PERSON: Scott Jennings

Peritus

Senior Strategist

Scott Jennings is Senior Strategist for Peritus, providing top-level communications counsel to clients.<br> <br> Scott has been a strategist at the highest levels of American politics. He spent nearly three years in The White House as an advisor to President George W. Bush, handling myriad issues and offering counsel on challenging political matters. Scott has earned the respect of some of the country’s most powerful political leaders.<br> <br> Scott served as Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the Office of Political Affairs, working directly with White House Senior Advisor Karl Rove. He also served as liaison for members of Congress, state and local officials, and key business, political and community leaders nationwide.<br> <br> During the 2008 election, Scott served as Senior Advisor to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell’s reelection campaign, and as General Consultant to the congressional campaign of Brett Guthrie in Kentucky’s second district. McConnell was reelected to a record fifth term, and Guthrie won his race despite appearing on the DCCC’s target list and being outspent two-to-one.<br> <br> Scott is actively engaged in his community. He serves on the Board of Trustees for Alice Lloyd College, a widely-respected private university in Appalachia. Scott also serves on the Boards of Directors of the Colon Cancer Prevention Project and Kids Voting Kentucky, which works to educate children on the importance of voting and civic life. Scott is a member of the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Kentucky and is widely sought after by national, regional, and local media for comment on current events and political affairs. Scott writes a monthly column for the Paducah Sun’s Four Rivers Business Journal, discussing business and politics.<br> <br> Scott’s professional career began in his native Kentucky, first as a journalist for WHAS Radio and the Kentucky News Network and then as a political operative. He directed the political operations for three successful statewide campaigns: President Bush’s 2000 campaign, Senator Mitch McConnell’s 2002 re-election, and Fletcher’s 2003 campaign. Scott also served as spokesman and senior advisor to the Republican Party of Kentucky, as well as press secretary to Kentucky Senate President David L. Williams. <br> <br> <br> A native of Dawson Springs, Ky., Scott graduated with a B.A. in political science from the University of Louisville’s McConnell Center for Political Leadership where he was elected chairman by his peers. As a broadcast journalist in Louisville, Ky., he won an award from the Associated Press for an investigative report on the plight of the homeless in downtown Louisville. Scott studied abroad in China, and also served as a U.S. government election monitor in Serbia’s 2007 parliamentary elections.<br> <br> — politico.com