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John David Bethel was born May 10, 1947 in Palo Alto, California. He was a speechwriter to Cabinet Secretaries at the Departments of Commerce and Education during the Bush 41 and 43 administrations. He also served as a press secretary and speechwriter to members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Additionally, Bethel worked as a communications strategist for a number of national and international public relations firms, including Burson Marsteller and Cohn & Wolfe. He is the author of the novel Evil Town. Early Life Bethel was born the son of Paul D. Bethel, a Foreign Service Office, U.S. Department of State. He lived in various cities in Germany, Japan and in Havana, Cuba between 1950 and 1960. He graduated from Miami Edison High School in Miami, Florida, where he excelled in sports as well as academic pursuits, being selected for The Miami News All-Star Football Team in 1964, Scholar Athlete of the Year and was elected to his high school’s hall of fame. Bethel attended Tulane University and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. Professional Career Bethel began his government/political career in 1972 (1) as a staff member of the Legacy of Parks program in the Executive Office of the President (2). He was a press advance officer and wrote speeches for administration officials who served as surrogates for President Nixon during Legacy of Park ceremonies dedicating excess federal properties to state and local governments. In 1973, he joined the staff of Congressman Burt Talcott (R-CA) as press secretary (3). Bethel moved to the staff of Senator Paul Laxalt (R-Nev.) in 1975 and served as press secretary and speechwriter (4). He helped Laxalt craft the speech the Senator used to nominate then-Governor Ronald Reagan as the Republican candidate for president in 1976 (5). Bethel also wrote the lead article for the publication celebrating the second inauguration of President Ronald Reagan, We the People—An American Celebration (6). From 1979 until 1982, Bethel was managing editor and president of North-South Net, Inc. The company published the Aboard in-flight magazine for Venezuela’s Viasa Airlines, Bolivia’s Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano (LAB), Peru’s Aeroperú, El Salvador’s TACA Airlines, Panama’s Air Panama Airlines and Paraguay’s national carrier Air Paraguay. In 1982, Bethel returned to Washington to serve as executive assistant to Darrel Trent, the deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (7). He later joined the staff of the assistant secretary of the department’s Office of Policy and International Affairs to serve as the chief speechwriter for the assistant secretary and senior staff members. In 1989, Bethel moved to the U.S Department of Education where he headed the office of speechwriting for the Secretary of Education (8). Vital Speeches of the Day published an address Bethel wrote for Secretary Lauro Cavazos – “America’s Education Deficit” – which was delivered to the members of the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. (9) Bethel also served as Chief Speechwriter and Director of the Editorial Office at the U.S. Small Business Administration for Administrators Susan Engeleiter and Patricia Saiki from 1990 to 1992. (10) Prior to joining the senior staff of Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans in 2001, Bethel served as a communications consultant for a number of prominent public relations firms. He wrote books (11), speeches, opinion pieces and white papers for such companies as Monsanto, the Sheraton Corporation, UniRoyal as well as the Urban Land Institute, the American Forest and Paper Association, the American Gaming Association, and for individuals, among them Hassan Adamu, Nigerian Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development (12). Upon joining Secretary Evans staff as senior adviser and chief speechwriter (13), Bethel wrote speeches the secretary delivered to forums across the United States and throughout the world, including the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Council of the Americas and various Chambers of Commerce in Latin America (14). Vital Speeches of the Day again selected for publication an address written by Bethel and delivered by the secretary to The European Institute. (15) In 2002, Bethel joined the new Office of Citizen Services and Communications (16) at the U.S. General Services Administration as the Associate Administrator for Communications under GSA Administrator Stephen Perry. In this role, he directed communications for GSA, an agency employing 12,000 federal workers, with an annual operating budget of roughly $26.3 billion. He was promoted to Assistant Administrator of this office in 2006 (17) by Administrator Lurita Doan. (18) Literary Career Bethel has written both fiction and non-fiction for a number of publications, including: Miami Monthly Magazine (19), Smoke Magazine (20) and Americas Magazine (21). His short stories appear on the e-publication site Smashwords as does his novel Evil Town. A political thriller, Evil Town is informed by the author’s 30-plus years in government and politics. Among those who have read and recommended the novel are: Having worked on Capitol Hill and in the Executive Branch, this book rings very true. This book provides a gripping insider’s take and should be on the must read list for anyone who wants to understand the real Washington. W. Bruce Weinrod Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense

Most novels about Washington frustrate those of us who live and work in the Capital City. Not so with David Bethel's novel. He knows Washington. He knows politics and the personalities. To anyone curious about what really happens behind the scenes in our nation's Capital, this is a MUST READ. Bethel brings us a beautifully written inside Washington page-turner. A true joy to read. Michelle Laxalt Contributor, Fox News, MSNBC, CNN Former Director of Legislation, U.S. Agency for International Development Former Senior Legislative Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of State Evil Town plunges you into the netherworld of Washington, and you don't want to come up for air. Richard G. Moore Former Enforcement Attorney, U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Bethel is a master storyteller. Evil Town intelligently captures the "realities" of D.C. in a fast paced thriller that you won't be able to put down. Katharine Uhre Former Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of State

If you thought nothing new could be written about Washington, DC, Evil Town proves you wrong. Well-written with insight into the Capitol City makes it hard to put down. MJ Pizzella Former Associate Administrator, US General Services Administration Former Director of Communications, US Department of Energy

1. Office of Presidential Personnel, The White House/U.S. Department of Interior, 1972-73. 2. President Richard Nixon, 1972 Special Message to Congress: “In my budget for 1972, I have proposed a new ‘Legacy of Parks’ program which will help States and local government provide parks and recreation areas, not just for today’s Americans but for tomorrow’s as well. Only if we set aside and develop such recreation areas now can we ensure that they will be available for future generations.” 3. Congressional Staff Directory 1973-74, Office of Cong. Burt L. Talcott. 4. Congressional Staff Directory 1975-79, Office of Sen. Paul Laxalt. 5. 1st Edition, Native Nevadan Publications 1985. 6. “America Is Back,” We the People—An American Celebration, The Committee for the 50th American Presidential Inaugural, 1985, p. 7. 7. Office of Presidential Personnel, The White House, 1982-8. 8. Office of Presidential Personnel, The White House, 1989. 9.Vital Speeches of the Day; 6/15/89, Vol. 55 Issue. 10. Office of Presidential Personnel, The White House, 1989-1992. 11. America’s Real Estate: Natural Resource/Natural Legacy; Urban Land Institute; 1997. 12. Hassan Adamu, Nigerian Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development, “We’ll feed our people as we see fit, Sept. 11, 2000, The Washington Post. 13. Office of Presidential Personnel, The White House, 2001-2002. 14. www.commerce.gov 15. “Standing together: Assaults on civilization,” Delivered to The European Institute, Transatlantic Seminar on U.S.-E.U. Relations, Washington, D.C., September 20, 2001. 16. Office of Presidential Personnel, The White House, 2002-2007. 17. Federal Computer Week,, “GSA names new citizen services head, July 11 2007. 18. www.gsa.gov, March 11, 2007 19. “A Simple Tribute,” Miami Monthly Magazine, June 1985, p. 68. 20. “The Prisoner,” Smoke Magazine, Summer Issue, p.399. 21. “The Fields,” Americas Magazine, Sept/Oct. 1986, p. 50.