Tarah Donoghue is an associate at Gibraltar Associates LLC, a public affairs and business consultancy based in the District and Los Angeles. Previously, she was a spokeswoman for first lady Laura Bush and worked for Vice President Dick Cheney.
Describe your job.
It may sound simple, but our approach is to deliver counsel to clients that produces an actual tangible business result, whether that be to market a product, to help develop investments, to fix a PR problem or even to proactively head one off before it becomes an issue.
Do you have a particular specialty?
I focus more on the public relations area, often on corporate responsibility and sustainability projects. For example, Dole Food Company is a client of ours and they’ve partnered with the government of Costa Rica to produce a carbon-neutral product supply chain for bananas and pineapples. So they’re working towards the green banana.
What’s the secret to effectively preparing a newsmaker for a media interview?
I think the most effective thing is providing real-life examples and personal stories to the interviewer. Your message doesn’t resonate as well until you provide a concrete example.
How much travel have you done in your career?
From Africa to Midway Island. It was a particular privilege to travel with Mrs. Bush to Africa last summer, where we saw [the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief] and the president’s malaria initiative programs. You know, people’s lives are being changed and saved every day by American taxpayer dollars, and I was just so proud to see that and so proud to see people’s reactions to the first lady.
What do you like most about living and working in Washington?
This is just a guess, but I suppose that in D.C., more so than anywhere else in the U.S., people read the paper and watch the news more. People are in touch. And I really see Washington as the international center of the U.S.
What do you like least?
Not enough Metrorail stops. I’m a green Republican.
