Patrick Delaney

External Affairs Director

Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
U.S. Senate

2021 - Present

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Following a wonderful three years in the House, I came to Senate Ag to lead our communication and outreach team. Starting at a time of unprecedented stress, amid a global pandemic and following the January 6 insurrection, I set to work leading the Committee's messaging on our work to help American families recover from COVID-19.  Along the way, I directed our efforts to build stakeholder support and convincing messaging for the first climate bill for agriculture, the Growing Climate Solutions Act. Remarkable for any Senate, but unheard of in today's Washington, a bipartisan coalition of hundreds of stakeholders helped to deliver a whopping 92 votes. I am now looking ahead to bringing the concepts of the Build Back Better Act over the finish line, and setting the table for the 2023 Farm Bill.

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Communications Director

Committee on Agriculture
U.S. House of Representatives

2018 - 2021

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From the day I started in the lead-up to the 2018 Farm Bill, the opportunities that House Ag me were more than I can count. After directing the Democratic caucus' messaging on the 2018 Farm Bill, which passed with the support of all but three Democrats and a record 369 votes, I moved quickly to build out a talented staff and modernize the Committee from the ground up, including a comprehensive rebrand, the launch of Committee social media, and a complete renovation of the Committee's website. In 2020, my role focused heavily on directing our counterprogramming to the Trump Administration's cuts to anti-hunger programs. I also cherished my role as a team builder, mentor and developer of junior staff. My time with House ag finished with me as the lead framer of the Committee's communications response to the COVID-19 pandemic within food and agriculture.

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Communications Advisor

Collin Peterson for U.S. Congress

2018

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In the historic 2018 Midterm elections that brought in 60 new Democrats and flipped 41 seats from Red to Blue, the electoral conditions in Minnesota's 7th District were very different. The district, which Donald Trump won by 31 points in 2016, was a challenge even for 13-time incumbent Peterson. As leader of the campaign's social media and media relations work, I worked hard to focus on Collin's track record of delivering for the Seventh, stay positive in our tone, and focus the campaign on hyperlocal issues constituents care about, resulting in a 5-point win called early on election night.

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Director, Policy Communication
American Soybean Association

​2011 - 2018

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I spent nearly seven great years at ASA working to make our small team more effective and more of a forceful voice on agricultural policy than other, larger and more well-resourced organizations in Washington. I operated a very policy-focused shop and we interacted extensively with new and existing contacts daily. I oversaw all messaging and content creation for the organization, and trained ASA farmer-leaders to be better advocates for the soybean industry in the media, in advocacy settings and in their interactions with consumers. I also focused a great deal on strategic partnerships and building coalitions with like-minded and symbiotic groups to help advance mutual priorities. 

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Communications Manager
United Fresh Produce Association

​2008 - 2011

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​United was where I cut my crisis communications teeth, managing both overall association messaging and advising on member company messaging during foodborne illness outbreaks, farm labor crises, environmental accidents, and other high-pressure situations. The need for open and mutually transparent relationships with press led me to significantly expand United's public image in both rapid-response crisis management and longer lead issues-based communication. Additionally, I had a unique opportunity to work directly on high-profile projects, from MyPlate to Let's Move! to the Dietary Guidelines to the most recent Child Nutrition Authorization.

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Public Relations Associate

zcomm

2007 - 2008

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At zcomm, I was given the creative bandwidth and organizational resources to concentrate on media outlet research​ as part of a team designing plug-and-play radio promotions for a broad range of Fortune 500 clients, ranging from the personal care and CPG brands to food and agriculture and the automotive sector.

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Promotions Assistant

Clear Channel Communications

2005 - 2007

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While finishing college as a working and non-traditional student, I worked full time as part of a tight-knit team of event planners and executors for DC101 and WMZQ, the nation's top rock and country radio stations, focusing on connecting station advertisers with prime listener demographics at custom events throughout the Washington area.

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Promotions and Marketing Coordinator

Potomac Cannons/Potomac Nationals Baseball Club

2004 - 2005

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​Regularly turning in 120-hour weeks during the baseball season, I led  marketing and promotions for the team as it transitioned into the parent Washington Nationals system for the 2005 season, including in-game promotion, community relations, and service of in-stadium advertising accounts with local businesses.  As part of a small staff, I handled everything from press releases back to small papers in a player's hometown to pulling the tarp over the infield before a rain.

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Marketing Specialist

nancy kruse + partners

2004

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In the relatively early days of eCommerce, nk+p built a better mousetrap for National Public Radio and its local affiliates by enabling stations to take their fall pledge drives online in the form of charity auctions without disrupting programming. I was brought on to expand into commercial radio, specifically on a project for WTOP and the Washington Free Clinic, then a division of Whitman Walker Health.

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