WASHINGTON, DC – Dewey Square Group (DSG) announced today that it has hired Ginny Terzano, a preeminent public affairs and political strategist, to lead its communications practice. Maria Cardona, founder of the firm’s Latinovations practice, has been named to lead Dewey Square’s public affairs practice. Both principals will join the firm’s management committee, whose members oversee key decisions regarding personnel, budget and business development.
Terzano will lead all aspects of the communications practice, including message development, branding, media relations, media training, profile development, litigation support, and coalition message and media strategy. She succeeds longtime Dewey Square principal Kiki McLean.
Cardona will lead Dewey Square’s new public affairs practice, which will combine public policy, communications, coalition building, constituency outreach, government relations, traditional and new media to powerfully move messages through maximally efficient channels. Dewey Square’s new public affairs practice will seamlessly incorporate these diverse strategies and work closely with the firm’s other practice areas to deliver superior benefits and outcomes for clients.
“Ginny and Maria are both among the very best minds in their fields,” said DSG Chairman Chuck Campion. “Many of us have known and worked with Ginny since her days as a press secretary at the Democratic National Committee when she helped to elect President Clinton in 1992. Through her work there up until her distinguished tenure at Microsoft, Ginny has consistently created and executed innovative and successful communications strategies that have delivered game-changing results to Fortune 100 companies, elected officials, and Cabinet Secretaries. We are very happy to welcome Ginny to Dewey Square Group and look forward to utilizing her tremendous talents to further the goals of our clients.”
“We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Maria Cardona to lead Dewey Square’s new public affairs practice,” continued Campion. “Because of Maria’s leadership, the Latinovations practice has grown into an industry model for Latino outreach and public affairs in just a few short years. Maria has also had tremendous success in guiding clients on the best strategies to communicate with Members of Congress, the Administration and the White House. We think our clients will be greatly served by Maria’s innovative hybridized approach to combining her distinguished background in media relations, strategic communications, advocacy, and coalition building for unparalleled benefit to our clients.”
Ginny Terzano has served as a member of Microsoft’s corporate communications senior leadership team and as the Senior Director of Public Relations & Corporate Communications for Microsoft since 1999, where she oversaw management of the U.S. Sub PR team, including major market efforts in Silicon Valley, Boston, New York, Chicago, and Washington DC.
Prior to her work with Microsoft, she served as the Acting Secretary for Public Affairs for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, where she was Secretary Andrew Cuomo’s top public relations staffer. From 1996 to 1998, she was Press Secretary to Vice President Al Gore and from 1993 to 1996 she served as a special assistant to the President and as White House Deputy Press Secretary. She has also worked as Director of Public Affairs for the National Endowment for the Arts, Press Secretary for the Democratic National Committee, and as a Researcher for CBS News.
Maria Cardona has been a principal with Dewey Square Group since 2005 and brings more than 18 years of experience in the political, government relations, campaign, community advocacy, and coalition building arenas. Named one of the top 100 most influential Latinos by Hispanic Business magazine, she founded DSG’s Latinovations practice which helps clients build support for public policy, legislative issues, projects, products, or candidates within the growing and increasingly influential Latino community. She also served as a senior advisor to the Hillary Clinton for President campaign, and is now a frequent commentator on CNN, MSNBC, FOX, Univision, and Telemundo.
Before her work with Dewey Square, Cardona served as Senior Vice President for NDN (formerly New Democrat Network) and Director of NDN’s Hispanic Strategy Institute, where she led the organization’s $6 million initiative to communicate with Hispanics across the country. She also worked as the Communications Director for the Democratic National Committee and from 1998 to 2001 was the Director of Communications for the Department of Justice’s Immigrations and Naturalization Service (INS). Before working at the INS, Ms. Cardona spent five years at the Department of Commerce, first as Deputy Press Secretary and then as Press Secretary.
“I am thrilled to join Dewey Square after working with many of its principals throughout my career,” said Ginny Terzano. “Dewey Square’s leadership, reputation, and record are without equal — it’s a tremendous honor to become a member of their team and management committee. I plan to build upon the incredible work of DSG’s communications team over the last ten years while harnessing my unique background in public policy, public affairs, and political strategy to deliver optimal results.”
“The public affairs practice will bring client service to new levels of magnitude, impact, and scope,” said Maria Cardona. “We will fully integrate the range of services offered through Latinovations, as well as our work in federal and community advocacy, to ensure that the maximum potential of all of Dewey Square Group’s practice areas is fully leveraged. Through selective action guided by my team’s extensive and varied backgrounds in all fields of public policy and advocacy, we will continue the strong track record of success upon which Dewey Square has built its name.”