Vicki Iseman
Encyclopedia
Vicki L. Iseman is a Washington, D.C.
-based lobbyist
working for the firm Alcalde & Fay.
She gained national media attention in February 2008, due to her involvement in the John McCain lobbyist controversy.
, Pennsylvania
, Vicki Iseman graduated in 1985 from the Homer-Center High School
, where she was a cheerleader and a member of the student council. She went on to attend the Indiana University of Pennsylvania
, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education
in 1990. In 2006, she delivered the commencement address at her old high school, and would lobby for both that school and her alma mater during her career. Her family still lives in Indiana County
, where she is recalled as a "hometown girl who made good".
at Alcalde & Fay. After a few months, she approached the president of Alcalde & Fay and said "I’m a college graduate and I’d like you to consider me for a secretarial
or an administrative position." The president agreed to a three-month trial and within a year she became his special assistant
.
From this position, Iseman learned about lobbying from the firm's president, and soon became a lobbyist in her own right. Eight years later, she became the youngest partner
in the history of Alcalde & Fay.
who were interested in the regulation of cable television
. Her most prominent broadcast clients from 1998 through 2006 have included PAX Network (and its corporate parent, Paxson Communications), CanWest Global Communications
, Religious Voices in Broadcasting, ION Media Networks
, Click Radio, i2 Telecom International, Sinclair Broadcast Group
, Total Living Network
, Jovan Broadcasting, Saga Communications
, Capstar Broadcasting Partners, Telemundo
, and the Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation (purchased in 2003 by Univision Communications, Inc. and renamed Univision Radio
). She is also known for her work for the telecommunications industry, including her lobbying for BearingPoint
and the Computer Sciences Corporation
.
Some of her other prominent clients have been PricewaterhouseCoopers
, Carnival Cruise Lines
(and the family trust of owner Micky Arison
), AstraZeneca
, CACI
, FCCLA
, American Medical Facilities Management, Marin County
and Tulare County
, California
, Hillsborough County
, Florida
, and the cities of Miami
, Florida
, and Palm Springs
, California
. She also lobbied for some charitable personal causes, including her aforementioned efforts for her former high school
and university
.
and the Senate Commerce Committee
. In the course of hearings on communications bills in 1992 and 1996 which eventually led to the Telecommunications Act of 1996
, she argued that cable TV should have to carry broadcast television. She also represented her clients' interests with respect to the upcoming conversion to digital television
; satellite reception; and telecommunications ownership provisions.
Her other activities as a lobbyist included public organizing on behalf of clients interested in the allocation of Federal Highway Administration
trust funds, assisting clients interested in securing government contracts and government appropriations, and participating in political fundraising.
. The Times said they "fully stood behind the article" and the story was "true and accurate".
The suit was subsequently settled without payment in February 2009. As part of the settlement, Ms. Iseman accepted the Times’ explanation, which appeared in a "Note to Readers" published in the newspaper. The "Note to Readers" said: "The article did not state, and The Times did not intend to conclude, that Ms. Iseman had engaged in a romantic affair with Senator McCain or an unethical relationship on behalf of her clients in breach of the public trust."
The article that prompted the lawsuit was published on February 21, 2008. McCain's presidential campaign called the article "a hit-and-run smear campaign" and "gutter politics."
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
-based lobbyist
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
working for the firm Alcalde & Fay.
She gained national media attention in February 2008, due to her involvement in the John McCain lobbyist controversy.
Personal
A native of IndianaIndiana, Pennsylvania
Indiana is a borough in and the county seat of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 14,895 at the 2000 census.The borough and the region as a whole promotes itself as the "Christmas Tree Capital of the World" because the national Christmas Tree Grower's Association was...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Vicki Iseman graduated in 1985 from the Homer-Center High School
Homer-Center School District
Homer-Center School District is a public school district in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The district serves Homer City and Center Township. The district campus is located just south of the Homer City-Center Township border along South Main Street and adjacent to U.S. Route 119.Homer-Center's...
, where she was a cheerleader and a member of the student council. She went on to attend the Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana University of Pennsylvania is a public university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, USA. The university is northeast of Pittsburgh. It is the largest university in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and is the commonwealth's fifth largest university...
, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
in 1990. In 2006, she delivered the commencement address at her old high school, and would lobby for both that school and her alma mater during her career. Her family still lives in Indiana County
Indiana County, Pennsylvania
-Government and politics:As of November 2008, there are 58,077 registered voters in Indiana County .* Democratic: 26,653 * Republican: 24,159 * Other Parties: 7,265 -County commissioners:*Rodney Ruddock, Chairman, Republican...
, where she is recalled as a "hometown girl who made good".
Career
Within months of graduation, Iseman joined a friend in Washington, D.C. and initially got a job as a receptionistReceptionist
A receptionist is an employee taking an office/administrative support position. The work is usually performed in a waiting area such as a lobby or front office desk of an organization or business...
at Alcalde & Fay. After a few months, she approached the president of Alcalde & Fay and said "I’m a college graduate and I’d like you to consider me for a secretarial
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
or an administrative position." The president agreed to a three-month trial and within a year she became his special assistant
Personal assistant
A personal assistant or personal aide is someone who assists in daily business or personal tasks. It is common in design to have a PDA, or personal design assistant....
.
From this position, Iseman learned about lobbying from the firm's president, and soon became a lobbyist in her own right. Eight years later, she became the youngest partner
Partner (business rank)
A partner in a law firm, accounting firm, consulting firm, or financial firm is a highly ranked position. Originally, these businesses were set up as legal partnerships in which the partners were entitled to a share of the profits of the enterprise. The name has remained even though many of these...
in the history of Alcalde & Fay.
Clients
Her clients have most notably been broadcastersBroadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
who were interested in the regulation of cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
. Her most prominent broadcast clients from 1998 through 2006 have included PAX Network (and its corporate parent, Paxson Communications), CanWest Global Communications
CanWest Global Communications
Canwest Global Communications Corporation, which operated under the corporate brand Canwest, was a major Canadian media company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with its head offices at Canwest Place...
, Religious Voices in Broadcasting, ION Media Networks
ION Media Networks
ION Media Networks is an American television broadcasting company that owns and operates over 60 television stations in most major American markets. It is now a privately owned company.-History:...
, Click Radio, i2 Telecom International, Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair Broadcast Group
The Sinclair Broadcast Group is an American telecommunications company that operates the largest number of local television stations in the United States. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, it owns a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of...
, Total Living Network
Total Living Network
Total Living Network is a religious broadcasting channel based in Aurora, Illinois which carries a wide variety of family and ministry programs, including Ten Keys for Unlocking the Bible; Newsmakers, where leading Christian experts debate issues of interest to the Church; Inspiration Sensation, a...
, Jovan Broadcasting, Saga Communications
Saga Communications
Saga Communications is a broadcasting company that owns and operates stations in 26 markets in the United States. The company, which is based in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, primarily operates radio stations , but it also operates 9 television stations Saga Communications is a broadcasting...
, Capstar Broadcasting Partners, Telemundo
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
, and the Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation (purchased in 2003 by Univision Communications, Inc. and renamed Univision Radio
Univision Radio
Univision Radio is the radio division of media giant Univision Communications, Inc., which also ownsthe Univision television network. The company was formerly known as Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation. It is the eighth largest radio company in the United States, and the largest Hispanic radio...
). She is also known for her work for the telecommunications industry, including her lobbying for BearingPoint
BearingPoint
BearingPoint is an independent management and technology consulting firm. Following a post-bankruptcy management buyout in August 2009, BearingPoint has been operated by its European management team and is organized as a partnership...
and the Computer Sciences Corporation
Computer Sciences Corporation
Computer Sciences Corporation is an American information technology and business services company headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, USA...
.
Some of her other prominent clients have been PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....
, Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc...
(and the family trust of owner Micky Arison
Micky Arison
Micky Arison is an Israeli-American businessman of Romanian Jewish ancestry, and Chief Executive Officer of Carnival Corporation, the world's largest cruise operator, and owner of the NBA's Miami Heat....
), AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca plc is a global pharmaceutical and biologics company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's seventh-largest pharmaceutical company measured by revenues and has operations in over 100 countries...
, CACI
CACI
CACI International Inc is a professional services and information technology company headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. CACI is a member of the Fortune 1000 Largest Companies and the Russell 2000 index. The company has approximately 13,700 employees in over 120 offices in the U.S. and...
, FCCLA
Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America
Family, Career and Community Leaders of America , formerly known as Future Homemakers of America , is a nonprofit U.S. career and technical student organization for young men and women in family and consumer science education in public and private schools through grade 12 across the United States...
, American Medical Facilities Management, Marin County
Marin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...
and Tulare County
Tulare County, California
Tulare County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, south of Fresno. Sequoia National Park is located in the county, as are part of Kings Canyon National Park, in its northeast corner , and part of Mount Whitney, on its eastern border...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Hillsborough County
Hillsborough County, Florida
As of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile . There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, and the cities of Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, and Palm Springs
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. She also lobbied for some charitable personal causes, including her aforementioned efforts for her former high school
Homer-Center School District
Homer-Center School District is a public school district in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The district serves Homer City and Center Township. The district campus is located just south of the Homer City-Center Township border along South Main Street and adjacent to U.S. Route 119.Homer-Center's...
and university
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana University of Pennsylvania is a public university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, USA. The university is northeast of Pittsburgh. It is the largest university in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and is the commonwealth's fifth largest university...
.
Lobbying activities
On behalf of these clients, she lobbied both the House Commerce CommitteeUnited States House Committee on Energy and Commerce
The Committee on Energy and Commerce is one of the oldest standing committees of the United States House of Representatives. Established in 1795, it has operated continuously—with various name changes and jurisdictional changes—for more than 200 years...
and the Senate Commerce Committee
United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
The United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is a standing committee of the United States Senate in charge of all senate matters related to the following subjects:* Coast Guard* Coastal zone management* Communications...
. In the course of hearings on communications bills in 1992 and 1996 which eventually led to the Telecommunications Act of 1996
Telecommunications Act of 1996
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the first major overhaul of United States telecommunications law in nearly 62 years, amending the Communications Act of 1934. This Act, signed by President Bill Clinton, was a major stepping stone towards the future of telecommunications, since this was the...
, she argued that cable TV should have to carry broadcast television. She also represented her clients' interests with respect to the upcoming conversion to digital television
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
; satellite reception; and telecommunications ownership provisions.
Her other activities as a lobbyist included public organizing on behalf of clients interested in the allocation of Federal Highway Administration
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program...
trust funds, assisting clients interested in securing government contracts and government appropriations, and participating in political fundraising.
Lawsuit against New York Times
In December 2008, Iseman filed a US$27 million defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, alleging that the paper, in the course of describing circumstances of her lobbying activity, had falsely implied an illicit romantic relationship between her and Senator John McCainJohn McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
. The Times said they "fully stood behind the article" and the story was "true and accurate".
The suit was subsequently settled without payment in February 2009. As part of the settlement, Ms. Iseman accepted the Times’ explanation, which appeared in a "Note to Readers" published in the newspaper. The "Note to Readers" said: "The article did not state, and The Times did not intend to conclude, that Ms. Iseman had engaged in a romantic affair with Senator McCain or an unethical relationship on behalf of her clients in breach of the public trust."
The article that prompted the lawsuit was published on February 21, 2008. McCain's presidential campaign called the article "a hit-and-run smear campaign" and "gutter politics."
External links
- List of clients for which Iseman has lobbied, accessed from opensecrets.org