Torie Clarke

From the Pentagon to the private sector, Victoria Clarke has been at the center of some of the most historic events in the United States in recent years.
Serving most recently as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, Clarke was at her desk in the Pentagon's outer ring when the World Trade Center was attacked on September 11, 2001. By the time the Pentagon was hit, Clarke had already moved to the Command Center, where she was one of a small handful of top aides to stay with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld throughout the day-leaving the building only to see the crash site and brief the media. From those first moments on 9/11, to embedding correspondents with military units in Operation Iraqi Freedom-a program she conceived, designed and ran-Clarke has played a leading role in shaping the public's understanding of the war on terrorism.

Clarke accompanied Rumsfeld on official visits to every continent, including trips to Kabul, Baghdad, Moscow and the Balkans. Her televised press briefings-as well as appearances on programs ranging from 60 Minutes to Good Morning America to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart-have made her a recognized public figure as well.
As press secretary for President George H.W. Bush's 1992 re-election campaign, Clarke witnessed history from vantage points like Air Force One and was broadly praised for her poise and professionalism during the campaign's most difficult days. She was a close advisor to Arizona Senator John McCain from the earliest days of his Congressional career. As Assistant U.S. Trade Representative during the first Bush Administration, Clarke worked extensively with journalists from around the world and ran a comprehensive private sector liaison program.

Widely respected as one of the nation's most innovative communications strategists, Clarke has advised some of the nation's best-known executives. She has been President of Bozell Eskew advertising, head of the Washington office of the internationally known public relations firm of Hill and Knowlton and Vice President of the National Cable Telecommunications Association, where she helped to develop the first television ratings system and the cable industry's first on-time guarantee.

A former photographer for the Washington Star, Clarke is a graduate of George Washington University. She lives in suburban Washington with her husband, Brian Graham, and her three children.