Political career After graduating from USC, Schmitt worked as the surrogate television booker on the first Bush campaign in
Austin, Texas and later in
Tallahassee, Florida, coordinating with cable television networks during the
Florida Recount. Following a stint on the President's transition team, Schmitt served as a communications aide in the
Bush Administration, working in the White House Office of Global Communications. She was involved in coordinating international media outreach following the
September 11 attacks. Schmitt later served as a spokesperson for the
Bush–Cheney 2004 re-election campaign. She also worked as a regional spokesperson in Western battleground states during the campaign. Following the 2004 election, Schmitt served as National Press Secretary for the 55th Presidential Inaugural Committee. From 2005 to 2008, Schmitt served as National Press Secretary for the
Republican National Committee, acting as a principal spokesperson on national political issues. She also appeared in broadcast interviews as an RNC spokesperson during the
2006 United States elections. In 2008, Schmitt served as Deputy Communications Director and traveling press secretary to vice presidential nominee
Sarah Palin during the
McCain-Palin campaign.
Private sector career After 2008, Schmitt transitioned to the private sector, advising various executives on communications, public affairs, and government relations. She served as Senior Vice President of Global Public Affairs at
Emergent BioSolutions, where she led public affairs, investor communications, and other functions. In 2018, she founded Matador, a public affairs and communications firm. Schmitt served as Executive Director of the EASE Alliance, where she advocated for
ERISA Access for the Self-Employed. In 2021, Matador merged with
CGCN Group, a Republican-aligned public affairs and lobbying firm. Following the merger, Schmitt became a senior partner at CGCN. ==Board service==