Washington, DC - Vice President Mike Pence Wednesday announced the appointment of Jarrod Agen as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Communications to the Vice President.

"Jarrod’s experience at both the state and federal level brings an unmatched perspective to our office," said Vice President Pence. "Having worked on the ground in several states throughout our country, he mixes an outside-of-Washington approach with high-level federal experience."

Agen has over 15 years of unique experience in federal and state government, media relations, international affairs and conservative politics throughout several states. At the federal level, Agen served as Deputy Press Secretary and Associate Director of Strategic Communications at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, handling communications for a wide range of issues including natural disasters, immigration, border security and counter-terrorism. Agen has also served at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of State, where he worked on the planning and implementation of the 2004 G8 Summit.   

Last January, Agen was promoted from Communications Director to Chief of Staff for Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan, taking the Chief of Staff role one day before the state declared an emergency in the Flint water crisis. Over the past year, Agen helped manage the state through one of the most complex crises in America, overseeing the emergency response, communications, and the recovery efforts for Flint.

Agen previously served in communications roles for Mayor Rudy Giuliani in New York, Sharron Angle in Nevada, and Steve Poizner in California. Agen started his career working for MSNBC, working for the news network throughout the 2000 Presidential Election and the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.