Bill Burton

Director

Bill Burton is a renowned political and communications strategist who has served as a senior adviser to political leaders, corporations, and nonprofits in California, Washington, D.C., and around the country. In 2020, Bill founded Bryson Gillette, a consulting firm focused on political, litigation and public affairs projects of all different scales, working with everyone from individuals to some of the most recognizable brands in the world.

Bill was one of the earliest hires on President Obama’s first presidential campaign, where he was the National Press Secretary beginning in January 2007. He served in the Obama administration as Deputy White House Press Secretary and Special Assistant to the President. In that capacity, he traveled extensively, both domestically and internationally, advising the president and briefing reporters on both Air Force One and the podium in the White House briefing room. After leaving the White House, Bill co-founded and served as senior strategist for the super PAC, Priorities USA Action, during President Obama’s 2012 re-election.

During the 2006 electoral cycle, in which Democrats won control of the House of Representatives, Bill worked as Rahm Emanuel’s Communications Director at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Before that, Bill served as a communications adviser to Democratic Leader Representative Dick Gephardt, Senators John Kerry and Tom Harkin, and others. Most recently Bill has served as an advisor to Senator Amy Klobuchar’s presidential campaign and has worked with leading trial attorneys to build successful messaging campaigns around important cases and issue areas. Bill is thrilled to work with 4A Arts, believing that arts are both a means to an end and an end in themselves. His childhood was formed by youth theatre, and he continues to be a passionate fan of Broadway, Hollywood, and everything Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.

Since 2015, Bill has made Santa Barbara his home with his wife Kelly Ward Burton and their three kids. Bill loves playing guitar and teaching his son to play basketball.