Don Meyer

Don Meyer is a senior vice-president at the PR firm Hill & Knowlton, in the firm's "corporate communications practice." 

Defense Department Work
In May 2004, the trade publication Jack O'Dwyer's Newsletter reported ("Meyer Leaves Rumsfeld for H&K," May 12, 2004):
 * Don Meyer, who helped craft the Pentagon's PA [public affairs] strategy on Sept. 11, has returned to Hill & Knowlton as VP in the corporate practice at its Washington, D.C., office. He served as the top aide to former Pentagon spokesperson Torie Clarke, who had headed H&K/D.C. As special assistant to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Meyer devised PA tactics to support military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. He also handled the military's outreach to Capitol Hill and think tanks.

Dubai Deal
Meyer worked with fellow H&K staffer Kelli Parsons to promote the United Arab Emirates-owned company Dubai International Capital's bid to buy the aerospace company Doncasters Group Ltd., according to O'Dwyer's PR Services report ("H&K guided Dubai bid," April 2006).

Doncasters "runs nine aerospace plants in the U.S., supplying components to General Electric, Boeing, Pratt & Whitney, Hamilton Sunstrand and Honeywell," reported O'Dwyer's. The $1.2 billion deal was announced in December 2005, but "the potential acquisition moved into the spotlight following the political uproar connected with Dubai Ports World's bid to run six major U.S. seaports." The acquisition was finalized in May 2006. 

Nuclear Power PR
Meyer is a spokesman for the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition (CASEnergy), a pro-nuclear power group funded by the industry lobby group Nuclear Energy Institute. Meyer is listed as the contact for the April 24, 2006, press conference announcing the formation of CASEnergy, on the website of the National Press Club. 

According to Nucleonics Week (Daniel Horner and Tom Harrison, "Two new groups formed to press for greater use of nuclear power," Nucleonics Week, April 27, 2006):
 * A large part of CASEnergy's work will be at the state and local level, (CASEnergy co-chair Patrick Moore) said. CASEnergy spokesman Don Meyer, a senior vice president with Washington public relations firm Hill & Knowlton, said the group is planning four or five "state-level launches" in the next several weeks.

Meyer told Environment and Energy News: "It is an activation effort to get people who have a stake in the future of nuclear energy to create a groundswell for expanding the capacity of the nuclear industry. ... The primary focus is going to be American public at large, who may still be carrying certain misperceptions about nuclear energy, misperceptions about safety." (Ben Geman, "Industry-backed 'grassroots' group to campaign for nuclear energy," E&E News, April 24, 2006)

SourceWatch Resources

 * Clean and Safe Energy Coalition
 * Hill & Knowlton
 * Pentagon military analyst program