User:Cbiemiller/John Saler

John Saler is an American lobbyist, campaign strategist and political analyst. A former journalist and film producer, Saler currently serves as Chairman of Government and Public Affairs at Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP.

Early Life & Education
John R. Saler, born August 6, 1958, grew up on Philadelphia’s Main Line. The youngest of four siblings, Saler is the son of Odelle “Cookie” Rudofker Winthrop and the late Morton Saler, a prominent food executive.

Saler is the grandson of Eastern European immigrants, who found much success in the United States in the early 20th century. Saler’s paternal grandfather, Samuel Saler, founded a chain of dairy stores that operated throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. His maternal grandfather, Matthew “Max” Rudofker, co-founded S. Rudofker & Sons, a modest suit company, which eventually evolved into After Six Formalwear. After Six Formalwear, in addition to being credited with the innovation of the tuxedo “rental,” was recognized as one of the leading designers, producers and marketers of men’s clothing in the world. In addition to the formal wear division, After Six controlled over half a dozen menswear units, including a chain of eight high-end retail stores.

Saler attended Merion Elementary School outside of Philadelphia, and the Lear Preparatory School in Miami.

George Washington University and The Washington Post
After graduation from the Lear School, Saler attended George Washington University, where he was actively involved in student activities. Nicknamed “Bill Paley” (after the founder of CBS) by his classmates, Saler’s talents in media and entertainment were immediately apparent.

Saler served as chairman of the campus Program Board Video Committee (PBVC), a pre-cursor to the University's current closed-circuit television station. As host of the talk show GW Spectrum, Saler interviewed guests both famous and infamous, including CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite, actress/activist Jane Fonda, The Washington Post executive editor Benjamin C. Bradlee, Gray Panthers founder Maggie Kuhn and one-time leader of the National Socialist White People’s Party Harold Mantius.

Saler received national acclaim for his work on GW Spectrum when he was selected as one of only two college talk show hosts to appear as a guest on Tomorrow with Tom Snyder in the late 1970s. The other student host selected was Garth Ancier, who would later become president of BBC Worldwide America.

In addition to his work on GW Spectrum, Saler called the play-by-play for George Washington Colonials basketball. He also oversaw production of Foggy Bottom Tonight, a campus news and comedy show. A few of Saler’s PBVC compatriots included actor Alec Baldwin (who also happened to be Saler’s roommate), MTV Networks president Van Toffler, prominent Hollywood producer Dany Wolf and Epoch Films co-founder Mindy Goldberg.

The Washington Post
While attending George Washington University, Saler worked as a copy aide at The Washington Post alongside fellow Metropolitan Desk staffers Mike Sager (who eventually topped the Los Angeles Times best-sellers list) and Washington, D.C. real estate scion Eliot Cafritz. Saler also worked with renowned journalists Bob Woodward, editor Benjamin C. Bradlee and National Public Radio host Juan Williams.

The opportunity to work with such major players in media had a strong influence on Saler, who developed his own writing and reporting skills. He shared a Sigma Delta Chi Award for his series, “GWU Building and Endowment,” which featured a depiction of President George Washington fashionably donning a hardhat. The series first appeared in The Washington Post in 1980, on the day of Saler’s college graduation.

Career
Upon graduation with a Bachelor of Arts in communications, Saler moved into television news as an anchor/reporter and talk show host for two ABC network affiliates in Virginia. While at work in Richmond, Saler did morning news anchoring, while colleauge Matt Lauer hosted PM Magazine.

After four years in TV news, Saler turned to the entertainment industry and moved to New York City, where he became Vice President of Motion Picture and Television Development for the David Susskind Company. In this role, he was responsible for project acquisitions, contract negotiations and casting.

After a tumultuous year at the David Susskind Company, Saler moved back to his hometown of Philadelphia, where he added yet another dimension to his career when he entered the financial services industry as Senior Vice President of government relations for Karr-Barth Associates, a unit of the The Equitable Companies. There he oversaw government finance operations, placing investments for closely held companies and pension funds.

While at Karr-Barth, Saler became very involved in politics, raising money for a host of candidates. In 1994, Saler decided to enter the race for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, where he finished in the middle of the field of eight candidates.

Saler returned to the entertainment industry in 1995 as Vice President of East West Film Partners, Inc., a California-based motion picture production and distribution company. There, he co-produced the feature film Good Luck, a critically acclaimed comedy starring Gregory Hines, Vincent D’Onofrio and James Earl Jones.

Return to Government Affairs
After the release of Good Luck, Saler returned to work in government affairs. As a registered lobbyist in both Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., Saler was named Co-Chair of the Government and Public Affairs Practice Group at the venerable Philadelphia-based law firm Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP. In this role, Saler provides services to Fortune 500 companies, privately held firms and nonprofit organizations, including legislative and regulatory lobbying, business development and crisis management.

Saler represents businesses in various industries including telecommunications, financial services, utilities, pharmaceuticals, health care, insurance, real estate, construction, publishing, gaming and information technology.

Politics
Saler’s political involvement spans over two decades and includes associations with more than twenty-five campaigns. He has vigorously supported a diverse group of elected officials including Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell, U.S. Senators Robert P. Casey Jr., Joe Lieberman, Arlen Specter, Tom Harkin and Congressman Chaka Fattah. He was also actively involved in the campaigns of former Presidents Bill Clinton and Gerald Ford, former Governors Tom Ridge and Douglas Wilder, and former Philadelphia Mayors W. Wilson Goode and Frank Rizzo.

Politics Magazine recently ranked Saler as one of the “Top 50 Influential Democrats in Pennsylvania.” He was also recognized by Philadelphia magazine as one of its “People to Watch ’08,” as a member of the “Nutter Brain Trust,” referring to his role in Michael Nutter’s successful campaign for Philadelphia mayor. Applying his extensive political experience and knowledge, Saler frequently provides political analysis and commentary for television and radio news and public affairs programs.

Memberships & Recognition
Saler has served on many boards and committees in addition to his work in politics and government affairs. He is currently serving a four year term on the Executive Committee of the Pennsylvania Public Television Network (PPTN) Commission – the policy and decision-making board for PPTN. He was nominated by Governor Edward G. Rendell and unanimously confirmed by the Pennsylvania State Senate. In addition, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter nominated Saler to the Wawa Welcome America Board of Directors, which is charged with the planning and execution of Philadelphia’s week-long July 4th celebration. He has also been appointed to the Philadelphia Convention and Visitor’s Bureau International Committee, which is dedicated to attracting tourism to Philadelphia.

Other boards on which Saler has served include the Philadelphia International Airport Advisory Board Executive Committee, the Clean Air Council of the Delaware Valley Board of Directors, the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission as a commissioner and the Keystone Group as board chairman. He has also been a board member of Project Rainbow, a transitional housing project for homeless women and children.

Saler also held a charter membership with the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), where he served as a board member with several DLC Chairmen including former President Bill Clinton, Senator Joe Lieberman and former Senators Chuck Robb and John Breaux.

Saler’s career and community involvement have earned him numerous awards and citations, including:
 * Philadelphia Liberty Bell Award for Civic Involvement
 * Equitable National Leader Corps Awards
 * Project Rainbow Service Award
 * Order of the Kentucky Colonel's Citation for Public Service
 * American Cancer Society Merit Award

Saler is also one of only three people to have his likeness appear twice among the 800 caricatures of prominent media and political figures on the walls of the famed Palm restaurant in Philadelphia.

Personal
Saler is a registered Democrat, but instead prefers to identify himself as an “ardent moderate,” and expresses “great disdain for any ‘fringe dwellers’ on either end of the political spectrum.” He lists as his personal heroes the great moderates of American politics (all of whom are, intriguingly, Republican): Theodore Roosevelt, Nelson Rockefeller and Gerald Ford, whom Saler volunteered for in his 1976 campaign against Jimmy Carter.

In 2000, Saler married Christina Donato, a litigator specializing in class action suits, securities and defamation. In his spare time, Saler is an avid tennis and squash player, as well as a freshwater fisherman.