Heather Nauert

Heather Nauert
Official portrait, 2017
27th Spokesperson for the United States Department of State
In office
April 24, 2017 – April 3, 2019
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byJohn Kirby
Succeeded byMorgan Ortagus
Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
Acting
In office
March 13, 2018 – October 10, 2018
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded bySteve Goldstein
Succeeded byMichelle Giuda (acting)
Personal details
Born
Heather Ann Nauert

(1970-01-27) January 27, 1970 (age 54)
Rockford, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Scott Norby
​
(m. 2000)​
Children2
EducationPine Manor College
Arizona State University
Mount Vernon Seminary and College (BA)
Columbia University (MA)
Heather Nauert's voice
Heather Nauert speaks on National Human Trafficking Prevention Month
Recorded January 4, 2018

Heather Anne Nauert (born January 27, 1970) is an American broadcast journalist and former government official who served as Spokesperson for the United States Department of State in the Donald Trump administration from 2017 to 2019.[1][2][3] Nauert also served as Acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs from March 2018 to April 2019.

In March 2018, the AP wrote about Nauert's "meteoric rise" in the State Department. "U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Nauert are among the few women in the Trump administration with high-profile voices on foreign policy. Only three State Department officials — all men — now outrank Nauert."[4]

While at the State Department, Nauert conducted press briefings and oversaw communications and public diplomacy for the 75,000-person department. She reported directly to two secretaries of state, Rex Tillerson and Mike Pompeo, and traveled extensively, including to North Korea to participate in denuclearization talks and bring home three American hostages held by the regime.[5]

She also served on the board of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, formerly known as the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which administers U.S. taxpayer-funded television and radio networks, including Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Asia, Radio Free Liberty, Cuba Broadcasting and Middle East Broadcasting Networks.[6]

After leaving public office, Nauert joined several boards for leading national security and international relations organizations. In 2019, Trump appointed Nauert to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board and the President's Commission on White House Fellowships.[7][8][9]

Nauert serves on the Board of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, which advocates for strong U.S. foreign policy, as well as U.S. issues overseas. In 2023, she joined USGLC's newly launched Conservative Foreign Policy Study Group alongside over 60 top conservative foreign policy and national security leaders.[10]

In 2020, Nauert joined the Board of Advisors for the Center for New American Security, an independent, bipartisan nonprofit that conducts research and develops pragmatic and principled defense and national security policies.[11] The Board includes prominent leaders from the military, government, private sector, and academia.[12] She was a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank, until 2021.[13]

Nauert consults corporate and non-profit clients. In 2023, she joined the Federal Advisory Board of Armis, a cybersecurity firm. She is a contributor to the British TV network, ITV News, where she provides analysis of the 2024 election.[14]

In 2020, Nauert joined the advisory board of BGR Group, a government relations and public affairs firm in Washington, D.C. She also serves as a senior advisor to corporations, think tanks, and foundations. Nauert advises Fortune 500 companies, reporting to CEOs and boards of directors, providing leaders with strategic communications guidance, including developing and leading media campaigns to achieve clients' unique goals.[15]

Nauert addressing reporters at a State Department press briefing.

Since 2021, Nauert has served on the National Advisory Board of Warriors in Quiet Waters, a Montana-based veterans service organization that empowers post-911 combat veterans to thrive and live purpose-driven lives.[16]

Prior to her positions at the Department of State, she had a nearly 20-year career in broadcast journalism. Nauert worked as a news anchor and correspondent at Fox News Channel, including the news program Fox & Friends, and as a news anchor and correspondent for ABC News.[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference nanny was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Scarry, Eddie (April 24, 2017). "Fox News reporter Heather Nauert named State Department spokeswoman". Washington Examiner.
  3. ^ a b "Heather Nauert - Institute for Politics and Strategy - Carnegie Mellon University". Carnegie Mellon University. Archived from the original on March 6, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  4. ^ "At State Department, Heather Nauert's star is ascendant". AP News. March 18, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  5. ^ Morello, Carol (May 11, 2018). "Perspective | My journey to North Korea with the secretary of state". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  6. ^ "Heather Nauert". USAGM. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference hn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Visser, Nick (May 8, 2019). "Heather Nauert To Be Nominated To Post Overseeing White House Fellowships". Huffington Post.
  9. ^ Conradis, Brandon (May 8, 2019). "Trump taps ex-State spokeswoman Heather Nauert to help oversee White House fellowships". The Hill. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  10. ^ "USGLC Launches Conservative Foreign Policy Study Group". USGLC. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  11. ^ ironcore (July 7, 2020). "BGR Advisory Board Member Heather Nauert Joins CNAS Board of Advisors". BGR Group. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  12. ^ "Heather Nauert". Center for a New American Security (en-US). Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  13. ^ "Heather Nauert Senior Fellow". Hudson Institute. Archived from the original on March 1, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  14. ^ "Talking Politics USA: Fighting talk, Taylor Swift and Trump's 'people eating pets' claim". ITV News. September 11, 2024.
  15. ^ "Heather Nauert | Public Relations Leader at BGR Group". BGR Group. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  16. ^ Incorporated, Prime. "Heather Nauert". Warriors & Quiet Waters. Retrieved September 14, 2024.