We asked her to share a bit about herself:

I have lived in Northern Virginia all my life and went to school in Fairfax County. Growing up I was very active in sports; I played lacrosse until I was senior in high school. After graduating I attended The University of North Carolina in Charlotte. It was a great experience for me, however I missed my family and decided to transfer back home to George Mason University.

During my first year at George Mason University, I made a life changing decision. I decided to switch my major from business management to communication. I quickly became interested in public relations after taking a couple of communication courses. In one of PR classes, my group and I were assigned to create a fundraising event with a non-profit organization. We decided to team up with The Humane Society of Fairfax County because all of us have pets and we wanted to work with animals. We decided for our fundraiser we would have a dog talent show at the Leesburg Canine Country Club. During this entire project, I learned many useful skills in public relations and event planning.

This past May, I graduated from George Mason University with a BA in communication with a concentration in public relations. I am very excited and eager to learn anything about PR from my internship at MSPA this summer.

Extending our expertise and energy in environment, MSPA submitted its Washington Post and other op-eds for this year’s PRSA Bronze Anvil awards.  We are now working with Volvo on clean energy, and earlier worked on smart grid technology.  We wrote and placed op-eds in top Capitol Hill publications.  Bronze anvils are primarily won by multi-national PR agencies, so for a regional Washington firm to win “Best Editorials and Op-Ed Columns” was a real coup (if we do say so ourselves).

PR people are rarely known for our humility, after all.  Here’s an excerpt from our own press announcement:

Mike Smith Public Affairs (MSPA) was recently awarded the 2010 Bronze Anvil Award of Commendation by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). MSPA received the award in the “Editorials/OP-ED Columns” category for its “Giving Energy a Voice” campaign. Every year The Bronze Anvil Award of Commendation celebrates the growing scope, creativity and strategic importance of public relations tactics. Mike Smith, CEO of MSPA says “winning a bronze anvil for our ‘giving energy a voice’ editorials and op-ed series is a career milestone for MSPA.”

“We also want to thank Katherine Hamilton for her knowledge-sharing at the Gridwise Alliance, George Lobenz at Energy Daily, and UN delegates at Copenhagen COP-15 summit. I attended the Climate Change Conference and learned how the grid already works in practice!” says Smith.

Mike Smith Appointed to ITAC by Secretary of Commerce

And US Trade Representative for Information & Communications Tech

Reston Public Affairs Exec to Support U.S. Trade Policy

Washington, DC – May 17 – Mike Smith, CEO of Reston-based Public Affairs Agency MSPA, Inc., has been appointed to a 4-year Industry Trade Advisory Committee (ITAC) by the Obama Administration. Smith served as a press and advance volunteer for President Obama’s Campaign for 18 months in key primary states Iowa, Texas and Virginia.

Mike on the Obama campaign trail

The ITAC political appointment by Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and US Trade Representative Ron Kirk, is to “pursue trade objectives that reflect the private sector’s concerns and interests.” Smith was nominated by the Northern Virginia Technology Council where he has served as Board Secretary and Vice Chairman of the NVTC Foundation.

According to its federal charter: The Industry Trade Advisory Council is comprised of citizens with industry knowledge “providing detailed policy and technical advice, information and recommendations to the Secretary and the USTR regarding trade barriers, negotiation on trade agreements, and implementation of existing trade agreements.”

Smith previously was Director of Public Affairs for the National Association of Manufacturers working closely with Commerce on international trade issues, NAFTA and global technology. His appointment is to the Information and Communications Technologies, Services and Electronic Commerce advisory group. The ITAC is chaired by Jacquelynn Ruff, vice president of public policy for Verizon with Greg Slater, director of global trade and competition policy from Intel serving as vice chair.

Prior to starting Mike Smith Public Affairs, Smith has also worked as an EVP with a division of Nielsen, Inc. He has also been a long-time PR executive with global PR agencies Burson-Marsteller, Edelman Worldwide and Euro RSCG.

Smith lives in Centreville, Virginia with his wife and two teenaged-children.

From left to right: Actors Jeremy Renner and Brian Geraghty of “The Hurt Locker”

On Tuesday, April 13th the TAPS (Tragedy Assistant Program for Survivors) Gala honored and celebrated a year of service and dedication from soldiers, members, and patrons.  TAPS comprises a group of people that have been joined together through their struggle to simply live on.  Each with a personally devastating experience, every TAPS member can find some solace in the fact that they are not alone.  “It’s not a club you necessarily want to join,” says a member. “But once you are in it, you want to be there to help each other and give each other strength.”  Bonnie Carroll founded TAPS after her husband, Brigadier General Tom Carroll, gave his life in an Army C-12 plane crash in 1992.  She opened the evening and began what was to be a line-up of heartfelt and memorable presentations.

The TAPS Gala showcased a varied and impressive attendee list, comprising of actors, military officials, military families, business professionals, and corporate CEO’s. All of whom came together for a common purpose: to help those who have been left behind.  On this night the help was overwhelming as the foundation successfully surpassed their annual goal of $750,000, and reached $1 million, due to an unexpected and generous donation by David J. McIntyre, Jr. of TriWest Healthcare Alliance.

Speakers included Congressman Ike Skelton, Admiral Michael G. Mullen, General David H. Petraeus, CNN’s Kyra Phillips, and actors Jeremy Renner and Brian Geraghty.  Renner and Geraghty both starred in The Hurt Locker and are active supporters of TAPS, Renner earned an Oscar nomination for his role.  The glitz and glamour, however never overshadowed the purpose of the event.  The honor and reverence towards the survivors, and the incredible respect for those who have fallen was palpable as it filled the great hall of the Andrew. W. Mellon Auditorium.  The climax of the evening surrounded the unveiling of an American Chopper, custom made for TAPS.  The handcrafted machine added a bang to the conclusion of an evening that personified and celebrated dedication, generosity, and determination. The Chopper is currently available as part of a raffle and be found on www.taps.org.

It was an honor to attend as a guest of Alion Science and Technology.  It is to be assured that both Alion and MSPA will be stalwart supporters of TAPS and the soldiers and families they represent in any way we can.   So seldom is there a cause as pure and tremendous as the one represented by TAPS.

Left to right: Mike Smith, Alex Bogusky (Crispin Porter + Bogusky), and Marshall Eubanks (AFTV)

Be sure to watch a live-streamed video interview featuring ME (Mike Smith) this Thursday at noon on Fearless TV!  Alex Bogusky (of the always-innovative Crispin Porter + Bogusky ad agency) will interview Marshall Eubanks and I about AmericaFree.tv; the future of online TV; and what we can expect from online advertising.

The link to the interview: http://cpbgroup.com/#cpb (we’ll also try to post it on the blog afterwards).

Topics we hope to cover:

• what “long tail” really means
• why AFTV is flying without a net
• who is going to make money in Internet TV (where Joost and others have not)
• what we mean by “cut the cord” to cable/TV sets
• how AFTV and CP+B found each other
• why AFTV has 60% overseas audience including in China and Middle Eastern repressive regimes.

Ashley will also tweet throughout the interview – follow #fearless for her commentary.

In comes Dr. Jeffrey Porro. Porro Associates, LLC (www.porrollc.com) wrote a speech for Tillotson that really helped ease his transition to the top CEO spot. Better yet, Jeff proved the CEO had the chops for environmental awareness, a strong focus on renewables, and would move Exxon into the mainstream of climate change. Proving an oil company would be green under Tillotson was the challenge for our speech writer. I have been working with Dr. Porro ever since!

When the spoken word is more important than ever, MSPA is proud to work alongside Jeff Porro.  His unique combination of talent and experience helps executives infuse their words with meaning and power.  Porro is a speechwriter for Fortune 250 CEOs, diplomats, and other government leaders, as well as executives of some of the nation’s leading trade and professional associations.

Porro is most recently celebrating his accolade for a commencement speech he wrote for Anne Lynam Goddard at Assumption College in Mass.  Winning the Cicero award for best commencement address, Porro has made it clear that his talents extend beyond that of the political and entertainment fronts.  “I’m proud of the work I did on the speech,” Porro said, “But Anne made this award possible by sharing so much of her history, her humor, and her life experience. She’s the kind of speaker speechwriter’s dream about.”

The Cicero Awards are presented by Vital Speeches of the Day, the nation’s leading professional speechwriting publication.  Vital Speeches of the Day publishes effective speeches by those who have attained leadership in the fields of business, politics, education, government, and more. The Cicero Speechwriting Awards honor excellent speechwriting and the creative people behind powerful speeches.

Call us if you want a great speech or presentation!

Eleanor Clift will be the lunch keynote speaker at the PA conference May 25

We just announced the new keynote speakers to a Public Affairs conference we’re hosting with PR News on May 25 – take a look at our release below to get excited!

Mike Smith Public Affairs Announces New Speakers at PR News’ PA Conference
Gary Shapiro, CEA, and Eleanor Clift, Newsweek Magazine now Keynoters

WASHINGTON, March 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Mike Smith Public Affairs (www.mikesmithpa.com) is co-hosting a PR News national public affairs conference in Washington, DC on May 25  http://www.prnewsonline.com/conferences/PublicAffairs2010.html

Gary Shapiro, the president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Consumer Electronics Show, will provide the morning keynote. His address is also part of the National Press Club morning newsmakers program.

Journalist Eleanor Clift will serve as the luncheon keynote speaker.  Clift is a contributing editor for Newsweek magazine, a political contributor for FOX News, and a regular panelist on The McLaughlin Group.

Both Shapiro and Clift will discuss current attitudes in Washington and prognostications about the midterm elections in November.

“We are eager to have Gary Shapiro and Eleanor Clift offer their experiences and predictions for 2010 to the public affairs community,” noted Mike Smith of MSPA (www.mikesmithpa.com). “Eleanor Clift’s understanding of the rapidly evolving political landscape and Gary Shapiro’s innovative perspective on the future of technology and politics will add new dimensions to this conference.”

New speakers who will serve on panels include: Mindy Finn, who helped Governor Bob McDonnell to victory in Virginia, and crisis expert Eric Dezenhall, called upon to discuss political hijinks and reputation recovery this year. Public Affairs Executives from companies such as Johnson & Johnson, MasterCard, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and E-Bay will also speak.

The conference’s primary media sponsor is the Access Intelligence publishing group, which publishes: PR News, www.prnewsonline.com, Defense Daily, Chemical Week, Energy Daily, and POWER.

Mike Smith Public Affairs is a Washington-based agency with clients that have included: Craig Newmark (Obama Campaign), Baker Botts law firm (DOE grants), and comScore (FCC broadband policy). Mike Smith is a Washington native and 25 year PR practitioner.

MSPA Account Supervisor Ashley Houghton displays her "injuries" after the Dupont Circle snowball fight

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Washington D.C. was recently assaulted by some of the worst weather in the last century (really: we’ve become the second snowiest city in the United States).  This anomaly placed the metro area on high alert and, perhaps surprisingly, public opinion of the local governments has been relatively satisfactory.  Here’s a list of lessons learned from the latest Snowmaggedon SnOMG Snowverload Snowverboard Snow-bama weather-related crisis:

1)   Offer as much information as possible – even if residents have no control over the snow or its removal, providing information about the weather and clean-up efforts will set expectations.  The overwhelming information provided by local governments and other important institutions (like Metro) tempered public response.

2)   The public will tend to be understanding and supportive during the initial emergency, but that support will not last until spring.  Don’t stop plowing once the streets are clear – consider street parking areas, bridges, and sidewalks.

3)   Encourage the public to take charge and work together – community events, from snowball fights to t-shirt designs, help neighbors rely on each other and place fewer demands on plows, government, and transportation services.

4)   Make reasonable requests – during normal snowstorms, asking residents to shovel the sidewalks in front of their homes is fair.  Not if the snow is a six foot ice drift.

5)   Oh, and this time, don’t bring a gun to a snowball fight.

“    …Troubling fires of discontent burned in Massachusetts and the nation. There was increasing unhappiness with the status quo and a strong aversion to incumbency. There were reasons enough for discontent. People were hurting in my state and across the country. The rhetoric by political leaders was to demonize the poor as people getting something for nothing.

The rhetoric of demonizing the poor was especially effective that year” of 1994 due in part to the Gingrich “Contract with America” and the Reagan Revolution.”Just before Labor Day”, Kennedy writes, “Mitt Romney and me (were) virtually tied!

An effective political campaign force is a bit like an army.Large, well-trained, disciplined with varying and complex missions and overseen by a tight chain of command.”

True Compass allows Edward M. Kennedy to set the record straight. He knew before he died that folks in Massachusetts were getting concerned about health care legislation. He foresaw the political winds of change that showed his traditional democratic voters growing weary of a social safety net. He understood that he could not take the voters of Boston or great Mass. for granted. There are no guarantees.

Enter stage left (or stage right, even): State Sen. Scott Brown’s Senatorial race to win traditional democrats along lines of voters being angry or disenfranchised. State’s Attorney General Martha Coakley is seen as a vote for nationalized health care. Brown has the audacity to run for a seat held by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy for 47 years and by a member of the Kennedy family for 53 years. He just might win.

A view of the entrance of the Bella Centre in Copenhagen where the UN Climate Change Conference was held. Via United Nations Photo/Creative Commons

Countries from all across the world came together earlier this month to participate in the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Mike Smith flew over to blog for his HuffPo column, The Energy Collective and other content-hungry entities as each day unfolded. Here’s a roundup of events he attended, people he met and opinions he analyzed:

Dec. 7, 2009: Renewables and Grid Depend on Customers; The (Vestas) Answer is Blowing in the Wind

I will be working from Copenhagen where new entrepreneurs GEO and established companies like the 100-person Vestas wind energy of Denmark (see next blog post) are counting on new carbon consumption guidelines from delegates; many also seeking partnerships with like-minded clean energy distributors or smart grid businesses. My role is both blogging for Huffington Post and as contributor to Energy Collectiv. I am also on a trade mission with the U.S. Department of Commerce and working the U.S. trade booth at Bright Green trade show on Dec. 12-14.

Dec. 9, 2009: EU, US Not Doing Enough for Climate Change (Chinese Party News Service);  Deputy Delegate Su Wei Pushes Back on EU Comparisons (The Energy Collective); Deputy Delegate Su Wei Pushes Back on EU Comparisons (HuffPo)

China’s Deputy Head of the Chinese Delegation Su Wei confirmed that the recently announced 45% reduction of GHG emissions before 2020, per unit of GDP, is an internal and domestic matter. He also said China’s ambitious efforts were more remarkable than those of the EU and the U.S. – by offering UNFCCC attendees simple math equations. He is the first delegate to compare “apples to apples” on developed country reduction targets.

Americans Arrogant at UN Climate Conference (COP15) (HuffPo)

American bombast and European Union snark were on full display at Day One of the UNFCC in Copenhagen today. U.S. Envoy Jonathan Pershing said “there is a deal to be done” in Copenhagen but relented that it would not be a treaty.

Dec. 10, 2009: Todd Stern Says No Treaty at Copenhagen

Special U.S. Envoy on Climate Change Todd Stern yesterday arrived at the United Nations Foundation meeting on Climate Change, a big jet-lagged, and went right onto the press conference stage. He said that the United States believes the outcomes here in Copenhagen will become a “politically binding agreement” but not legally binding.

Dec. 11, 2009: The Business of Green at COP15

Today in Copenhagen, the world’s governmental delegates stepped aside a bit as global business took center stage. With the Bright Green expo* and trade event starting on Saturday morning, commercial enterprises and dealmakers started their own negotiations today.

View Mike’s complete HuffPo blog feed here.