WASHINGTON – Michael R. Bromwich, Founder and Managing Principal of The Bromwich Group, today announced that Melissa Schwartz, former Deputy Chief of Staff and Communications Director at the Bureau of Ocean Energy, Management Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), has joined the firm as Vice President for Strategy and External Affairs. Schwartz was selected to manage crisis communications for BOEMRE (formerly the Minerals Management Service), following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. She then served through the subsequent reorganization of BOEMRE into three independent bureaus.

“I am delighted that Melissa has agreed to join me at The Bromwich Group to continue doing in the private sector what she did so brilliantly in the government,” said Bromwich in announcing the move. “Melissa is tough, smart and dedicated. In bringing her on board, we have hit a grand slam home run.”

The Bromwich Group provides crisis management counseling, strategic advisory services, consulting services relating to domestic and international offshore energy matters, and assistance to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies facing urgent systemic and operational challenges.

Schwartz has provided strategic communications and public affairs support for a wide range of global issues and sectors over the past decade. In her role with BOEMRE, she led the communications and outreach strategies following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. As Communications Advisor to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar following the successful reorganization of the bureau, Schwartz continued to serve as the department’s on-the-record spokesperson for offshore oil, gas and renewable energy issues.

Previously, Schwartz was the Senior Public Affairs Officer at the Department of Justice, serving as advisor to Associate Attorney General Thomas Perrelli, and as the primary liaison and national spokesperson for the department’s 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices. She also managed public affairs for agency-wide initiatives including the 15th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act, the department’s tribal justice initiative, and joint taskforce on Healthcare Fraud with the Department of Health and Human Services.

Prior to her work in the Obama Administration, Schwartz served as a Vice President in the D.C. offices of Powell Tate | Weber Shandwick, providing strategic communications counsel for nonprofit clients. She also spent more than 3 years as Communications Director to U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski, serving as chief spokesperson and media strategist for the senior woman in the U.S. Senate.

For more information about The Bromwich Group, go to: www.bromwichgroup.com.

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