his arrival in Washington, D.C.  After graduating from the University of St. Thomas, he worked for a law and lobbying firm in St. Paul, MN.  But it was his grandfather, a prominent figure in Minnesota's state Legislature, who sparked his interest in government at a young age.  

"Jim Manley was a star on Capitol Hill for Harry Reid, Ted Kennedy and George Mitchell," said QGA Chairman Jack Quinn.  "We are thrilled that he has chosen to hang his star from this point forward at QGA Public Affairs.  He is, quite simply, one of the very best political communications talents in the country."

Manley's first day at QGA is September 15, 2011.  For more information, visit www.qga.com.

About QGA Public Affairs

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 more than 30 professionals bring a bipartisan, multi-disciplinary approach to helping clients successfully manage public policy challenges.

SOURCE QGA Public Affairs