DEVELOPING: The Advocate'sKerry Eleveldreported today that Brian Bond, an openly gay political veteran with strong ties to the LGBT community, will be named by President-elect Barack Obama as deputy director of the Office of Public Liaison:
Bond, a political veteran who has headed the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and held several positions at the Democratic National Committee, will have managerial and strategic responsibilities for the entire Public Liaison office as well as function as the point person on LGBT issues. The liaison office is tasked with communicating and promoting presidential policies to individual constituency groups and serving as a sounding board for the president on policies that affect certain interest groups.
Several LGBT insiders on Capitol Hill said Bond, who served as director of constituencies for the president-elect during his campaign, was a great fit for the position. “He’s a very skillful and experienced political strategist,” said Bob Witeck, CEO of the D.C.-based Witeck-Combs Communications, who has known Bond for 15 years. “His knowledge of our community and the competence he has in working with both leaders and activists is immense.”
…Witeck said Bond’s years at the Victory Fund were a great training ground for the responsibilities he will assume. “Its mission is really to make our elected and appointed officials better policy people,” he explained. “So that connection — from his role at the Victory Fund into the realm of the Democratic Party and ultimately the White House — is to translate those skills into getting and keeping openly LGBT political leaders and policy makers in positions where they can do the most good.”
Bond will report to Tina Tchen, a top Chicago attorney who will lead the Office of Public Liaison.
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