Kendra Barkoff Lamy is the former press secretary to Vice President Joe Biden. Most recently, she served as senior adviser to Administrator Michael Regan at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Recognized as an expert in crisis and strategic communications as well as public affairs, Kendra works on some of the most high-profile matters in the news today, ranging from climate change to government whistleblower cases, and has represented victims of sexual assault and abuse.
At SKDK, Kendra is among the foremost leaders working to give a voice to the voiceless. During the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh, she advised Christine Blasey Ford. She also supported numerous survivors of Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein. She represented a young producer at NBC News who blew the whistle on Today Show host Matt Lauer, a groundbreaking development that ignited a national discussion on workplace sexual harassment. Most recently, she worked in the sports space for a survivor of Trevor Bauer and a group of former employees for the Washington Football Commanders, shedding light on working conditions within the football organization. For all this and other work, PR News named her one of the “Top Women in PR.”
During her time at the EPA, Kendra served as a senior adviser to Administrator Regan, helping him and the agency elevate critical issues such as environmental justice, clean air and drinking water, as well as President Biden’s signature legislation, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.
Before SKDK, Kendra worked in the office of Vice President Biden, where she served as press secretary for four and a half years. During her time with Vice President Biden, Kendra was the primary on-the-record spokesperson, leading the office’s rapid-response operation and managing communications strategy. In addition, she helped develop and launch the 1is2many and the ItsOnUs initiatives, two administration campaigns that helped change the cultural norms around domestic violence, dating abuse, and sexual harassment.
Prior to her work in the White House, Kendra served as the deputy communications director and press secretary at the U.S. Department of Interior. There, she honed her crisis communications skills, leading the Obama administration’s rapid response operation to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. She also helped manage communications activities around a myriad of complex conservation and environmental issues within the department’s portfolio. On Capitol Hill, she worked for Sens. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Dick Durbin of Illinois.
At SKDK, Kendra regularly works with the nation’s top law firms, providing litigation support as part of her crisis communications practice. She regularly serves as an on-the-record spokesperson on behalf of individuals, nonprofits, and corporations. She also works as a strategic adviser to several Native American tribes in high-stakes Supreme Court cases.
A Northern California native, Kendra earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Washington University in St. Louis.
