Susan K. Neely

heir connection was immediate. When Susan Neely first met Tom Ridge, then-director of the Office of Homeland Security, the first half of their conversation was about homeland security, and the rest was about their adopted children. Neely left the meeting convinced of Ridge's commitment both to securing the country and to family. "I had a great sense of clarity afterward," said Neely, 47, who had been debating whether to take such a long-hours, high-pressure job shortly after adopting a son.

The Iowa City native and University of Iowa graduate spent 14 years in communications in the private sector after serving as a senior adviser to Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and a couple of members of Congress. She earned her issue-campaign stripes as creator of the famous "Harry and Louise" television ads, which helped sink President Clinton's health care plan. She was then senior vice president at the Health Insurance Association of America.

Neely reported to the White House in November 2001 as special assistant to the president and senior director of communications for homeland security. Her first day on the job featured a press conference about anthrax. "It was a very tense time," she recalls.

Her biggest challenge at the White House was selling the country on President Bush's proposed Department of Homeland Security.

Neely is a close adviser to Ridge, whom she considers a friend. She ensures that communications strategy is always factored into departmental decisions, because she sees government as shaping the public's reaction to the ongoing threat of terrorism. One of her largest projects has been the department's "Ready Campaign," and her overarching effort is to convey the "adult message" that the department is making the country safer but that there's always more work to be done.