Former Bush White House staffer named Akima VP

Rachael Duffy, a former assistant press secretary in President George W. Bush’s administration, has joined Herndon-based federal contractor Akima as vice president of marketing, communications and government relations.

An Alaska Native corporation that handles federal contracts for the for-profit NANA Regional business owned by Indigenous Iñupiat shareholders, Akima has more than 10,000 employees across the world.

Duffy, who has a degree in government and political science from the University of Texas at Austin, previously worked as a vice president in marketing and communications at Reston-based Fortune 1000 government contractor CACI International. There, she led strategies supporting national security and innovation portfolios. Before that, she was corporate public affairs lead at what was then Raytheon Technologies.

Early in her career, Duffy was an assistant press secretary for the Bush White House. In 2006, she became a special assistant to the president with duties including planning and executing hundreds of presidential events like international summits and campaign rallies, according to her LinkedIn page. She also served as spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“Drawing on her proven expertise in developing impactful strategies that support growth, Rachael will be instrumental in enhancing our marketing, communications and government relations efforts,” Akima President and CEO Bill Monet said in a statement. “She will work across the company to elevate our visibility while ensuring we are strategically positioned to support our current and future clients in achieving their missions.”

In July, Akima announced that its subsidiary Five Rivers Analytics had been awarded an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract worth up to $480 million over 10 years.