About Robert
For the past 25 years, Robert has been at the intersection of policy, communications, technology and fun.
For nearly 25 years, the most respected brands and institutions have asked Dr. Robert Traynham to represent them on the global stage: having served in the United States Senate as a communications director and deputy chief of staff for nearly a decade; serving as a chief spokesperson for an incumbent United States President; serving as a spokesperson for Wal-Mart and Comcast and now the chief broadcast spokesperson and head of global public affairs at Meta (Facebook), Dr. Traynham has been at the intersection of communications, technology, politics and public policy.
Dr. Traynham has revolutionized the integration of data-driven communications with digital and campaign style organizing to improve reputations, manage crises and drive people to action. In addition to his current work on crisis communications and serving as a global spokesperson for Meta, he has successfully restored the reputation of a multinational retail institution and reshaped a national storyline on behalf of a leading United States Senator.
Herald as “one of the most prominent voices in national politics, and one of its top strategists and crisis managers” by Politico and the Hill Newspapers, Dr. Traynham has crafted high-level communications, reputation and crisis-management strategies for one U.S. President, U.S. Senate leaders, and the nation’s highest profile political campaigns. The Washington Post called him “a communications ace and one of the most gifted communicators of his generation” Roll Call newspaper named him one of “the 50 most powerful people in Washington 9 years in a row.” The Philadelphia Tribune called him, “an African American to truly be proud of -- for he has a communications gift.”
Prior to joining Meta (Facebook), Dr. Traynham was the Vice President of Communications at the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), a Washington, DC think tank and prior to joining the BPC, Dr. Traynham served as Washington, DC bureau chief for Comcast Networks. During his eight-year tenure, Dr. Traynham established Comcast’s credibility in public affairs programming and served as host for Comcast Newsmakers and the Emmy®-nominated, Roll Call TV with Robert Traynham.
Throughout his career, Dr. Traynham has focused on issues of diversity and inclusion, Dr. Traynham believes that many of society’s thorniest problems can only be solved by combining the sciences, social sciences, and the arts and humanities. He is currently the global chair of Meta (Facebook’s) Diversity and Inclusion program.
Drawing on his unique experiences and access, Dr. Traynham has been a frequent political analyst and commentator to cable TV, radio and print media outlets—including NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, NPR, XM Satellite Radio and numerous international outlets—providing insightful analysis on the American legislative process and the politics behind it. For 10 years, he was an MSNBC political analyst and the host of his own radio show on Sirius/XM.
A native of suburban Philadelphia, Traynham holds a bachelors degree in political science from Cheyney University, a master’s degree in political communications from George Mason University and a Ph.D from the University of Aberdeen, in Aberdeen Scotland.
Dr. Traynham is a frequent public speaker and remains active in academia. He is currently has the dual rank of Professor & Fellow at Georgetown University, where he teaches two courses on media, technology and policy. To date, Dr. Traynham has guest lectured at over 25 colleges around the world and is widely published.
As an appointed member of the Council of Trustees of Cheyney University, Dr. Traynham serves the board of the oldest school of higher education among the country’s historically black colleges and universities. In 2019, Dr. Traynham was inducted into the Royal Society of Arts in London, England for his research on Anglo-American Transatlantic research. He also serves on the boards of directors of AmfAR (Foundation for AIDS Research), the Bipartisan Policy Center and the University of Aberdeen, in Aberdeen, Scotland. Traynham’s introduction into public service, started when he became an intern in the White House under President Bill Clinton. In his spare time, Traynham enjoys photography, kayaking, sailing, biking and good olive oil. He divides his time between Washington, DC, San Francisco and Martha’s Vineyard.