Advisory Council

Mark McKinnon

Senior Advisor, Hill + Knowlton Strategies

For three decades, Mark McKinnon has been solving complex strategic challenges for causes, companies and candidates, including George W. Bush, John McCain, Ann Richards, Charlie Wilson and Bono. He has helped engineer five winning presidential primary and general election campaigns, and is a cofounder of No Labels, a non-profit organization dedicated to bipartisanship, civil discourse and problem solving in politics.

According to Broadcasting and Cable magazine, McKinnon is one of “a handful of players behind every big decision, consensus or roadblock in Washington…putting a unique, sometimes hidden stamp on the outcome of today’s debates.” Politics Daily writes: “He’s known for his originality in a field typified by copycats, a mellow personality in a world populated with high-strung brutes and ecumenical urges in a profession dominated by its unadulterated partisans.”

For 20 years McKinnon worked at Public Strategies Inc., where he was an owner and served as vice chair. In 2010 Public Strategies merged with Hill + Knowlton Strategies, where McKinnon served as global vice chair. He remains an advisor to the firm. An award-winning media producer and communications strategist, McKinnon has been awarded more than 30 Pollie and Telly awards, honoring the nation’s best political and public affairs advertising.

McKinnon is co-chair of Arts+Labs, a collaboration between technology and creative communities that have embraced today’s rich internet environment to deliver innovative and creative digital products to consumers. President Bush appointed McKinnon to serve as a governor of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. He serves on the board of the LIVESTRONG Foundation, and has taught at the JFK School of Government at Harvard University and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. McKinnon is a regular columnist for The Daily Beast and the Daily Telegraph (U.K.), and is currently a fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University.