Federal Communicators Series— Communicating Through Change and Leading with Resilience 

Date

Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024

Time

1 p.m. EDT

Location

Zoom for Government
Login information will be provided after registration

Charmion Kinder, Senior Advisor, Office of the Vice President, Public Engagement & Intergovernmental Affairs 

Charmion N. Kinder is a social impact strategist and master communicator with deep experience in driving national and globally-focused social impact initiatives that promote transformational change for a new generation of American leadership. She is a Senior Public Engagement Advisor for Vice President Kamala D. Harris and she was appointed to the Biden-Harris Administration 2022 as the chief principal for the Peace Corps’ Office of Communications. 

A former White House press aide to First Lady Michelle Obama, Charmion also served the Obama-Biden Administration as a public affairs leader from 2009-2013. Her ongoing work has included developing and executing social impact initiatives for Global Citizen, The Walt Disney Company, Apple, Discovery Education, Edelman, the Ad Council, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, Special Olympics and SEIU, among other efforts. 

A proud alumna of the Howard University School of Communications and Harvard Business School’s CSR Executive Education Program, Charmion has been a focused force in promoting civic engagement, global responsibility, and inclusion and belonging for the purposes of building a better world. 

Donna Garland, Director, Office of Strategy, Communication and Health Equity, Bureau for Global Health Security and Diplomacy, U.S. Department of State 

Donna Garland is an award-winning communication leader and former member of the US Government Senior Executive Service with decades of experience in government, not-for-profit, corporate and communication agency environments. 

Donna is the Director of the Office of Strategy and Communication in the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy having joined the Bureau and U.S. Department of State in August 2024. Prior to this, she served as deputy associate administrator for communication at the General Services Administration (GSA) from 2016-2024. Before to joining GSA, she served as a communication leader at the National Archives and Records Administration and held numerous roles, including Associate Director for Communications, at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2010 Donna received a Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service for her communication leadership in the areas of childhood immunization, toxic substances, emergency communication and issues management. 

Before joining the federal government, Donna was a media professional for non-for-profit organizations – the Children’s Defense Fund and Atlanta Urban League; Hallmark Cards, Inc.; and various public relations agencies. She also has provided freelance and voluntary communication service for a range of clients. A native Ohioan, Donna has a degree in business and organizational communications from the University of Akron (Ohio). 

Mike Amanto, Founder, Amato Advisors 

Michael Amato has held senior positions in the Obama-Biden and Biden-Harris administrations, in Congress, and has worked with companies, nonprofits, foundations, and advocacy organizations on strategic communications, campaigns, public affairs, and crisis-related matters. Prior to founding Amato Advisors, a strategic communications consulting company, Amato was the Communications Director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture where he oversaw all facets of communications for the sprawling department and served as a senior advisor to Secretary Vilsack. Amato also served on the Biden-Harris Transition Team before joining the administration.