John Toohey

Toohey has over 20 years of experience in Democratic presidential campaigns. He was a Senior Aide for Senator John Kerry’s presidential campaign – for which he directed all logistics operations – from January 2003 until December 2004. Following his work on President Bill Clinton’s campaign staff, Toohey transitioned to the White House where he served as Senior Lead Advance and Press Lead for President Clinton and Vice President Gore. He also served in the Clinton administration as Public Affairs Operations Officer for the Department of Defense and as Information Officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development, stationed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He has also worked in senior staff positions for the campaigns of Dick Gephardt and Walter Mondale. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts-Boston. Toohey currently works as an independent consultant in marketing and communications.

His study group will focus on political communication in what he terms the “new media”: blogs, news as entertainment, entertainment as news, and celebrity politicians.

Discussion Group Topic
Politics in an Age of Entertainment and Instant Information