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Joe R. Cerrell

A prominent public affairs, public relations and political consultant, Joe Cerrell has worked professionally in politics for five decades. In 1966, Joe founded and currently serves as chairman and CEO of Cerrell Associates Inc. Based in Los Angeles, it is one of the nation’s oldest and most respected government affairs, public relations and campaign management firms. It is the 50th largest independent public relations firm in the United States and the sixth largest firm based in Southern California, according to “O'Dwyer's 2007 Directory of Public Relations Firms.”

Throughout his career, Joe has played key roles in the presidential campaigns of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Hubert H. Humphrey, Lloyd Bentsen, John Glenn and Al Gore. He and his firm have managed a wide variety of local and state campaigns, and pioneered the field of judicial campaign management. He is chairman emeritus and past president of the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) and past president of the International Association of Political Consultants (IAPC). Joe also served as a member of the White House Business and Public Affairs Advisory Committee by appointment of President Jimmy Carter.

He serves on the board of directors for the Los Angeles World Affairs Council; a board member of the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance (CCEEB); and serves as a member on the Board of Visitors of the Graziadio School of Business Management, Pepperdine University. Joe has served as past chairman of the Hollywood Wilshire YMCA; as president of the California Museum of Science and Industry; and as a member of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission, when it hosted the 1984 Olympic Games.

Active in Italian-American organizations, Joe is vice chairman and immediate past president of the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF); was appointed to the California Italian American Task Force by California Governor Pete Wilson; and is chairman of the board of the Italy America Chamber of Commerce West (IACCW). Joe holds the “Commendatore al Merito Della Republica Italiana” (Knight Commander) decoration from the Republic of Italy. He is a member of UNICO, the Sons of Italy, and the Federated Italo-Americans of Southern California. He is also the Regional Vice President for the American Society of the Italian Legions of Merit. In 2002, he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Cerrell was honored in 2006 by the San Gennaro Foundation and inducted into the Italian Lawyers Hall of Fame.

He has been honored with many awards during his professional career, including the Small Family Owned Business of the Year Award given by the Los Angeles Business Journal and the PRSA PRism Award for Outstanding PR Professional. In 2004, American University’s Campaign Management Institute awarded him the Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contribution to Campaign Consulting and is one of a dozen elected to their Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the prestigious and exclusive American Association of Political Consultants Hall of Fame, the 11th person to receive this distinction and honor. In 2007, Joe Cerrell was honored by the “Metropolitan News Enterprise” as their Man of the Year.

A graduate of the University of Southern California, he served for 15 years as an adjunct professor with USC's prestigious Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics, which he co-founded. He is a past member of the Board of Governors of the USC Alumni Association. Currently, he is a Distinguished Visiting Professor in Political Science at Pepperdine University since 1996. He also studied at Columbia University.

The New York City native is married (Lee) with three children and seven grandchildren.