Peter Rafle

Background

About Peter Rafle

Pete Rafle is Communications Director for the Georgetown Climate Center, which works with U.S. states and municipalities to help them develop and implement climate-friendly policies. Pete came to the Climate Center from Spitfire Strategies, where, as Senior Vice President, he provided communications and campaign planning counsel to the nation’s leading non-profits and foundations on issues ranging from climate change and agricultural policy to health care and criminal justice reform. He was Communications Director for the Environment and Public Works Committee from 2007 to 2011, providing strategic counsel to Senator Barbara Boxer during her first two Congresses as Chairman of the Committee. In addition to acting as primary media strategist for the Committee’s legislative docket – including comprehensive climate change legislation, clean air and water bills, and transportation policy – he worked extensively with the Senator’s in-state staff on California environmental and infrastructure issues. As Director of Advocacy Communications at The Wilderness Society, he led a cooperative integrated communications campaign that was instrumental in defending the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil and gas development. At DDB Issues & Advocacy, he worked to develop and implement communications strategies for issues ranging from energy efficiency to sustainable fisheries and fair trade coffee. From 1992 to he was Communications Director for Trout Unlimited, where he helped the grassroots fisheries conservation organization push back ill-conceived Congressional attacks on the Clean Water Act and created a television series to showcase the group’s grassroots conservation work that aired for several seasons on ESPN. He also served as editor and publisher of Trout Magazine, TU’s quarterly member publication. His resume also includes a stint as senior writer for Thirteen/WNET in New York, one of public broadcasting’s flagship television stations.