Susan Ralston - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Susan Bonzon Ralston is the President of SBR Enterprises, LLC, a government affairs, public relations and business consulting firm in the United States. SBR helps companies with strategic partnership development, public affairs and public relations activities with a strong background in project management, outreach, coalition building and event management.

Prior to creating SBR Enterprises, LLC, Ralston was the Special Assistant to the President and a deputy to Karl Rove

Karl Rove

Karl Christian Rove was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to former President George W. Bush until Rove's resignation on August 31, 2007. He has headed the Office of Political Affairs, the Office of Public Liaison, and the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives...

, the Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor at the White House, from 2001 until her resignation in 2006.

Background

Ralston was born in Pennsylvania to Filipino-Americans Teotimo D. Bonzon and Purificacion Lagman Bonzon. Ralston attended Loyola University Chicago

Loyola University Chicago

Loyola University Chicago is a private Jesuit research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1870 under the title St...

Early career

Prior to her public service, Ralston was the Assistant Director of Governmental Affairs at Greenberg Traurig

Greenberg Traurig

Greenberg Traurig LLP and Greenberg Traurig PA is an international law firm based in Miami, Florida.The firm has approximately 1,800 attorneys and governmental professionals in 32 locations in the United States, Europe and Asia. Its founding office is in Miami, Florida with its largest office in...

, working for Jack Abramoff

Jack Abramoff

Jack Abramoff is an American former lobbyist and businessman. Convicted in 2006 of mail fraud and conspiracy, he was at the heart of an extensive corruption investigation that led to the conviction of White House officials J. Steven Griles and David Safavian, U.S. Representative Bob Ney, and nine...

. She has also worked for the legal and lobbying firm of Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds, LLP

Preston Gates & Ellis

Preston Gates & Ellis, LLP, also known as Preston Gates, was a law firm with offices in the United States, China and Taiwan. Its main office was in the IDX Tower in Seattle, Washington...

, joining Abramoff in his move to Greenberg Traurig in 2001. Before moving to Washington, DC, Ralston was an office administrator for M&J Wilkow, Ltd., a commercial real estate firm in Chicago, Illinois.

White House career

Ralston was hired in 2001 as the most senior assistant to Karl Rove

Karl Rove

. Ralston was the Special Assistant to the President and a deputy to Rove, the Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor at the White House for almost six years. She was responsible for managing the activities that comprised the Office of the Senior Advisor, including the development of policy, strategic planning, political affairs, public liaison, and intergovernmental affairs efforts of the White House. She was also responsible for the development and production of presidential and major surrogate events.

As a Filipino-American, Ralston was actively involved in the strategic planning and Asian Pacific American outreach efforts of the White House, including the creation of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. She was a member of the Presidential Delegation to attend the Inauguration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...

of the Philippines in June 2004. She also took part in a bi-partisan exchange to Vietnam in August 2003 that was organized by the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL).

During the 2004 re-election campaign, Ralston was the White House Liaison to Bush-Cheney ’04, coordinating the activities between the two entities. She also served on the Advisory Committee for “W Stands for Women,” the campaign’s outreach effort to women.

Investigations and questioning

On July 29, 2005, Ralston testified before federal grand jury prosecutor, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, investigating whether government officials illegally disclosed the identity of CIA officer Valerie Wilson

Valerie Plame

Valerie Elise Plame Wilson , known as Valerie Plame, Valerie E. Wilson, and Valerie Plame Wilson, is a former United States CIA Operations Officer and the author of a memoir detailing her career and the events leading up to her resignation from the CIA.-Early life :Valerie Elise Plame was born on...

. Matthew Cooper

Matthew Cooper (American journalist)

Matthew Cooper is a former reporter for Time who, along with New York Times reporter Judith Miller was held in contempt of court and threatened with imprisonment for refusing to testify before the Grand Jury regarding the Valerie Plame CIA leak investigation. He currently works as the managing...

made a call sometime in July 2003 to Karl Rove

Karl Rove

but there were no records of the call. Ralston claimed there were no records because they had transferred his call.

On January 3, 2006, Jack Abramoff

Jack Abramoff

pleaded guilty to conspiracy, and related charges, and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in a corruption probe in Washington. In September 2006, the House Government Reform Committee released a report on Abramoff's dealings with the White House. Ralston resigned October 6, 2006 after it became known that she had accepted gifts and passed information to her former boss Jack Abramoff

Jack Abramoff

.

In May 2007, Ralston attempted to seek immunity before testifying in front of Representative Henry Waxman's House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Ralston was deposed in private before asking for immunity.
On May 10, 2007, Ralston testified to the US Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that Karl Rove

Karl Rove

used an Republican National Committee

Republican National Committee

The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...

(RNC) email account daily for most of his official communications as Deputy White House Chief of Staff

Deputy White House Chief of Staff

The White House Deputy Chief of Staff is officially the top aide to the White House Chief of Staff, who is the senior aide to the President of the United States. The Deputy Chief of Staff usually has an office in the West Wing and is responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the White House...

for Strategic Planning and Senior Advisor to the President in a possible violation of the Presidential Records Act

Presidential Records Act

The Presidential Records Act of 1978, , is an Act of Congress of the United States governing the official records of Presidents and Vice Presidents created or received after January 20, 1981, and mandating the preservation of all presidential records...

of 1978.

External links

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