Axios Communicators

Andrew Blotky has joined Johnson & Johnson (J&J) as vice president of communications, overseeing global internal and human resources communications for its roughly 156,000 employees.

Why it matters: This is a newly created role and highlights the value large corporations are placing on internal communications and the employee experience.

Flashback: Blotky worked in comms on Capitol Hill, jumpstarted Meta's internal communication function and later founded Azure Leadership Group, a strategic communications firm that specialized in helping companies establish effective communications and culture at scale.

What he's saying: "I'm focused on making sure our leaders view internal communications more as a conversation with employees, rather than a monologue," Blotky told Axios.

What he's watching: "I've noticed that more companies and leaders are prioritizing communications — particularly employee communications — than ever before. ... But there are power dynamics at play between leaders and employees, and I think the ones who will be most successful are those who prioritize direct, human communication."

• Papa Johns appointed Madeline Chadwick to chief corporate affairs officer.
• Global sports and entertainment company Endeavor promoted Maura McGreevy to chief communications officer.
• Paramount TV Studios promoted Dominic Pagone to senior vice president, communications. 
• Medtronic chief communications officer Torod Neptune's role has expanded to oversee HR.
• Shannon Austin was promoted to chief communications officer of Quona Capital.
• Mesmerise appointed Leslie Marshall to chief marketing officer.
• Missy Miller was promoted to chief marketing officer of Waystar.
• Morning Brew and Fortune alum Andrew Nusca joins Activision Blizzard as editor-in-chief.
• Diandra Binney joins Xero as head of U.S. communications. 
• LT Taylor joins Rainfall Ventures as head of communications and platform.
• Katherine Lugar joins Hilton as executive vice president, corporate affairs.
• Amelia Chassé Alcivar is executive vice president, corporate affairs at Hilco Redevelopment Partners.
• Cristin Culver is head of communications at Divvy Homes.
• Liz Clinkenbeard is vice president, communications at Agility Robotics.
• RobinHood alum Jack Randall joins OpenStore as head of communications.
• Casey Gunkel joins Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners as head of communications.
• ReliaQuest appoints Kim Hill as chief of staff and head of corporate communications.
• Edelman alum Alexandra Schepsis joins OTC Markets Group as vice president, communications.
• GoFundMe hired Amanda Brown Lierman as senior director, policy and engagement.
• Twitter alum Liz Kelley joins Meta as director, executive communications, office of the CEO.
• Twitter alum Katie Rosborough joins The Walt Disney Company as director, policy communications.
• Twitter alum Brenden Lee joins Block to lead financial and M&A communications.
• Washington Post alums Shani George and Molly Gannon joined CNN's public relations team.
• Mitch Goulding was promoted to director, communications at Cart.com.
• Meta alum Erin Weibel joins Handshake as communications director.
• Nicole Flotteron is director, external communications at Shopify.
• Jessica Kowal is director, media relations for Boeing.
• Rachel Livingston joins Public as director, communications.
• Twitter alum Jasmine Basi joins Airbnb as senior communications manager.
• Twitter alum Celeste Carswell joins Mercury as communications manager.
• Calm named Nicole Chismar as senior consumer communications manager.
• Lisa Vedernikova Khanna is chief of staff to Instacart's chief corporate affairs officer.
• Michael Tadeo joins TC Energy as a senior media relations adviser.

• Former White House press secretary and McDonald's CCO Robert Gibbs is now a partner at Bully Pulpit Interactive and Brian McGuigan joins as managing director.
• Former Medtronic CEO Bill George joins FGS Global as a senior adviser.
• Meta alum Jason Sperling joins Innocean USA as chief creative officer.
• Brunswick Group promoted Amy Koch, Ayesha Khan, Chris Buscombe, Emily Levin, Fiona Maharg-Bravo, Helen Smith, Joudi Issa, Monica Gupta, Simon Hertwig, Stacey Chow and Stefanie Chalk to partner.
• Meta alum Michelle Mandara and Matthieu Roussellier join Prosek Partners as managing directors.
• Cortney Stapleton is appointed chief executive officer of Bliss Group.
• McDonald's alum Jason Greenspan is head of client service at The Grossman Group.
• Twitter alum Tyler Vaught joins Edelman as global head of influencer marketing.
• Seven Letter added Michael Ricci as partner and Aida Farah, Cathleen Biegun and Isabel Haber as content specialists. Seven Letter Labs is expanding by bringing on Kobina Yankah as creative director and naming Valentina Mendez and Manuela Ortiz as paid media managers.
• Penta Group hired CNBC alum Ylan Mui and Citi alum Ashley Rippey as managing directors within its strategy practice.
• Qorvis Communications alums Elissa Dodge and Philippa Levenberg launched strategic communication firm Sable Strategy.
• FleishmanHillard promoted Courtney Quaye to Chicago general manager.
• APCO Worldwide hired Christina Saull to lead its transportation practice.
• Six Eastern brought on Laurel Toney as vice president.
• ROKK Solutions names BCW alum Elizabeth Northrup as chief of client accounts, Michaela Sundermann as an account director and promoted Rachel Winer to executive vice president of digital and paid media.
• Idea Grove promoted Katie Long to president, Liz Cies to executive vice president, and hired Cecil Cross as vice president of creative and digital, and Jarrett Rush as vice president of strategy and content.
• JBC promoted Libbey Baumgarten to head of growth and Ilana Dvir will become the company’s first head of strategy.
• Allison+Partners hired Rafe Needleman as senior vice president and head of technology editorial.
• Bullpen Strategy Group promoted Pelham Groom to partner; Michael Ahrens, Joe Chaudoin, Olivia Perez-Cubas and Michael Zona to managing director; Luke Marchant to senior vice president; and Thomas Dee to director.
• Narrative Strategies hired Public Affairs Council alum Nick DeSarno as senior director, Brad Blackburn as head of video production and Annie Bentley as graphic designer.
• Purple Strategies alum Jennifer Kohl launched strategic communications agency Chrysalis Communications.
• Medtronic alum Donna Marquard is program lead and senior communications specialist at 3D Communications.
• David Cohen is a senior communications specialist at Open Influence.
• Natalie Gould is now a communications associate at Feldman Strategies.
• SBS promoted Alexander Modiano to media strategist.

Biden administration:

• Bully Pulpit Interactive's Ben LaBolt has been named White House communications director.
• Former Columbia, South Carolina, mayor Steven Benjamin is director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.
• Yemisi Egbewole is chief of staff for White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

U.S. Senate:

• Joanna Rodriguez is communications director for Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.); Macarena Martinez is communications adviser to Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas); Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) named Mike Reynard as communications director and Curtis Kalin as deputy communications director; Erica Handloff is communications director for Senate Budget Committee Chair Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.); Natasha Dabrowski is communications director for Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.); Matt Krack is state press secretary for Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.); Piper Stephens is press assistant for Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.).

U.S. House of Representatives:

• Kye Laughter is press secretary for Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.); Carrie Cole is communications director for Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.); Jill Dickerson is deputy communications director for the House Budget Committee; Emma Settle is communications director for Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.); Harry Fones is communications director for Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.); Alice Su Jin Nam is communications director for Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.); Vidhya Jeyadev is press secretary for House Ways and Means Committee; and Peter Opitz is press assistant for Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.).

Of note:

• Brunswick alum Christina Pryor is now chief of the office of public affairs at the Drug Enforcement Administration.
• Garrison Douglas is press secretary for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
• Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau is senior adviser and director of external affairs at the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
• Lauren Smith is communications and public relations director for the District of Columbia Retirement Board.

• Vibrant Emotional Health named Lesleigh Irish-Underwood as its first chief external affairs officer and head of brand.
• The Trevor Project promoted Kevin Wong as senior vice president, communications, marketing and content.
• Jocelyn Kelly is vice president, communications at Consumer Brands Association.
• Alyssa Harker is director, communications at Metrodora Institute, which was founded by Instacart CEO Fidji Simo.  
• Abby Strickler is director, communications at Calvary Women’s Services.

Associated Press: Chad Day is chief elections analyst.

The Ankler: Elaine Low is a staff reporter covering the business of Hollywood.

Axios: Chelsea Brasted covers New Orleans for Axios Local; Arika Herron will cover Indianapolis for Axios Local; Maria Cristina Curi will write the new tech policy newsletter; Mariah Ackary is a local writer for branded content; and Chloe Reynolds joined the audience team.

Bloomberg: Sydney Maki is global markets editor; Shelly Banjo is regional managing editor; Rachel Metz is an AI reporter; Carmen Reinicke will join the equities team; and Parker Purifoy covers the National Labor Relations Board for Bloomberg Law.

Crain's New York: Amanda D'Ambrosio will cover health care.

CNN: Krystal Hur is a markets reporter.

Financial Times: Madhumita Murgia is the first Artificial Intelligence editor.

Fox News: CB Cotton is a New York-based correspondent.

The Guardian: Michael Sainato joins as a labor reporter.

The Information: Anissa Gardizy will cover cloud providers.

The Los Angeles Times: Maira Garcia is television editor.

POLITICO: Christopher Cadelago is now California bureau chief; Daniella Diaz is a congressional reporter; Brendan Bordelon will cover tech; Dustin Racioppi is a New Jersey editor; Olivia Olander will cover employment and immigration.

The Military Times: Kim Dozier is senior managing editor for breaking news.

The National Journal: Ledyard King is managing editor.

News Nation: Jorge Ventura is a national correspondent based in Atlanta and Johanna Maska is a contributor.

The New York Times: Eli Murray is graphics editor; Doug Schorzman is Asia editor; A.O. Scott moves to the book review section; Liz Day is executive producer of "The New York Times Presents"; Daniel Victor is a senior live editor; Ron DePasquale is deputy editor, breaking news; John Carreyrou joins the business investigations team.

Punchbowl News: Mica Soellner will cover Congress.

Semafor: Jay Solomon is global security editor.

The Skimm: Margaret Wheeler Johnson is executive editor.

USA Today: Kim Archer is regional news editor and Hannah Yasharoff is a wellness and celebrity culture reporter.

Vanity Fair: Tom Kludt is a contributing editor.

Tech Crunch: Morgan Sung is a senior writer.

The Wall Street Journal: Sarah Rabil is a standards editor.

The Washington Post: Chris Dehghanpoor joins the rapid response investigations team; Justin Bank is managing editor of audience and visual journalism; Justin Jouvenal joins the local desk to cover breaking news; Hannah Natanson will cover education; Karina Elwood will cover Virginia schools and Nicole Asbury will cover Maryland schools.