Eight years ago, I got an unexpected call to serve as a media sherpa for the 2016 Presidential transition of President-elect Trump. 

I was curious, intrigued and honored, and also surprised. My head was decidedly down in work at DCI Group and raising my young family, including three littles who were 5 years old and younger! Yet they say that life unfolds based on a few big decisions you make. I decided to go for it. But first, I needed to understand the definition of a sherpa! In this case, it referred to a presidential transition volunteer, who undertakes preparatory work to support the president-elect’s cabinet nominee. 

Rep. Ryan Zinke, a former Navy SEAL and member of Congress from Montana, was nominated on December 15, 2016, to serve as the Secretary of the Department of the Interior.  I was lucky enough to be assigned to support him.  Together with a lead sherpa, who had served as a longtime staff director of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, we scheduled introductory meetings with Rep. Zinke and Senators on the Senate Energy Committee, fielded media requests and supported the Congressman as he filed all the necessary paperwork.  I set to work engaging with Rep. Zinke’s Congressional office team, meeting with Senate communications directors, and pitching editorials and other columns to introduce America to the president-elect’s nominee to manage national parks and public lands among a host of other responsibilities. Rep. Zinke prepared his opening statement for the confirmation hearing and we helped him prepare for questions from the Senate Energy committee on the president’s priorities. 

Ryan Zinke was confirmed as the 52^nd Secretary of the Interior on March 1, 2017.  It was a whirlwind of late nights and early mornings leading up to that exciting moment.  There were laughs – like when Ryan Zinke insisted on riding a horse to his first day of work and I said that he’d be greeted by protestors yelling ‘“forget” you and the horse you rode in on!” Luckily, I was totally wrong.

Volunteering to support such a historic transition was incredibly rewarding. It was characterized by a start-up environment where the entire team was aligned and mission-focused in helping clear the way for the incoming administration’s success. It was also not unusual work. In fact, I drew on the methods we use for clients at DCI every day – shaping the debate, reframing the discussion, engaging an echo chamber, bracketing key events, and measuring success and sharing results to ensure everyone on the transition was in lock step with our efforts.

As you read the news coming out of the 47^th Presidential transition leading up the inauguration on Monday, January 20, 2025, consider all the work that’s going on behind the scenes.  Public affairs work is not always as glamourous as presidential transitions, but it’s an essential component of corporate relations strategies. Public affairs combines the advocacy functions of government relations, media affairs, issues management, policy analysis and stakeholder engagement to build a bridge between an organization and its external environment.  Effective public affairs strategies enable organizations to see around the corner to effectively navigate the policy landscape, public perceptions, and emerging issues to protect organizations’ priorities and reputation. In the case of the presidential transition, effective “sherpa” and transition public affairs work in the coming weeks will enable America’s 47^th President to implement an ambitious agenda with his team on Day One.