San Diego Women's Week

Mindy Fletcher

Balancing Your Career and Family

Mindy Fletcher, committed to public service and the public good, is a respected communications strategist, advocate for foster children, and a champion of empowering women. In 2001, Mindy became the first woman to be appointed Director of Public Affairs at the United States Department of Justice and she was in that post on September 11, 2001. In 2002, Mindy was named Director of Communications for the Republican National Committee for President Bush's first mid-term election.

Mindy is a respected speaker on topics of importance to women such as women in the workplace and work/life balance. As a mother of two and a career woman, she is a voice for her generation of career women and hopes her story will enlighten and equip the next generation of amazing women as they set out to conquer the world.

As an advocate for foster children in California, Mindy holds positions on the board of the Angels Foster Family Network and on the Community Advisory Council for Voices for Children. To elevate the topic, Mindy is currently working on a documentary to raise awareness about the plight of foster children in America. She and her husband also advocate for adoption and have adopted both of their children.

Mindy is no stranger to public service and politics. After graduating from SMU, Mindy spent six years in Washington, D.C. where she served as Communications Director for Congressman Sam Johnson and as the Deputy Communications Director at the National Republican Congressional Committee. In 1999, she became Press Secretary for the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign, where she worked closely with national and regional media and managed the day-to-day operations of the communications division.

In 2005, Mindy served as Deputy Chief of Staff for External Affairs to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and then Deputy Campaign Manager to his 2006 re-election campaign. Both prior to her work with Schwarzenegger and after Mindy served as Senior Vice President for Ogilvy Public Relations where she provided strategic communications counsel to corporate, non-profit, and government clients. Mindy is a board member at the Institute of Politics and Public Service at Point Loma Nazarene University and a member of the Honorary Board for the New Children's Museum.

Mindy is the Vice President of Strategic Communications for the West Wireless Health Institute in La Jolla, California, a non-profit medical research organization whose mission is to lower the cost of healthcare through technology and innovation. She leads a comprehensive communications program to support the Institute's mission and manages external relations with key stakeholders ranging from policymakers to the health care community.

She graduated from Southern Methodist University in her hometown of Dallas with a B.A. in business, and lived in Washington, D.C. and Austin, Texas before settling down in California. Mindy resides in San Diego with her husband, State Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, and their two sons, Zach and Caleb. Even though she doesn't have much free time, she operates on the principle that a good baseball game can always fit into your schedule.