The School of Public Policy (SPP) invites the Malibu and Pepperdine communities to celebrate the 2006 graduation of SPP students on Friday, Apr. 21, at 10:30 a.m. in Alumni Park. U.S. Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) will receive an honorary doctorate. Eryn Witcher, director of television for the White House, will be honored as a Distinguished Alumna.
Senator Jon Kyl has served as a United States Senator for the State of Arizona since November, 1994. He is recognized nationally as a leader in the areas of fiscal responsibility, tax policy, national defense, immigration and border issues, as well as initiatives of strategic importance to the western states, such as the health of the forests and water quality. He is chairman of the influential Senate Republican Policy Committee which helps set the agenda in Congress. He serves on the Senate Finance and Judiciary Committees and chairs the subcommittees on Taxation and IRS Oversight; and Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland Security.
Senator Kyl has accomplished much during his distinguished career on Capitol Hill, including: increased funding for border security, state reimbursement for federally mandated health care for undocumented immigrants, guaranteeing the rights of crime victims, and the establishment of the Ecological Restoration Institute. Most recently, Senator Kyl championed the confirmations of Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito to the United States Supreme Court.
Prior to 1994, Senator Kyl served four terms in the House of Representatives. Before entering public service, he practiced law with Jennings, Strouss & Salmon of Phoenix, Arizona, and also served as the chairperson of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. In 1983, Senator Kyl founded the Arizona Crime Victims Foundation.
Just last month, Senator Kyl was awarded the Dr. Nathan Davis Award by the American Medical Association. In 1997, the National Journal named him one of the “100 most influential men and women in federal government.”
Senator Kyl earned his bachelor’s degree in political science in 1964, and his LL.B. in 1966, both from the University of Arizona. He was editor-in-chief of the Arizona Law Review and graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
Senator Kyl resides in Phoenix, Arizona, with his wife, Caryll.
Eryn M. Witcher is director of television at The White House, and serves as the point of contact between the television networks and high-level Administration officials. She develops strategies and coordinates TV appearances by White House and Cabinet officials, effectively communicating Administration policies.
Previously, she was press secretary and spokesperson for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Stephen L. Johnson, and led the EPA’s media response to the 2005 Gulf hurricanes.
Ms. Witcher is a former special assistant to U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao, wherein Ms. Witcher managed press affairs for the Department of Labor. From 2003 to 2004, she was a producer for Hardball with Chris Matthews on MSNBC, determining program content and booking guests. Ms. Witcher worked as press secretary, and later campaign communications director for Senator Bob Smith (R-NH). Before that she was deputy press secretary for Senator Paul Coverdell (R-GA).
Ms. Witcher is a dedicated political activist, having worked on both the 2000 and 2004 presidential election campaigns of George W. Bush. She worked with the International Republican Institute to train Nigerian presidential candidates and staff in issue articulation and debate. Ms. Witcher also assisted with press efforts at the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia.
Ms. Witcher earned her bachelor of arts in public relations from Seaver College in 1997, and her master of public policy from the School of Public Policy in 1999.
Though miles from her alma mater, she remains an active and dedicated alumna, serving the Pepperdine Alumni Association Washington, D.C. chapter as president from 1999-2002, and as a chapter member from 2002 to the present. She was on the Pepperdine Alumni Board, between 2001 and 2004.
Ms. Witcher resides in Washington, D.C.
