Jenny Backus is the owner and President of Backus Consulting LLC, a strategic communications firm specializing in strategy development, campaign and project management and intergovernmental consulting for corporations, media outlets, trade associations, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions and political campaigns and committees.

A nationally recognized spokesperson and expert on strategic communications and partnerships, Backus has worked for Fortune 500 companies, national trade associations and NGOs and in the political arena serving in leadership positions in the US House, the US Senate and on Presidential campaigns, including managing more than 40 Presidential Primary Debates/Forums and events for the national media in the 2004 and 2008 Presidential cycles.

Prior to restarting her Consulting business in 2016, Jenny served for three years as a Senior Policy Advisor and Head of Strategic Partnerships and Engagement for Google where she developed Google’s state by state public affairs teams and strategic plans, managed all Google’s US NGO and 3rd Party relations and oversaw a multi-million dollar public affairs and policy budget. Prior to that, her company Backus Consulting was one of Google’s top US consultants managing key coalitions and campaigns.

Jenny also served in the first two years of the Obama Administration as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategy & Planning at the US Department of Health and Human Services working closely with Secretary Sebelius and the White House. She managed communications activities for HHS and all their operating and staff divisions and during her tenure grew HHS ASPA from a $6 million to a $20 million department; expanded web and New Media capabilities and supervised and managed more than $250 million worth of communication contracts across HHS.

During her time as ASPA, Jenny managed communications and marketing efforts around the implementation of the Affordable Care Act including the creation of a new consumer website, healthcare.gov and a multi-million dollar communications contract for on-line and New Media advertising around key benefits of the new law. She served as the lead US Government Communications Official for the H1N1 Pandemic, managing the creation of Flu.gov with Google’s Flu Vaccination locator and under her leadership helped make possible the first–ever US Government You Tube contest on flu prevention.

In addition to running her own consulting business, Jenny also serves on several Boards, including as Chair of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, the World Learning Board, the DC Public Library Foundation Board and as Co- Treasurer for the Alice Deal Middle School Community Association.

A graduate of Brattleboro Union High School and Brown University, Backus lives in Washington DC with her husband Ed Pagano and son Jack.