Party People

Episode 18: Ron Klain

Over the last three decades, Ron Klain has literally been in the room for many of the biggest political moments of the last three decades—from Clarence Thomas’ controversial Supreme Court confirmation process to Al Gore’s hanging chads to Barack Obama’s efforts to combat a deadly epidemic. Heralding from the Hoosier state, Ron graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and is widely considered to be one of the foremost legal and political minds on the left side of the aisle today. As a result, he has amassed a long and distinguished record of service—including serving as a clerk to the Supreme Court, leading the confirmation processes of multiple Supreme Court justices, playing a senior role behind the scenes on multiple presidential campaigns, serving as a close advisor to two presidents and the chief of staff to two vice presidents, and leading the federal government’s response to the Ebola virus. But it’s not just politics! Ron has also had an extensive career in private law practice, serving as a partner and National Practice Group Chair at O’Melveny & Myers LLP. He currently works as the Executive Vice President and General Counsel at the venture capital firm Revolution LLC. And perhaps most notably, he is our only guest to have been played by Kevin Spacey in a major motion picture. If you want to learn more about Ron, visit our website at www.partypeoplepodcast.com [http://www.partypeoplepodcast.com].

Episode 17: Christina Reynolds

Christina Reynolds is one of the most well-liked, respected and influential people in progressive politics—and if you listen to this podcast regularly, you’ve already heard her name invoked on multiple occasions by our other guests, so none of that should be news to you. A proud daughter of Jacksonville, N.C., Christina got her start as an opposition researcher on John Edwards’ successful first campaign for the U.S. Senate in 1998, then subsequently worked for the senator twice more when he ran for president in 2004 and 2008. Since those humble beginnings in her home state, she’s made the often-challenging pivot from research to communications—and gone on to work for the absolute biggest names in the Democratic Party, like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and at some of its most important institutions, like the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, in addition to a wildly successful stint in the private sector at the storied Glover Park Group. Today, Christina serves as the Vice President of Communications at EMILYs List, where she’s working to help pro-choice Democratic women across the country run strong campaigns that will produce big wins in November. If you want to learn more about Christina, visit our website at www.partypeoplepodcast.com [http://www.partypeoplepodcast.com].

Episode 16: Sara Fagen

Sara Fagen is a former director of the White House Office of Political Affairs under George W. Bush, who also remains the youngest person to ever hold that prestigious title. A native of Dubuque, Iowa, Sara got her big break in politics when she was recruited by Karl Rove to put her intimate knowledge of her electorally crucial home state to work helping elect then-Texas Governor Bush to the White House in 2000—a job that put her smack-dab in the middle of one of the biggest political stories of the past century. She went on to work for President Bush for eight years in total, including multiple roles in the White House and a stint as a senior strategist for his successful 2004 reelection campaign, where she earned her peers’ respect and a reputation for being one of the smartest, most data-savvy operatives in the Republican Party. Since leaving the White House in 2007, Sara has founded or co-founded several successful companies in the data, analytics and strategic consulting spaces, making her one of the most in-demand strategists for businesses and issue advocates on the right side of the aisle. Today, she’s a partner at DDC Public Affairs, in addition to remaining involved with her several other ventures—but she says her best job is being a mom to her young son, Isaac. If you want to learn more about Sara, visit our website at www.partypeoplepodcast.com [http://www.partypeoplepodcast.com].

Episode 15: Lily Adams

Lily Adams may come from a long line of Democratic Party royalty, but she’s now blazing her own trail as one of her party’s leading communicators and strategists. Hailing from Austin, Texas, Lily is the granddaughter of legendary Texas governor Ann Richards and the daughter of the iconic former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards. However, her own resume is impressive in its own right, seemingly littered with a “who’s who” of top-notch political leaders—like Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and Senators Tim Kaine and Richard Blumenthal. In 2016, Lily worked as a top press aide for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, including running communications in the crucial Iowa caucuses. Today, she serves as communications director for Senator Kamala Harris of California, one of the brightest rising stars in progressive politics and a surefire future leader of the Democratic Party, in one form or another. If you want to learn more about Lily, visit our website at www.partypeoplepodcast.com [http://www.partypeoplepodcast.com].

Episode 14: Sam Cornale

Sam Cornale is a veteran of the Obama Administration, who is currently charged with helping guide the Democratic Party toward a better, brighter future. Sam spent nearly two full presidential terms at the Department of Labor, where he steadily rose through the ranks to become one of then-Secretary Tom Perez’s top advisors. And somewhere in there he also took a break from government to get out on the trail as the Pennsylvania state policy director for the president’s reelection campaign. After helping turn out the lights at the end of the Obama administration, he helped his long-time boss, Mr. Perez, get elected as the chair of the Democratic National Committee, where he now serves as Chief of Staff. If you want to learn more about Sam, visit our website at www.partypeoplepodcast.com [http://www.partypeoplepodcast.com].