Our firm may have been formed at night, but it wasn’t last night.

It was Iron Mike Tyson who said "everyone's got a plan until they get hit." One of the differences between dedicated public affairs and non-political public relations firms with "political practices" is how they respond to getting punched in the mouth. In marketing, the other guys pretty much have to play fair – politics can get more rough and tumble. Whoever actually made up that old saying "you can have your own opinions, but not your own facts" has never had to counter a biased research study or endured a congressional hearing.

 

As a focused public affairs firm, Plumbline brings senior-level planning and execution to our clients’ efforts. We’re not a big firm that simply checks the boxes; we’re about joining and empowering your team to create and achieve strategic goals. Our leadership has engaged at the highest levels with some of the largest companies and most complex issues in recent U.S. history. From stem cell policy to communication spectrum, we have engaged and motivated grassroots constituencies in more than 500 campaigns. In addition to our national team, we work with a network of local firms and individuals who can bring specific skills and experience to that particular market.

 

Our teamwork spans all levels of government, from city councils to state legislatures to federal agencies, Congress and the White House. We specialize in developing community support for difficult – and often highly controversial – issues to provide legislators and/or regulators with substantive encouragement to support our clients’ positions.


Whether you are facing an immediate challenge or longer term issues, if part of the solution is building a grassroots or grasstops program or coalition, you're not going to do much better. If you would like to integrate new approaches into your public education, media or marketing efforts, our team has the resources, the skills and the experience to execute an effective and cost-efficient program to meet your needs.


We can provide case studies and references specific to your challenges. And we are built to last.

 

Our leadership:

Michael Tucker, Managing Partner

 

Over the course of more than 20 years, Tucker has established himself as one of Washington's premier strategists and coalition practitioners, managing numerous successful public affairs and communications campaigns on behalf of Fortune 500 companies as well as national organizations and trade associations. A veteran grassroots media specialist and political consultant, Tucker is a former political and government reporter and news editor. He served as the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee's national spokesperson, communications director and deputy political director. He was also U.S. Senator J. Robert Kerrey's communications and policy director.

 

Amy Jordan Wooden, Partner

 

A veteran public affairs and crisis communications strategist, Jordan Wooden has served elected officials, political candidates, chief executives, private corporations, municipal governments, trade associations and not-for-profit institutions. She is an experienced spokesperson representing a number of clients in the media, and she was communications director and press secretary to Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson. Through multi-faceted communications plans, Jordan Wooden has also counseled start-up businesses, city departments, public safety leaders and political candidates to ensure consistent and effective communications during challenging events. Formally trained in crisis management at Fleishman Hillard in Kansas City, Jordan Wooden is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis.

 

Curtis Robinson, Partner

 

Curtis Robinson’s journalism career spans covering Margaret Thatcher for Reuters to helping salvage the last remaining member of the Boston Phoenix alternative newspaper group and includes a 10-year association with the late-great Hunter S. Thompson along the way. He was editorial director of Aspen.com when that site won the National Newspaper Association of America’s Digital Excellence Award – the “Edgy” – and has edited news products in nine states, launched five newspapers and created dozens of websites. Using experience from the media world, he joined the Washington, D.C. issues communication industry in 2001, helping merge traditional tactics into an increasingly digital world. He has led multiple public affairs and strategic communications campaigns for some of the largest independent public affairs firms in Washington, D.C.