Robert Tappan, a former senior U.S. State Department official and recognized expert in corporate communications and public affairs, is President of Public Affairs at Weber Merritt.  Rob’s responsibilities in this newly-created position include providing strategic communications counsel and public policy initiatives to clients, developing international-focused clients and corporate positioning.  Additionally, Rob will oversee the firm’s new business and marketing activities.

Rob brings more than 20 years experience as a communications professional to Weber Merritt.  Most recently, he was President of the Washington, D.C. office of pr agency Burson-Marsteller, as well as overseeing the activities of its wholly-owned grassroots firm Direct Impact. He was also responsible for the quality and growth of client service and new business development in the region.

Prior to Burson, he served for almost four years as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs. In that role, he had been responsible for leading a bureau of 12 offices and 200 communications professionals, helping articulate U.S. foreign policy objectives as well as providing guidance and strategic communications counsel to public affairs officers in the U.S. and abroad. In 2005, he was awarded the U.S. Department of State’s Superior Honor Award for his contributions during nearly four years of service at the State Department.

During his tenure at the State Department, Rob was asked by the White House to serve as Director of Strategic Communications for the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Baghdad, Iraq. From January 2004 through June 2004, he had oversight of a staff of over 120 military and civilian employees and helped set the overall communication strategy for the CPA. For his service in Iraq, he was awarded one of the Department of Defense’s highest civilian honors, the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service.

Prior to his government service, Rob held several senior-level positions at public affairs agencies. He was a Senior Vice President at Powell Tate, the Washington, D.C. flagship public affairs unit of Weber Shandwick, where he headed business development activities and oversaw public affairs and high-tech client accounts.

Before entering public relations, Tappan honed his communications skills as a member of The Washington Post’s editorial page staff.  He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Meridian International Center and on the Board of the Montgomery County Business Roundtable for Education (MCBRE).

He is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.