Former White House and Homeland Security official Emilio González joins Mercury’s Florida team

Most recently, González served as the City Manager of the City of Miami, overseeing a workforce of 4,400 and a $1.7 Billion budget for Florida’s most- populous municipality

Fort Lauderdale, FL – Mercury, a leading global, bipartisan public strategy firm, announced the addition of Dr. Emilio González as Co-Chairman of its Florida team. A former appointee of President George W. Bush, González brings decades of experience in senior roles in both Washington and Florida at the federal and municipal levels.

“We are very pleased to welcome Emilio to the Mercury family,” said Mercury Partner Ashley Walker. “Emilio has worked in the highest levels of government while also being successful during his time in the private sector. He will provide strategic guidance and bring a level of expertise that our clients will certainly appreciate and that will build our presence in Tallahassee as well as in Washington and internationally.”

González joins Mercury after recently completing a successful two-year run as Manager of the City of Miami. Among his many accomplishments leading the Magic City was its financial turnaround. González left Miami with the second-lowest millage rate in 55 years, $2 million in reserves and the city’s highest bond rating in its 124-year history. Miami was also recognized for its government innovation technology. Prior to his tenure with the City, González was the CEO and Director of the Miami-Dade Aviation Department. Appointed by the Miami-Dade County Mayor, González led a workforce of more than 1,400 employees across Miami-Dade County’s five airports and also collaborated with federal partners such as the Department of Transportation, Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Aviation Administration. He also oversaw the day-to-day operations of MIA, which at the time was third in number of international passengers and first for international cargo among U.S. airports. In 2017, MIA welcomed a record 45 million passengers and secured agreements to have over 100 airlines flying into and out of it.

From 2006-2008, González served as Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services – a presidential nominee and Senate-confirmed post. During his tenure, he represented the Bush administration before Congress as its senior immigration official and led an enterprise-funded agency of 17,000 employees with a $3 billion budget. Prior to that role, González served as Director of Western Hemisphere Affairs for the National Security Council. In this role, he was the Bush White House’s expert on Central America and the Caribbean. Among his many accomplishments was the congressional approval of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

“I am thrilled to be joining Mercury’s terrific team. It is truly a top-tier strategy firm with some of the best minds and most talented experts in the world,” González said. “I’m excited to hit the ground running.”

About Mercury
Mercury is a high-stakes, bipartisan public strategy firm. The firm provides a comprehensive suite of services that includes federal government relations, international affairs, digital influence, public opinion research, media strategy and a bipartisan grassroots mobilization network in all 50 states. Our firm is not just led by top talent — we distinguish ourselves by having senior talent deeply engaged in each project from start to finish, a promise we keep to clients. The firm has an established global presence, with U.S. offices in Washington, DC, New York, California, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Tennessee, as well as international offices in London and Mexico City. Mercury is a part of the Omnicom Public Relations Group.

About Omnicom Public Relations
Group Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, marketing to women, global health strategy and corporate social responsibility. It encompasses more than 6,300 public relations professionals in more than 370 offices worldwide who provide their expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group delivers for clients through a relentless focus on talent, continuous pursuit of innovation and a culture steeped in collaboration. Omnicom Public Relations Group is part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) that includes more than 200 companies in a wide range of marketing disciplines including advertising, public relations, healthcare, customer relationship management, events, promotional marketing, branding and research.

Contact:
Mike Hernandez
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