Idaho Statesman
December 5, 2009
Isaac Squyres, a strategic communications expert, and John Kotek, an expert on energy policy issues, have been elected as partners and shareholders of Gallatin Public Affairs. They will serve on the firm's board of directors.
Squyres leads the firm's Strategic Communications & Media Relations Practice Group and manages client engagements in fields including health care, energy and education. He joined the firm in 2006 after nearly a decade as a senior manager at one of the largest independently owned public relations firms in the southeastern U.S., where he managed accounts that garnered awards from the Public Relations Society of America.
In 2008, he was a key strategic adviser to the Minnick for Congress campaign. He served as U.S. Rep. Walt Minnick's chief of staff during Minnick's transition from candidate to member of Congress, before returning to Gallatin in April 2009.
Raised in Boise, Squyres serves as co-chairman of the board for the Center for Emerging Futures, a 501(c)3 organization focused on bringing positive changes in the Middle East. He graduated from Davidson College in Davidson, N.C., with a degree in political science.
Kotek heads Gallatin's Energy Policy & Facility Siting Practice Group. He facilitates business-development efforts and leads project teams for the firm's energy clients, including companies specializing in wind power, nuclear energy, electrical transmission and other energy fields.
Kotek has testified before Congress and state legislatures, has written for Scientific American and other periodicals, and has been interviewed for numerous local, national and international publications. He serves on the board of the American Nuclear Society.
Kotek holds a degree in engineering and an MBA and has worked in the administration, on Capitol Hill and in support of state government. He served as deputy manager of the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho Operations Office from 2003 until 2006 and was named by the Ridenbaugh Press as one of the 100 most influential Idahoans in 2003. Kotek served in the office of Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M.
