Jake Siewert
Jake Siewert | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 1, 1964 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Political consultant, corporate communications executive |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Known for | 22nd White House Press Secretary |
Richard L. "Jake" Siewert Jr. (born February 1, 1964) is an American political consultant and currently leads corporate communications at the investment banking firm Goldman Sachs. He was the 22nd individual to serve as White House Press Secretary during the closing period of the Clinton administration and subsequently occupied a position within the Treasury Department under the Obama Administration.
Early life and education
Siewert was born in New York City and graduated summa cum laude from Yale University in 1986, earning a degree in humanities. He pursued additional studies in comparative literature and philosophy at Emory University and attended law school at University of California, Berkeley, although he did not complete a graduate degree.
Career
Beginning his career in 1991, Siewert served as communications director for the Democratic Governors Association. Throughout the Clinton administration from 1993 to 2001, he held several roles including special assistant for economic affairs at the National Economic Council. Prior to becoming White House press secretary, he was deputy press secretary, assuming the top press role from September 30, 2000, until January 20, 2001.
Between 2001 and 2009, Siewert was employed at aluminum manufacturer Alcoa, initially overseeing global communications and public strategy. His responsibilities expanded to managing worldwide environment, health, and safety programs, as well as serving as vice president for Business Development with a focus on mergers and acquisitions and expanding operations in China and emerging markets.
In June 2009, he joined the Obama administration as an advisor to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, acting as a bridge to the business sector until 2011.
Siewert was appointed global head of corporate communications at Goldman Sachs in March 2012, taking over from Lucas van Praag. One of his initial objectives was to reshape the public image of CEO Lloyd Blankfein while addressing challenges confronting both the company and its leadership.
Personal life
Siewert is married to Christine Anderson, who leads global public affairs at Blackstone Group. Anderson’s previous roles include communications director and Press Secretary for former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer and work within the Clinton White House press office.
The couple acquired a condominium in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village for $7.03 million from Richard Robinson, CEO of Scholastic.