Robert McFarlin, recent director of public affairs and chief of staff at the Minnesota Department of Transportation, joined Weber Shandwick’s corporate, community, and public affairs practice in October. “A lot of Webber Shandwick’s public affairs work currently is outside of Minnesota,” McFarlin says, and the global firm’s Bloomington office is looking to raise its public-affairs profile in the state.
McFarlin is working with the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce on its transportation initiatives, and with other clients on a range of issues. The complexity and slow pace of the legislative process and of building partnerships and coalitions can by “eye opening” for many, he says. He’s there to guide them through it.
After his experience with the collapse of the I-35 bridge and reconstruction, McFarlin also has other lessons to offer. “Things can get extremely political very quickly,” he says. “You just have to keep pressing on with good work, and try not to get thrown off course by people who would use a crisis for their own agendas.”
