Gordon Hensley, who joined the Headcount board in 2012, is a corporate communications strategist, writer and content creator specializing in health, tax and budget policy issues. He has 25 years of Capitol Hill, private sector and GOP presidential/statewide campaign experience in Washington, DC and on the ground in over a dozen states.
Before Hensley’s transition to corporate work, he previously served as communications director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), and as a communications director, speechwriter or consultant for President George H.W. Bush; Govs George Pataki (R-NY) and Buddy Roemer (R-LA); Sens Bob Corker (R-TN), Al D’Amato (R-NY), Bob Dole (R-KS), Paul Coverdell (R-GA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR); and U.S. Reps. David Dreier (R-CA), Vito Fossella (R-NY), Sam Johnson (R-TX), Helen Bentley (R-MD), Jim Courter (R-NJ), and Joe DioGuardi (R-NY).
Hensley has appeared on multiple occasions at the Harvard JFK School, and has been a guest speaker or panelist at the National Press Club, LSU, UT-Austin, Rutgers Univ/Eagleton Inst and National Journal/Hotline.
Originally from Brooklyn NY, Hensley grew up in Chappaqua NY and Boston MA. He studied international economics at Franklin College in Lugano, Switzerland intending to transfer to the Georgetown School of Foreign Service and a possible career in the diplomatic corps. Instead, he enrolled at George Washington University (GWU) in DC and became heavily involved in GOP campaigns and touring with the Grateful Dead — ultimately seeing 182 shows between 1977 and 1995. He then became enamored with Bob Weir’s band, RatDog, and saw 136 shows between 1996 and 2014 — including the 2002 European tour.
Gordon works at sm/c/p inc.