[CANCELLED] Messaging, Power, and Politics: Inside Capitol Hill Communications | A Discussion with Brendan Buck

Please note this event is cancelled due to inclement weather.

The Institute of Politics invites you to a lunchtime conversation with Brendan Buck, Chief Communications Officer at the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association and former senior communications adviser to House Speakers Paul Ryan and John Boehner. 

With more than a decade on Capitol Hill and experience spanning presidential campaigns, congressional leadership, media analysis, and strategic communications, Buck has helped shape some of the most consequential policy and political debates of the past decade. He will reflect on the evolving role of political messaging, party leadership, and the intersection of media and governance in today’s polarized environment.

Join us for a candid discussion on how ideas are framed, coalitions are built, and narratives are shaped in Washington.

*Lunch will be served

About Brendan Buck

As of January 2026, Brendan Buck is the Chief Communications Officer at the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association. Prior to his role at PCMA, Brendan was an on-air political analyst for NBC News and MSNOW, as well as a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. He was also a partner at Seven Letter, a strategic communications agency, where he led numerous public affairs campaigns.

Before that, Brendan spent more than a decade on Capitol Hill. He was counselor to House Speaker Paul Ryan, leading messaging and communications strategy for the speaker and the broader House Republican leadership team. Earlier, Brendan served as communications director at the House Ways and Means Committee, with its jurisdiction over tax, trade, and health care policy.

Prior to that, Brendan was press secretary to House Speaker John Boehner. Brendan was also on the 2012 Romney-Ryan presidential campaign, serving as press secretary to the Vice President nominee. He held several other senior communications roles on Capitol Hill, including for later-Speaker Kevin McCarthy and former Rep. Tom Price.

In 2022, Brendan was a Resident Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics. POLITICO named him to its inaugural Power 30 list in 2017, and in 2020, PR Week named him to their annual ’40 Under 40’. He was also named a ‘40 Under 40’ alumnus by the University of Georgia, which is where you can find him many Saturdays during football season.