Dennis E. Whitfield, Executive Vice President

Dennis Whitfield brings more than thirty years of experience working within the highest levels of the Washington, D.C. business, political and government circles to his new role as Executive Vice President at the American Conservative Union. Over the course of his career, Whitfield has worked extensively with members of Congress, senior executive branch officials and private sector companies on a wide range of legislative, regulatory and political issues. Whitfield focuses on new business development and strategic planning. His extensive experience in international trade, public policy issues and grassroots communications enables him to be a highly effective advocate for public and private entities.

Whitfield served in both of President Ronald Reagan’s administrations, initially as Chief of Staff for the United States Trade Representative, and then as the Deputy Secretary of Labor. He was nominated to the latter position by President Reagan in October of 1985 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate the following November. As Deputy Secretary, Whitfield served as the Chief Operating Officer for a department with ten major agencies, 19,000 employees and ten regional offices. He represented the administration before Congress, established and maintained a dialogue with business, organized labor and international organizations and served as the proxy for the Secretary of Labor on numerous administration coordinating groups, including the Economic Policy Council and the Domestic Policy Council.

After leaving the administration in March of 1989, Whitfield co-founded The Brock Group, an international consulting and government affairs firm. As Managing Partner, Whitfield provided global strategic advice and counseling on trade, political, legislative, and investment matters for U.S. and foreign companies.

From 1998 to 2003, Whitfield was a Senior Vice President at the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s largest business advocacy group dedicated to supporting small and independent business. As the organization’s point person for political and media communications, he designed and directed political and issue advocacy efforts, and developed complementary earned media strategies to support business and political goals. He created and was executive editor of The American Political Landscape Journal, a quarterly magazine devoted to the analysis of political trends at the state and national level.

Whitfield later was a director with BKSH & Associates, where he provided strategic communications and government relations counseling to private sector clients in need of political, issue advocacy, grassroots and media strategies to support business and political goals. He then served as Chairman of Direct Impact, a grassroots communications firm based in Alexandria, Virginia.

His other experience includes four years with the Republican National Committee, where he served in several capacities, including National Political Director. As National Director of “Commitment ‘80”, the Reagan-Bush national volunteer effort, Whitfield headed up a movement that enlisted more than a million grassroots volunteers. 

From January 1976 to February 1977, Whitfield served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture and was a Senior Legislative Assistant to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Whitfield graduated from the University of Georgia in 1972 with a degree in Journalism. He lives in Alexandria with his wife Linda.

E-mail: dwhitfield@conservative.org