Robert Gibbs

Robert Lane Gibbs, born on March 29, 1971, in Auburn, Alabama, began his career in politics through his parents’ involvement in community activities. He attended Auburn City Schools and Auburn High School, where he played saxophone, was a goalkeeper on the soccer team, and participated in debate. Gibbs graduated from North Carolina State University in 1993 with a B.A. in Political Science, cum laude. While at North Carolina State, he interned for Congressman Glen Browder in 1991, quickly advancing to executive assistant in Washington, D.C.

His political career progressed, serving as press secretary for Congressman Bob Etheridge in 1997 and as spokesman for Senator Fritz Hollings’ re-election campaign in 1998. He also worked on two other Senate campaigns and served as communications director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Notably, he was press secretary for John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign, though he resigned after a campaign manager change. Following this, he became a spokesman for a political group opposing Howard Dean.

Gibbs joined Barack Obama’s 2004 U.S. Senate campaign as communications director mid-April 2004 and remained a key advisor through Obama’s first two years in the Senate. He continued as Obama’s communications chief for the 2008 presidential campaign, where he was noted for his aggressive rapid-response methods. Following Obama’s election, Gibbs was appointed the 27th White House Press Secretary on January 20, 2009, serving until February 11, 2011. Post-government, Gibbs became a contributor for MSNBC in 2013, joined the board of directors for Yelp in 2012, and co-founded The Incite Agency in 2013, a strategic communications practice. From 2015 to 2019, he served as executive vice president and global chief communications officer for McDonald’s. In March 2020, he joined Bully Pulpit Interactive as senior counsel, and in June 2024, he was named Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer for Warner Bros. Discovery.