The Persuader
A strategic communications and campaign specialist

“Every winning strategy needs a message that connects with people in a way that is relevant to their daily lives. I enjoy helping clients take complex policy issues and boil them down into a message that is clear and influential. I thrive on being the person that translates our client’s issues to the media and other audiences who didn’t previously know why it was so important to them.”

For more than a decade, Aaron Toso has been honing his communications prowess by developing and implementing winning communications plans for businesses, nonprofit organizations, campaigns and state government agencies.

Prior to joining Gallatin Public Affairs, Toso was most recently the Director of Communications & Outreach for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) under the direction of Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark. He helped to usher in Goldmark’s new administration as a member of his transition team. While at DNR Toso developed messages to help navigate the media on a multitude of challenging natural resources issues, he is also credited with modernizing the agency’s communications and increasing government transparency by integrating a full suite of Government 2.0 web strategies.

Toso has also served as Press Secretary to Governor Chris Gregoire both in the Office of the Governor and on her difficult 2008 re-election campaign. He developed media plans, opinion editorials and served as the first point of contact for the media on issues ranging from transportation to the state budget.

After spending time at Western Washington University (Bellingham) and the University of Oxford (United Kingdom), Toso graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in University Studies with an emphasis on Political Science and Business Administration from Minnesota State University Moorhead.

Toso resides in Tacoma with his wife, son and two tireless cattle dogs.

Expertise                                        Background

Communications                        Director of Communications &
                                                        Outreach at state DNR for
Strategy and messaging           Commissioner of Public Lands
                                                        Peter Goldmark
Ballot initiative campaigns                
                                                       Press Secretary for Governor
Natural resource and                Chris Gregoire
transportation issues                        
                                                       Public Relations firms in Colorado
Local and state government
                                                       B.S., Minnesota State University
Web 2.0 strategies                     Moorhead

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