Robert Kenny is a Senior Vice President at Mercury/Clark & Weinstock. Mr. Kenny serves as a public affairs and communications strategist for telecommunications and technology companies, the health care sector and trade associations.
Mr. Kenny has more than two decades of public affairs and crisis communications experience in state and federal government, focusing on telecommunications, technology and health care issues. He brings a no-nonsense, roll-up-your-sleeves approach to the job.
Prior to joining Mercury, he served as a senior level-spokesman and public affairs strategist for two different Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairmen during his nearly five years with the agency. He has built strong professional relations with Washington, DC media covering telecommunications and technology issues over the years.
Mr. Kenny joined the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau as Director of Media Relations in 2006, and in 2007 was tapped to serve as a spokesman for former FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin, a position he held until January 2009. In January 2011, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski again called on Mr. Kenny to serve as Acting Press Secretary for the agency. During his tenure, he served as a primary spokesman for the agency, responding to national, as well as regional beltway media in the nation’s capital on complex, political and highly sensitive matters before the agency. He interacted with the media on a daily basis on a multitude of issues, developed press releases, talking points and frequently asked questions, wrote and presented speeches, arranged press conferences and led press interviews.
He helped publicly shape, define and convey the agency’s position and perspective to the press on issues and initiatives important to consumers, government, industry and public safety. He also served as a liaison and outreach specialist meeting with public safety officials across the country on matters related to FCC initiatives and crisis management.
Prior to joining the FCC, Mr. Kenny built a distinguished career in New York State Government. He served as Director of Public affairs for the NYS Department of Health from 2005-2006, under former Governor George E. Pataki. He first joined the Department in 1999 as a spokesman, responding to dozens of media calls on a daily basis in such areas as regulatory oversight, quality assurance, health insurance, long-term care, primary/acute care and emergency preparedness. His leadership and insights on press-related matters helped shape the public's perception on key issues before the Department.
As Director of Public Affairs for the Department, Mr. Kenny led statewide media campaigns on a variety of issues, including the largest state-run children’s health insurance program, childhood obesity prevention, anti-smoking, emergency preparedness and HIV/AIDS prevention. He helped develop and implement media plans related to Medicaid reform, Adult Home/Nursing Home reform and hospital quality assurance initiatives. Mr. Kenny helped direct the Department’s $60 million Media/Marketing budget and 50 public affairs and media/marketing staff.
Mr. Kenny began his career as a staff aide/public affairs specialist in the NYS Senate in 1988, and from 1996 to 1999 he served as Director of Communications for the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council. He interacted with regional and national press to promote new and innovative initiatives aimed at further improving the lives of persons with disabilities. The Council was responsible for approving and overseeing start-up pilot projects and awarded public funding through a competitive bid process.
He earned an M.A. in Political Communications and Media Relations from the State University of New York at Albany and a B.A. in Political Science from the State University of New York at New Paltz. Mr. Kenny resides in Virginia with his wife Lorraine and three children, Caitlin, Matthew and Sean.
