WASHINGTON: Jodi Seth is resigning as Sen. John Kerry's (D-MA) communications director to join Facebook as manager of public policy and communications in its Washington DC office.
She will take over some of the day-to-day activities of Andrew Noyes, who is relocating to California, said Sarah Feinberg, director of policy communications at the social networking site. Noyes will continue to use the title of manager of policy communications and work on communications for privacy, legal, and other projects. He has worked at Facebook since 2009.
It is understood that the change in location has nothing to do with the departure of Joe Lockhart, the former VP of global communications, who left the company in October after commuting for 15 months between DC and California.
In addition to helping to stand in for Noyes, Seth's hiring “is part of a larger picture of building up a senior and experienced team as we grow our presence in DC,” Feinberg said.
Seth will start at the company next week. Facebook was drawn to her experience on Capitol Hill and her communications and public policy expertise, Feinberg said.
In addition to her time on Kerry's staff, Seth also served as communications director for the US House of Representatives' Committee on Energy and Commerce for five years.
Seth confirmed via email that she will join the technology sector company, but deferred all other comment to Facebook.
In a statement circulated to the media, Kerry praised Seth's four-year tenure on his staff.
“Simply put, she gets it, and she sees the big picture. Instead of just chasing headlines, she acts creatively and methodically to leave a lasting imprint that helps really move an issues agenda, and that's exactly what you want in a senior staffer,” he said in the statement.
