REDLANDS, California (Feb. 2, 2017)—To encourage productive discourse on campus and in the community, the University of Redlands is hosting a Spring Political Series beginning with Jim Messina at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017 in the campus’s Orton Center. 

Messina served as the White House deputy chief of staff during former President Barack Obama’s first term and was the mastermind behind his successful 2012 re-election campaign. With the guidance of technology’s foremost leaders, Messina abandoned every step of a traditional presidential campaign and merged technology and politics in a way that was both unpredictable and unprecedented. Messina’s strategies established the modern presidential campaign—Google’s Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt called it “the best-run campaign ever.”  The American Association of Political Consultants later honored him as Campaign Strategist of the Year.

Messina has also been active on the international scene. He served as senior strategic adviser for David Cameron’s EU referendum campaign and senior advisor to the United Kingdom Conservative Party.