Deputy Director of Communications, 1981; Director of the Office of Public Affairs, 1981-1985
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Biography
Michael E. "Mike" Baroody is a lobbyist in Washington, DC.
Baroody was born in Washington, D.C. and graduated from the University of Notre Dame (B.A., 1968). He served in the United States Navy in 1968-1970. In 1970 he began his career in the Washington office of Nebraska Senator Roman Hruska. From 1977 to 1980 he was research director and later director of public affairs at the Republican National Committee. In 1980 he served as Editor-in-Chief for Republican Platform.
Michael Baroody joined the Reagan White House staff in April, 1981 as Deputy Director of Communications under Frank A. Ursomarso. In the fall of 1981 the communications staff was reorganized and as a part of this reorganization, Baroody was appointed as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Public Affairs at the White House. He served from 1981-1985. From 1985 to 1990 he was Assistant Secretary for Policy at the United States Department of Labor during the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations.
From 1990 to 1993 Baroody was senior vice president for policy and communications and later president of the Republican-oriented National Policy Forum. He also served as Bob Dole's Speechwriter and Executive Assistant. In 1994 he returned to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) to help build the Association's public affairs program, emphasizing greater involvement by NAM members in lobbying, policy and political activities inside and outside of Washington. These involvement activities grew into a "third branch" of NAM's advocacy efforts, co-equal with the traditional lobbying and media-relations "branches" in Policy and Communications. From 1997 to 2002 he was board member of the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise.
Since 1998, Baroody has been senior lobbyist for the National Association of Manufacturers, one of industry's most powerful lobbies. He oversees all of the NAM's advocacy efforts and represents the NAM on the Executive Committee of BIPAC, the influential Business-Industry Political Action Committee. In March 2007 President George W. Bush raised controversy after nominating Baroody as the new chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Baroody withdrew his name from consideration on May 23, 2007.
Description
Scope Note
Michael Baroody joined the Reagan White House staff in April 1981, as Deputy Director of Communications. He worked under Frank A. Ursomarso, the Director of the Office of Communications. Ursomarso reported to David Gergen, the Staff Director who was named Assistant to the President for Communications in June 1981.
The communications staff was reorganized in the fall of 1981. As part of this reorganization, Baroody was named head of the newly formed Office of Public Affairs. With Ursomarso leaving the White House staff, the Public Affairs office reported directly to Mr. Gergen, as did the Media Relations and Speechwriting offices.
Both of Baroody's office collections were interfiled and sent to White House records management in this state. The Library has not attempted to separate Baroody's two offices. For a fuller idea of the Office of Communication at the very start of the Reagan Administration see the Frank A. Ursomarso collection.
Baroody left the White House staff in May 1985, to become the Labor Department’s Assistant Secretary for Policy.
Last Updated: 04/20/2021 10:56PM