# Ken Spain

> Ken Spain is the co-founder and CEO of Narrative Strategies, a Washington communications firm built at the intersection of business, media and politics. A former congressional aide, Bush-Cheney campaign communicator, NRCC communications director, private-equity industry spokesman and corporate communications leader at Koch Industries, he has turned two decades of high-pressure messaging work into a bipartisan public-affairs agency.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer and Founding Partner at Narrative Strategies
- **Organizations:** Narrative Strategies, CGCN Group, Koch Industries, American Investment Council, National Republican Congressional Committee, Bush-Cheney '04
- **From:** Whittier, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in History, University of California, Santa Barbara
- **Known for:** Oversaw NRCC communications strategy during the 2010 election cycle, when Republicans gained 63 House seats., Helped develop and execute Koch Industries' national We Are Koch branding campaign., Co-founded Narrative Strategies in 2019 and led its expansion from a small startup to a firm with more than 75 employees by its fifth anniversary.

## Career timeline

- **2001** — Graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a bachelor's degree in history and began work in California legislative politics.
- **2004** — Served as New Mexico communications director for the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign.
- **2005-2006** — Worked in communications and senior staff roles for U.S. Representatives Mike Conaway and John Shadegg.
- **2007-2010** — Joined the National Republican Congressional Committee, rising to communications director for the 2010 cycle.
- **2011-2015** — Led public affairs and communications at the American Investment Council during the intense scrutiny of private equity surrounding the 2012 presidential election.
- **2015-2016** — Led external affairs and then corporate communications and external affairs at Koch Industries, contributing to the We Are Koch national branding campaign.
- **2016-2019** — Served as a partner at Washington public-affairs firm CGCN Group.
- **2019** — Co-founded Narrative Strategies with Patrick O'Connor, Ed Mullen and Katie Mitchell.
- **2024** — Became CEO as Narrative sold a majority stake to Clarion Capital Partners to support expansion.
- **2025** — Named Agency CEO of the Year in the PRNEWS People of the Year Awards.

## Achievements

- Oversaw NRCC communications strategy during the 2010 election cycle, when Republicans gained 63 House seats.
- Helped develop and execute Koch Industries' national We Are Koch branding campaign.
- Co-founded Narrative Strategies in 2019 and led its expansion from a small startup to a firm with more than 75 employees by its fifth anniversary.
- Led Narrative through a 2024 majority investment by Clarion Capital Partners and subsequent geographic expansion.
- Named Agency CEO of the Year in the 2025 PRNEWS People of the Year Awards.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Appeared on The Deciders to discuss rising political scrutiny of companies and why corporate silence may no longer be neutral.
- **2026-05** — Published analysis arguing that private-credit messaging must adapt as the industry's audience broadens beyond financial specialists.
- **2026-03** — Published research-led commentary on data-center development as a local political issue with national consequences.
- **2025-09** — Received PRNEWS' 2025 Agency CEO of the Year honor.
- **2025-03** — Announced Narrative's Strategic Insights practice, expanding the firm's research capability.

## Links

- Website: https://narrativestrategies.com/team/ken-spain
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-spain-66b6424

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ken-spain
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-26