Jim Messina's Biography

The mastermind behind President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign, Jim Messina seized the reins on what Bloomberg Businessweek dubbed “the highest-wattage crash course in executive management ever undertaken”—and succeeded, earning the President another term in the White House. With the guidance of technology’s foremost leaders, Jim abandoned every step of a traditional presidential campaign and merged technology and politics in a way that was both unpredictable and unprecedented.

Jim’s strategies established the modern presidential campaign—Google’s Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt called it “the best-run campaign ever.” The American Association of Political Consultants later crowned him the Campaign Strategist of the Year.

In 2013, Messina launched The Messina Group. In this role, Messina provides strategic consulting to businesses around the world. The firm has been involved in winning public policy campaigns on five continents. TMG believes the most interesting problem in the coming years is: “Does regulation stifle or assist innovation?” Clients include Uber, Pillpack, Airbnb, Google, Delta Air Lines, Hutchison Whampoa, and over 300 others. In this role, Jim continues to advise Democratic organizations on domestic political issues in the US.

Since then Jim has led his team at The Messina Group in advising over thirteen Presidents and Prime Ministers on five continents including: UK’s Theresa May and David Cameron, Mexico’s Enrique Peña Nieto, Argentina’s Mauricio Macri, Italy’s Matteo Renzi, and in 2016, helped Spain’s President Mariano Rajoy win a surprising re-election margin.

Previously, Jim served as Deputy Chief of Staff in President Barack Obama’s White House, where he was integral to the passage of the historic health care bill, the economic stimulus act credited with saving the US economy, and the landmark repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” Jim gave truth to “The Fixer” moniker as he worked closely with the President and Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle to pass the Affordable Care Act.

For over twenty years, Jim served as Chief of Staff for various Senate and House offices on Capitol Hill where he worked to pass key legislation such as multiple tax cut bills, the Medicare prescription drug bill, and several trade agreements. Jim’s most formidable years on the Hill were spent as a Senior Advisor and Chief of Staff to former Senator and Ambassador to China Max Baucus when he was chair of the powerful Senate Finance Committee.

Messina continues to provide insight on news outlets such as MSNBC, CNN, Bloomberg, Fox News, BBC and others. Jim serves on the boards of Global Counsel, Blockchain.com, Fortera, Vectra.ai, LanzaTech, the United States Soccer Foundation, The Wilderness Society, and the Montana Land Reliance.

Karen Hughes's Biography

Karen Hughes is a leading communications strategist, specializing in strategic messaging, crisis communications and executive communications. Through her advisory firm Message Matters, Karen provides strategic counsel to major companies and senior executives facing complex reputational, policy and regulatory challenges, crises, organizational transitions and critical business decisions.

Karen served as Worldwide Vice Chair of global communications firm BCW (formerly Burson-Marsteller) from July 2008 to September 2022. In her role as Worldwide Vice Chair, Karen provided strategic communications counsel to many high-profile clients. Karen was the senior strategist on the team advising the first U.S. hospital to diagnose a patient with Ebola; she helped Blue Bell Ice Cream manage the largest food safety recall of 2015 after listeria was found in several of its products; she helped develop the strategy to differentiate Ford in the aftermath of the auto bailout; she advised a global healthcare company as it managed recalls of some of its most iconic consumer products; and she guided a major Texas retailer as it managed a complex data breach. She has led numerous communications workshops and media training sessions and worked directly with many senior executives on their messaging and communications strategies.

Karen has served on the Microsoft Advisory Council for Policy and Politics (MAC) since 2011, advising the Microsoft President and his executive team on many of the company’s most important policy, public affairs, legal and regulatory issues. 

Karen’s varied career has spanned journalism, political campaigns, and the private and public sectors, from helping lead winning presidential campaigns to serving at the highest levels of government. Karen served as Counselor to the President for President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2002. In this role she acted as strategic advisor to the president on communications and policy, and led the White House Offices of Communications, Media Affairs, Speechwriting and Press Secretary. Karen also served as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs from 2005 to 2007 where she led the U.S. government’s efforts to communicate America’s values abroad.  

Karen served on the Board of Directors and Compensation and NESG Committees for publicly traded Parsley Energy from 2017 to 2021, through its successful merger with Pioneer Natural Resources in early 2021. She is a member of the Bush Institute Advisory Council and the U.S. Afghan Women’s Council, an organization created to foster ties between the women of America and Afghanistan.

In 2020, Karen was inducted into the PRWeek Hall of Fame. She is the best-selling author of Ten Minutes from Normal, a book about working for President Bush and her decision to leave the White House to return with her family to Texas in 2002. Karen received a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Journalism from Southern Methodist University and was honored with SMU’s Distinguished Alumni award in 2003. Karen lives in Austin with her husband, attorney Jerry Hughes, and they have two children, Leigh and Robert, and four granddaughters, Lauren, Hallie, Claire and Lizzy. She is an active member of the Lakeway Church.