Gretchen Hamel

Gretchen D.K. Hamel is a founder and former partner of the public relations firm Endeavour Global Strategies. She is currently (in 2011) executive director of a Republican policy think tank called Public Notice, which in 2011 operates a program called Bankrupting America that spends millions running ad campaigns attacking government spending and stimulus, and promoting federal budget cuts.

Before founding the PR firm, Hamel was Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) for Public and Media Affairs, and was the spokeswoman on trade for the George W. Bush Administration. While at USTR, Hamel planned media events for U.S. Trade Representative Susan C. Schwab. Hamel helped craft and carry out the longest-running White House PR campaign ever, promoting passage of free trade agreements which tend to send jobs overseas. Before working for the Bush Administration, Hamel spent four years on Capitol Hill as Deputy Press Secretary for Oklahoma Congressman J.C. Watts. She also worked as Communications Director for Texas Congressman John Carter. In 2005 Hamel was chief spokesperson and press secretary for the House Republican Conference, where she helped promote the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy, renewal of voting rights act, and passage of border security and energy bills. In 2011, she is executive director of Public Notice, a Washington-based think tank. Her affiliations have been primarily Republican, and her own media appearances have been predominantly on the Fox News Channel.

Koch connections
Hamel was an attendee at the Koch brothers' June, 2010 strategy meeting.

Sourcewatch resources

 * Bankrupting America
 * Koch Industries
 * J.C. Watts

External resources

 * Salary information for Gretchen Hamel as a Congressional staffer: http://www.legistorm.com/person/Gretchen_Hamel/11444.html
 * The Detroit News Less Rhetoric, Rules Will Boost Economy, Op-Ed by Gretchen Hamel, August 18, 2011. Hamel wrote, that "the Obama administration has shown no willingness to focus on creating an environment that would be conducive to business hiring," but fails to mention, for example, that President Obama saved the American automobile industry and pushed through stimulus package that provided jobs for several years after the 2008 market crash.
 * Gretchen Hamel on Real Time with Bill Maher, June 17, 2011

Contact
Twitter account: http://twitter.com/#!/dcgretchen