Communications Executive · Portfolio

I make complex, high-stakes ideas land.

15+ years building editorial platforms, managing crises, prepping executives for the spotlight, and translating policy and legal complexity into narratives people actually read. Published author. Team builder. Builder of things from nothing.

15+
Years Building
9
Things Built from Zero
2
Cabinet Secretaries Prepped
1
NYT Editor's Choice
01 — How I Work

Three situations. Three different muscles.

Forget job titles. Here's how I think and operate when it matters.

Crisis Management

When leadership collapsed overnight, I had 48 hours to stabilize.

"Every stakeholder had a different fear. The board needed confidence. Donors needed reassurance. The press needed a story. And the legal team needed silence."

Mountain States Legal Foundation was a public interest law firm in active federal litigation against the EPA and Bureau of Land Management. When the president departed abruptly under intense scrutiny, I was the communications lead.

I built a rapid-response strategy with the board of directors, including current U.S. Congresswoman Harriet Hageman. Every message was calibrated: press statements that defused speculation without compromising litigation. Donor communications that acknowledged disruption without projecting weakness. Internal messaging that kept a small team focused while the ground shifted.

Outcome

Stakeholder confidence preserved. Donor relationships maintained. Media coverage stabilized. The organization continued its legal work without interruption.

Executive Communications & Stakeholder Strategy

I built a national policy conference and prepped Cabinet Secretaries for the stage.

"The challenge wasn't logistics. It was getting people who fundamentally disagree to appear in the same room and say something useful."

I built the Energy Future Forum from scratch in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — an annual conference bringing together senior government officials, industry executives, and policy researchers on energy, regulatory, and AI infrastructure issues.

I've prepped two U.S. Secretaries of Energy, a FERC Chairman, and a U.S. Ambassador to the EU for broadcast appearances, on-camera interviews, and audience Q&A. The work: messaging frameworks that translate technical policy for expert and general audiences, anticipating hostile questions, and coaching leaders through high-exposure moments. I coordinate stakeholders from the Heritage Foundation to the Brookings Institution, managing competing perspectives while maintaining a coherent narrative.

Outcome

A sustained annual platform with Cabinet-level speakers that generates national media coverage. The deeper result: year-round relationships with senior officials and journalists.

Content Strategy & Editorial Scaling

I turned a small publication into a national editorial platform.

"45,000 readers. No budget. No brand recognition. Three years later: 1.5 million."

As Editor-in-Chief of the Student Free Press Association, I rebuilt the operation: recruited and mentored 50+ writers, established editorial standards, and built a multi-platform distribution strategy before most organizations in our space were thinking about it.

Outcome

45,000 to 1.5 million readers in three years. A contributor network producing consistent, high-quality content. A recognized voice in national education policy.

02 — The Builds

I build things. Here's the proof.

Every one of these from concept to reality.

01
GED → Yale
Homeschooled kid. Professional musician. GED. Then Yale, studying literature with Harold Bloom and history with Donald Kagan. The unconventional path is the only one I know.
Origin Story
02
45K → 1.5M Readers
Took the Student Free Press Association from 45,000 to 1.5 million readers in three years. Built a team of 50+ contributors. Integrated digital strategy before most orgs knew what that meant.
Scale
03
Energy Future Forum
Built and direct a national policy conference in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Prepped two Secretaries of Energy, a FERC Chairman, and a U.S. Ambassador to the EU for broadcast and screen.
Events & Strategy
04
Sex & God at Yale
Published book (St. Martin's Press). New York Times Editor's Choice. NYT Book Review cover feature. Audie Award nominee. Proved I can take a complex, controversial subject and turn it into a narrative people can't put down.
Publishing
05
College Free Speech Rankings
Co-founded a national ranking system from scratch. Now administered by FIRE. Drove policy changes at universities nationwide and generated sustained national media coverage.
Platform Building
06
The Samizdat Prize
Co-founded an annual award honoring writers and public figures who resisted censorship and stood for truth. Recipients include Matt Taibbi and Abigail Shrier. Built a coalition across political lines.
Institution Building
07
Journalist Salon Dinners
Organize invitation-only dinners in Washington, New York, and Chicago with 15 to 20 top-tier reporters per event. Wall Street Journal, Politico, Washington Post, and more. High-trust rooms where the real conversations happen.
Networks
08
Published Everywhere
The Energy Future: Austerity or Abundance? (RealClear, edited and curated). Who's Afraid of Jonathan Turley? ChatGPT, for One (RealClearPolitics). The End of the University as We Know It (American Interest, adopted as required reading at the Harvard Graduate School of Education). Also published in National Review, New York Post, Washington Times, USA Today, Huffington Post, Newsweek, Daily Beast, Weekly Standard, and American Spectator. Quoted in The New York Times and The Washington Post.
Writing & Range
09
On Camera, On Stage, On Mic
CNBC, CBN, C-SPAN live broadcasts with viewer Q&A. SXSW EDU, Yale, Purdue, Hillsdale. I can hold rooms.
Stage & Screen
"
We worked together on multiple media events involving thousands of viewers. Everything I have ever written for Real Clear — more than 30 articles spanning markets, politics, religion and energy — was made better by Nathan without his ever asking for credit or attribution.
Terrence Keeley
Former Managing Director & Global Head, Official Institutions Group, BlackRock
03 — Content Sample

A video memo I wrote and produced.

This AI infrastructure explainer video demonstrates how I work: identify the signal, distill the complexity, produce the content. Written, produced, and delivered on camera.

Subject
AI infrastructure constraints — the dislocation between compute demand and physical capacity
Format
LP-style video memo — researched, written, produced, and delivered on camera
04 — Selected Work

More evidence.

05 — Operating Roles

Where I've worked.

RealClear Media Group
VP, Strategic Communications & Partnerships · Senior Editor · 2018 – Present
Mountain States Legal Foundation
Communications Manager · 2018 – 2022
Sanctuaries Media Library
Founder · 2014 – 2017
Student Free Press Association
Editor-in-Chief · 2011 – 2014
Education
Yale University — B.A. in Humanities, 2009

Let's talk.

My best work happens when judgment, range, and editorial instinct are what the job demands.