Suzy DeFrancis

Current Member

Chief Public Affairs Officer
American Red Cross

Suzy DeFrancis joined the American Red Cross as its Chief Public Affairs Officer in August 2007. In this role, she oversees all communications, government affairs and public outreach for the charity, integrating these functions to advance the message and mission of the Red Cross.

Prior to joining the Red Cross, Ms. DeFrancis served as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). She was a key member of Secretary Mike Leavitt’s leadership team and oversaw all communications for the Department. She set communications strategy, coordinated media operations among DHHS' various agencies and managed the Department’s press office, speech and editorial division, web division and broadcast studio. Under her leadership, DHHS developed a 21^st Century communications shop utilizing the web, blogs and other new media.

From 2002 to 2004, Ms. DeFrancis served in President Bush’s White House as Deputy Assistant to the President for Communications. In this role, she developed communications strategy, messaging and planning for a wide range of issues including successful passage of the President’s 2003 Jobs and Growth bill and the Medicare Modernization Act. She also coordinated communications strategy and activities among Cabinet Departments.

From 1997 to 2002, Ms. DeFrancis was Senior Vice President and Director of Public Affairs for the public relations firm of Porter Novelli. Before that, she was Deputy Director of Communications and Congressional Affairs at the Republican National Committee, where she also appeared frequently on TV talk shows. Ms. DeFrancis has worked as a speechwriter in the Nixon Administration and on Capitol Hill. She is a graduate of the University of Colorado and has three grown sons.