The Honorable Michael P. Meehan is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Squared Communications, a strategic communications, public relations, and political consulting firm he founded in 2007. He is also a Founding Partner of the Potomac West Group, a bipartisan public affairs firm practice. Michael counsels a diverse range of clients, including elected officials, major media outlets, national and regional coalitions, trade associations, foundations, issue advocacy organizations (with a deep focus on environmental, climate, and clean energy interests), and companies ranging from Fortune 100 business leaders to entrepreneurial startups.

The New York Times described Mr. Meehan as a strategic operative who “specializes in adversarial situations.” Mr. Meehan has been at the epicenter of communications, politics, and policy for over three decades, solving complex problems and guiding clients as they navigate crucial strategic challenges. 

A veteran of Capitol Hill, Mr. Meehan has held numerous top leadership staff posts in both chambers of Congress. He was the first chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), who chairs the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. He remains a top advisor to Sen. Cantwell, managing her political operations. He has also served as communications chief for several former U.S. Senators, including Fmr. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA)—who currently serves as President Joe Biden’s Climate Envoy and was Secretary of State to Fmr. President Barack Obama—and Fmr. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA). Mr. Meehan has directly advised high-level Democratic Party leadership—he was the National Political Director for Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), has served as Senior Counselor to the Democratic National Committee, and has held top political and communications posts at the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (DSCC) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).

As a testament to Mr. Meehan’s ability to find consensus and generate progress, both Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush nominated him to serve as a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), now the U.S. Agency for Global Media. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate, sworn into office by then-Vice President Biden in 2010 and served as a BBG Governor in the Obama-Biden Administration (2010-2015). There he oversaw the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and was Chairman of the Board of the Middle East Broadcasting Network and Radio Free Asia. He also chaired the Budget and Strategy Committee with an annual budget of over $750 million. The five media companies he oversaw and the Open Technology Fund reached a weekly average of more than 270 million audience members in 100 countries, representing 61 languages and promoting the free flow of news and information in the area of public diplomacy.

Mr. Meehan’s media training, expertise with multiple communications platforms, and extensive work in U.S. politics create a unique skill set in the field. He has worked with C-suite executives preparing for IPOs and financing rounds, executed crisis communications strategies, and led complex communications efforts for leading policy advocacy organizations and trade associations. As an expert in strategic communications, media relations, messaging, polling and election politics, Mr. Meehan is well positioned to build targeted, tailored public relations campaigns that achieve ambitious policy and media goals. Over the past 15 years, he has expanded Squared Communications’ strategic reach, with operations in Washington, DC, Alexandria, Seattle, the San Francisco Bay area, Boston, New York and a strategic partnership with UK-based Luther Pendragon in London and Brussels.

Mr. Meehan currently serves on several not-for-profit boards, including the anti-poverty Golden State Opportunity board. He holds a degree in political science and education from Maine’s Bates College. As an expert on the intersection of media, communications and politics, Mr. Meehan is an analyst in national media and television news programs and served as a guest lecturer at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, American University, UCLA, Stanford and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He lives in Del Ray, Alexandria, VA with his wife and teenaged daughters.