Michael LaRosa
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Michael LaRosa
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Official portrait, 2022
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| Press Secretary for the First Lady | |
| In office January 20, 2021 – July 31, 2022 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| First Lady | Jill Biden |
| Preceded by | Stephanie Grisham (2020) |
| Personal details | |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | Seton Hall University (BA) American University (MA) |
Michael LaRosa is an American lobbyist and political strategist who served the press secretary for the First Lady in the Biden administration from 2021 to 2022. LaRosa previously worked as a spokesman for Jill Biden and the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign.[1] Since 2023 he has been a partner at Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm known for its ties to Donald Trump. Prior to his career in politics, LaRosa worked as a television producer for Hardball with Chris Matthews on MSNBC.
Education
LaRosa attended Easton Area School District schools in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, graduating from Easton Area High School in 2002. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and communications from Seton Hall University and a Master of Arts in political science and government from American University. During high school and college, LaRosa was a competitive swimmer.[2]
Career
LaRosa began his career in politics as an intern for Hillary Clinton's re-election campaign for the United States Senate. He later worked as a personal assistant to Representative Melissa Bean and as a scheduler for Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. He also worked as special assistant to the deputy director of the United States Office of Personnel Management.[3]
LaRosa worked as a segment producer and writer for Hardball with Chris Matthews.[4] From 2017 to 2019, he was the communications director for Senator Maria Cantwell. He was also the communications director for the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.[5][6] From April to November 2019, he was the deputy director of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. He joined the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign in November 2019, working as chief spokesman and traveling press secretary for Jill Biden.[7][8] In January 2021, LaRosa was selected to serve as Press Secretary for the First Lady in the incoming Biden administration.[9][10] On July 31, 2022, LaRosa resigned as press secretary for First Lady, taking a job with the lobbying firm Penta Group (then known as Hamilton Place Strategies) as managing director for strategy.[11][12]
Since September 2023, LaRosa has been a partner at Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm which is known for its ties to the Trump Administration.[12][13]
References
- ^ Gigot, Paul A. (December 13, 2020). "Opinion | The Biden Team Strikes Back". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ Express-Times, Michael LoRe | The (December 31, 2012). "Catching Up With: Former Easton Area High School district champion swimmer Michael LaRosa". lehighvalleylive. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ Ogrysko, Michael O'Connell and Nicole. "PodcastOne: #62 - Michael LaRosa, segment producer, Hardball with Chris Matthews". www.podcastone.com. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ ItsAllJournalism (October 19, 2013). "#62 - Michael LaRosa morphs from political to journalism junkie". It's All Journalism. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ Mullen, Hilary (April 18, 2018). "Former MSNBC Producer to Headline Capital City Pride's April Speaker Series". Capital City Pride. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ "Tuesday's Juice". POLITICO. June 20, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ "Who is Dr. Jill Biden?". www.pbs.org. August 19, 2020. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ "Jill Biden Announces Additional Members of the Office of the First Lady". President-Elect Joe Biden. January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ "Jill Biden announces more key staff for East Wing". CBS58. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ Puente, Maria. "Incoming first lady Jill Biden names staff, signals military support on agenda". USA TODAY. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ Kate Bennett (July 26, 2022). "First on CNN: Jill Biden's press secretary leaving White House". CNN. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
- ^ a b Oprysko, Caitlin; Lippman, Daniel (September 5, 2023). "Ballard hires former Jill Biden spokesperson". Politico. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
- ^ Patel, Dhruv T.; Yoon, Grace E. (January 15, 2025). "Harvard Hires Trump-Linked Lobbying Firm Ahead of Inauguration". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved August 14, 2026.