Chuck Coughlin
| Chuck Coughlin | |
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| Basic facts | |
| Organization: | HighGround Inc. |
| Role: | Founder and President |
| Location: | Phoenix, Ariz. |
| Education: | Denison University (bachelor's degree, history, political science, 1984) |
| Website: | Official website |
J. Charles "Chuck" Coughlin is the founder and president of HighGround Inc., a Phoenix, Ariz., firm that provides lobbying, public relations and political consulting services. He served as chairman of former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's transition team when she became governor in 2009.[1][2]
Career
Coughlin earned a bachelor's degree in history and political science from Denison University in 1984. In 1985, he worked as finance director for Arizona Sen. John McCain's (R) campaign.[3][1]
After working for the McCain campaign, from 1986-1988, Coughlin was the director of government relations for the Mesa Chamber of Commerce, which is an organization that aims to "Improve, Promote and Protect businesses in Mesa."[1][4]
Coughlin worked for public relations firm Nelson/Ralston/Robb Communications as a senior account executive from 1988 to 1990.[1][5]
Returning to politics, Coughlin served as the director of public policy and legislative affairs for former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods from 1990 to 1991. After working for Woods, Coughlin worked as the regional government relations manager for Waste Management of North America from 1992 to 1994.[1]
Coughlin worked as campaign manager for former Arizona Governor Fife Symington in 1994. After Symington won the election, Coughlin joined his staff as deputy chief of staff. In that role, Coughlin "was responsible for day-to-day management and implementation of all media, legislative and community relations programs for the Administration."[1]
In 2009, former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer hired Coughlin to be the chairman of her transition team as she came into office. As chairman, Coughlin "assembled a diverse team of business and community leaders who recommended to the Governor her executive management team, senior policy positions, cabinet recommendations and coordinated her swearing in ceremonies." Coughlin also worked with Brewer in 2010 as a lead strategist when she ran for a second term as governor.[1][2]
HighGround Inc.
In January 1996, Coughlin founded HighGround Inc., a firm based in Phoenix, Ariz., that does lobbying, political consulting and public relations work. For instance, in 2003 the firm "was the principal public affairs and lobbying team for the legislation that authorized the creation of the new Maricopa County Hospital District on behalf of Maricopa County." In addition, HighGround Inc. worked with former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer on her 2010 campaign.[3][1][6]
In January 2016, Coughlin and his bipartisan partners, who comprise the Open and Honest Coalition, announced their campaign to reform the election system in Arizona. The group supports two changes to the system. First, they want to see all candidates appear on primary ballots and have the top two move on to the general election. Second, they support requiring outside groups to disclose the source of contributions larger than $10,000.[7]
Top influencers by state
- See also: Top influencers by state
Influencers in American politics are power players who help get candidates elected, put through policy proposals, cause ideological changes, and affect popular perceptions. They can take on many forms: politicians, lobbyists, advisors, donors, corporations, industry groups, labor unions, single-issue organizations, nonprofits, to name a few.
In 2015, Ballotpedia identified Chuck Coughlin as a top influencer by state. We identified top influencers across the country through several means, including the following:
- Local knowledge of our professional staff
- Surveys of activists, thought leaders and journalists from across the country and political spectrum
- Outreach to political journalists in each state who helped refine our lists
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Chuck Coughlin HighGround. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 HighGround, "J. Charles "Chuck" Coughlin," accessed October 28, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Phoenix New Times, "Chuck Coughlin Reveals Jan Brewer's Transition Team," December 5, 2008
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Linkedin, "Charles Coughlin," accessed October 28, 2015
- ↑ Mesa Chamber of Commerce, "Home," accessed October 28, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Nelson/Padberg Merges With Phoenix Public Relations Firm," March 25, 1987
- ↑ HighGround, "Winning Campaigns," accessed October 28, 2015
- ↑ 91.5 KJZZ, "Coalition Announces Campaign To Reform Arizona Election System," January 21, 2016
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