Doug Hattaway

Doug Hattaway is President and CEO of Hattaway Communications, Inc., a strategic communications firm based in Washington, DC. As an American communications consultant and spokesperson he has served dozens of major organizations, political campaigns, and government leaders in the U.S. and around the world. Hattaway was a senior adviser to Hillary Clinton during her 2008 presidential run, as well as Al Gore’s spokesman during the 2000 election, and was reported by the Washington Post to be on a short list of candidates to serve as White House press secretary in the Obama administration. His calming presence on the campaign trail in 2008 and his prominent role during the Florida election recount – “the political story of the century” – gained him much attention, and he was named "an important figure in politics" by the Washington Post website, Who Runs Gov.

Hattaway has appeared frequently as an analyst and commentator on CNN and MSNBC.

Hattaway graduated from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and a major in Political Science. He received his Master of Arts in English from Florida State University.

From 1986-89, Hattaway was press secretary to Representative Andy Ireland (R-FL), who had been elected in 1973 as a Democrat, but switched parties in 1984. Hattaway worked for Rep. Ireland when he was a member of the House Armed Services and Intelligence committees and co-chair of the Defense Burden Sharing Panel, which examined U.S. defense policy in Europe.

During the 1990s, he worked as a freelance correspondent, writing about politics, economics and environmental issues in South and Central America, Northern Ireland, and the Caribbean.

Hattaway served as press secretary for New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D), now a senator from that state, from 1997 to 1999.

In 2000, Hattaway became the New Hampshire spokesman for the Al Gore's presidential campaign during the primary against Senator Bill Bradley. He was then promoted to become the campaign’s national spokesman. He became the campaign’s primary voice during the Florida recount. After a controversial Supreme Court decision halted the recount, Hattaway told the New York Times, “If you count the voter’s intent, Gore wins. If you look for excuses not to count votes, Bush does better.”

After the 2000 election, Hattaway went to Capitol Hill to work for then-Senate Democratic Leader Daschle as communications director. He took charge the day before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and was still in the position when Senator Daschle’s Washington, D.C., office received a piece of mail containing anthrax. Hattaway told PR Week, “I thought I had a good crisis communications experience after the Florida recount. Now I’ve got September 11 and anthrax. It’s not the kind of crisis management experience you want.”

His company, Hattaway Communications, serves high-profile clients in politics, government, advocacy, business and philanthropy, including the world's largest foundations. The firm's stated mission is to "help visionary leaders and organizations achieve ambitious goals that benefit people and the planet."