Richard Grenell - Biography
Richard A. Grenell is a Partner with Los Angeles-based Capitol Media Partners specializing in international strategic communications. He has served as the primary communications advisor for public officials at the local, state, federal and international levels, as well as for a Fortune 500 ranked company with $6 billion in revenues. Grenell has worked with clients based in the U.S. as well as China, Japan, Europe, Iran, Kazakhstan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Australia and Timor-Leste.
Grenell is the longest serving U.S. spokesman at the UN in history having served from 2001-2008. In 2012, Grenell briefly served as Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney’s National Security and Foreign Affairs Spokesman. His appointment made him the first openly gay spokesman for a Republican Presidential candidate. In 2001, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as Director of Communications and Public Diplomacy for the United States Ambassador to the United Nations and advised four U.S. Ambassadors - John D. Negroponte, John C. Danforth, John R. Bolton and Zalmay Khalilzad in the eight years at the UN. Grenell was also appointed in 2004 as an Alternate Representative to the UN Security Council with full voting rights and privileges.
Grenell served as the United States Spokesman during the world body’s most turbulent time. He led communications strategies on issues such as the war on terrorism, peacekeeping operations, the conflict in the Middle East, nuclear proliferation, Israel’s security and the UN’s Oil for Food Corruption investigation, to name a few.
Prior to his tenure at the UN, Grenell served as a spokesman for New York Governor George Pataki’s Administration, San Diego Mayor Susan Golding, Congressman Mark Sanford and Congressman Dave Camp, former Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Grenell has also served as the spokesman for many state and federal political candidates including three U.S. Presidential campaigns.
Grenell also advises a variety of Hollywood clients, including Kate del Castillo. He has worked with Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Sophie B. Hawkins and Alonzo Mourning to name a few.
Grenell is a Fox News Contributor where he can be seen regularly commenting on foreign affairs and the media. He has written for the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, CBSNews, CNN and the Washington Times. Grenell’s twitter feed was hailed by Time Magazine as one of the Top 10 Political sites in 2014.
Grenell taught at The University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communications and is an Advisory Board Member of Newsmax Media. He also sits on the Langley Intelligence Group Advisory Board.
Grenell received a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and his Bachelor’s Degree in Government and Public Administration from Evangel College.