Former Obama Administration Digital Leader Tom Cochran Joins Edelman

Edelman named former Obama administration digital leader Tom Cochran, pictured above, as general manager for Digital and Integrated Marketing (D+IM) in its D.C. office, effective October 29. Cochran will lead the D+IM practice, collaborating across the full scope of offerings in the Washington office. He will report to Lisa Ross, president of Edelman’s D.C., office. Cochran will have oversight of a digital and integrated marketing team comprised of strategy, planning, creative and social content specialists, along with paid media, digital analytics, technology, development, production, operations, media and editorial experts.

According to a release, at the White House, “Cochran ran digital technology powering WhiteHouse.gov to amplify President Obama’s message, and led the team that built the ‘We the People’ petitions platform. He also ran global public diplomacy platforms for the U.S. Department of State, emphasizing digital modernization, a cloud-first approach and the power of relationships and networks to advance U.S. foreign policy abroad.

“Cochran has the distinction of being the first person hired by Blue State Digital, becoming part of the team that conceived and pioneered the role of digital in political campaigns. He spent a few years engineering the early applications that grew into the robust digital platform that helped President Obama raise $1.2 billion online in two election cycles. Earlier in his career, he was the lead engineer and inventor on a content and feedback management system awarded a U.S. patent.

“Following his work in the Obama administration, Cochran served as an adjunct professor at American University and ran his own consultancy, speaking to international audiences about how to differentiate digital from IT, and gain competitive advantage through emerging technologies and the importance of embracing a “digital-first” culture. He has also been a contributing writer on digital transformation, emerging technologies and data strategies for outlets including Recode, CityLab, Harvard Business Review and The Washington Post.”