Amy Weiss, Principal.

Amy Weiss has extensive experience in the top levels of the federal government, corporate America, non-profit organizations and presidential and congressional campaigns. Weiss co-founded Point Blank Public Affairs in January 2006, serving clients that include Fortune 100 companies, Forbes 500 individuals, law & lobbying firms, non-profit organizations, universities, unions, coalitions, and foundations. Point Blank was named by the National Journal as one of "The most respected, and buzzed about, [women owned DC] firms."

In her various roles over the years, including serving as White House Deputy Press Secretary, Weiss has appeared on CNN, NBC's The Today Show, MSNBC, FOX News, C-SPAN, as well as dozens of other national and local television news programs and on many national radio programs. She has been quoted extensively in many national, local and trade publications.

Prior to starting Point Blank, she worked at the UN Foundation/Better World Campaign beginning in May 2004 as the Vice President, Public Affairs. She oversaw the lobbying, communications, public relations and marketing for the UN Foundation and its sister organization, the Better World Campaign. The UN Foundation was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner's historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. The UN Foundation builds and implements public-private partnerships to address the world's most pressing problems, and broadens support for the UN through advocacy and public outreach. The UN Foundation is a public charity.

Before joining UNF, she was the Senior Vice President, Communications at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which she joined in April 2000. Weiss was responsible for driving the day-to-day and long-term strategic planning and messaging for the RIAA, which encompassed cutting-edge technology initiatives, First Amendment challenges, legal and legislative actions and international policy. The RIAA is the trade association for the U.S. recording industry, representing hundreds of record labels.

Prior to her position at the RIAA, she was a Director of Public Affairs at Burson-Marsteller where she was a strategic and media counselor to clients that included the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), American Airlines, Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and also managed a number of crises for major international corporations.

Immediately before joining Burson-Marsteller, Weiss was Deputy Press Secretary to President Clinton. She served as an on-the-record spokesperson for the President, the White House and the Administration on a variety of issues including education, health care, legal issues, nominations and crime. She also assisted the White House Counsel's Office in managing a number of legal situations. Weiss regularly met with President Clinton, Vice President Gore and Cabinet Secretaries prior to press appearances, briefing them on likely questions and suggested responses. Along with other senior White House officials, Weiss developed daily and long-term communications and press strategy on a wide range of issues.

She began her White House service as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Press Secretary for Operations in November of 1997. In that capacity, she served as Chief of Staff to then-Press Secretary Mike McCurry, with duties that included managing the 25-person White House Press Office staff, and the White House regional press office. She was also the White House liaison to the White House Correspondent's Association.

From January 1996 to November 1997, Weiss was Press Secretary and later Communications Director for the Democratic National Committee (DNC). In addition to amplifying the Democratic Party's messages, she was also a key strategist and spokesperson for the DNC as it responded to the press about the investigation into fund-raising activities during the 1996 presidential campaign.

Prior to her tenure at the DNC, Weiss worked for Rep. Mike Synar (D-OK) as both his congressional Press Secretary and for the Government Operations Oversight Subcommittee on Environment, Energy & Natural Resources, which Synar chaired. Synar also served on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property and Judicial Administration. Weiss was campaign manager on Synar's last campaign. After his leaving Congress, Weiss assisted Synar in founding a campaign finance and lobbying reform group, the Campaign for America Project, where she served as Communications Director.

From 1988 until 1992, Weiss was the Communications Director at the Center for National Policy, a Washington, D.C. think tank, then chaired by former Secretary of State Edmund S. Muskie. She served under Presidents L. Kirk O'Donnell and Madeleine K. Albright. In 1992, she took a leave of absence to serve as the Clinton/Gore Press Secretary in Oregon.

Weiss graduated from The American University with a BA in print journalism and a minor in political science.

Weiss was recently elected to serve on the Board of Trustees of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and is on the Advisory Board of Project Avary, a California-based organization that supports children and youth whose parents are incarcerated.

Debra DeShong Reed