Former Special Assistant to President Biden and longtime chief speechwriter to First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will co-lead SKDK’s Best-in-Class Writing and Media Training Team
Washington, DC – SKDK, the award-winning public affairs and political consulting agency, announced today that Amber Macdonald, former Special Assistant to President Biden and longtime chief speechwriter to First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, is joining the firm’s Executive Communications practice. Macdonald will co-lead the message development, ghostwriting, and media training team alongside Stephen Krupin, a former senior speechwriter to President Obama.
Before her service in the administration, on the 2020 presidential campaign, and at the Biden Foundation, Macdonald served as the director of speechwriting to Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell and deputy director of speechwriting to Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. She has collaborated on speeches, books, and op-eds for heads of international corporations, award-winning actors, members of Congress, and advocates who have become household names.
A former actor and playwright who has performed at the renowned improv comedy theater Upright Citizens Brigade, Macdonald also draws upon her stage expertise to coach principals for their moments in the spotlight.
“With Amber’s extraordinary talent and invaluable experience, we will continue to shape powerful messages for a diverse range of corporate, nonprofit, and political leaders,” SKDK CEO Doug Thornell said. “Her arrival reinforces our dedication to providing unparalleled executive communications services, and we are proud to have two former senior presidential speechwriters leading the team.”
“I’m honored to join Stephen and the world-class communicators at SKDK. We share a commitment to helping leaders shape local, national, and international conversations with compelling and persuasive storytelling,” Macdonald said. “I’m excited to help grow this unique Executive Communications practice, which offers the personalized touch of a boutique firm alongside the expertise of a full-service public affairs powerhouse.”
SKDK’s Executive Communications team has worked with high-profile leaders who have won the White House, the Nobel Prize, and the trust of their communities. Its writers and coaches have translated complex ideas into compelling messages on behalf of philanthropists, civil rights leaders, and entrepreneurs, and have developed thought-leadership platforms for CEOs of blue-chip companies, heads of global foundations, professional athletes, and advocates on the front lines of today’s biggest policy debates.
Working alongside SKDK’s experts in media relations, advertising, opinion research, digital strategy, financial communications, and C-suite advisory, the Executive Communications practice offers the following best-in-class services:
- Message Development
- Thought-Leadership Strategy
- Speechwriting
- Bylined Articles
- Message & Media Training
- Presentation Coaching
- Writing Workshops
- Story Banking
- Conference Design
For more on SKDK’s Executive Communications services, please visit https://skdknick.com/our-services/exec-comms/.
About SKDK
SKDK is a top national communications and political consulting firm that brings unparalleled strategic communications experience to Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, philanthropic organizations and labor unions, as well as political committees and candidates. With offices in Washington, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, and Albany, SKDK offers strategic support to manage a crisis, protect a brand, advocate for an issue, or win an election.
In 2022, SKDK served as strategists and admakers for winning campaigns including Governor Wes Moore of Maryland, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Governor Laura Kelly of Kansas, and Governor Ned Lamont of Connecticut – and in 2020, was a key adviser to the historic Biden-Harris campaign. SKDK has won the Holmes Report’s influential North America Public Affairs Agency of the Year multiple times and was listed by the Observer as one of the best public relations firms in America for 2023. To learn more about SKDK, visit our website at www.skdknick.com.
SKDK and its subsidiary businesses, Sloane & Company and Jasper Advisors, are proud members of Stagwell, a digital-first global marketing network that delivers scalable, seamless solutions through a unique combination of culture-moving creativity and leading-edge technology.