Big Hire, High Stakes

In this political environment, the na­tional media viewed the hiring of Jorge Silva MAIPS ’11 as director of Hispanic media for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign as a sign of the high stakes involved. Jorge, who is credited with developing and im­plementating Hispanic media strategies in several Western states as the senior strategist for the Senate Democratic Cau­cus, previously served as senior adviser to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

“Secretary Clinton is a strong sup­porter of comprehensive immigration reform,” says Jorge, who currently com­mutes between the Clinton campaign of­fices in Brooklyn and Washington D.C., where he lives with his wife, Elizabeth Romanoff Silva MPA ’11. He is excited to take on the rigors of a presidential campaign.

Jorge is the campaign’s official spokes­person for Spanish-language audiences, and a large part of his job is to help the press and public understand complicated policy issues. “One of the big challeng­es is appealing to Hispanic communi­ties in both languages,” he says, and the Institute prepared him well. “Working with diverse groups of classmates on pol­icy projects helped me get a better grip on how to talk to people about complex issues,” he says. He also noted that his Institute experiences helped him learn to work with people who have different sets of skills toward a common goal.

With notable exceptions, most presi­dential hopefuls have their own plans to reach out to the Hispanic electorate. It appears that the first big test for Jorge will come on February 20th, when Nevada voters vote in the first caucus in the West. A large youth population and a hitherto low voter turnout make Hispanic voters a key strategic focus for both parties. Jorge says he has full confidence in his team and hopes to continue working with them on long-term Hispanic outreach strate­gies beyond the 2016 election.

Before coming to the Institute, Jorge was a lawyer in his native Mexico. He moved to Monterey to be with Elizabeth, then his fiancée, and intended to work at the Monterey Bay Aquarium while she completed her degree. But he soon be­came so interested in her studies that he enrolled at the Institute as well.

Jorge and Elizabeth’s strong bond with the Institute community includes having their great friend and mentor Professor Adele Negro officiate at their wedding. They are also part of a strong network of alumni in Washington D.C., that includes two of Jorge’s friends from the Senate. “It’s easy to become friends with the people you work with, because you all believe in the same ideals,” he says, “but the connection seems to run even deeper with classmates, and we’re able to rely on each other for connections, tips, and information.”