MWW Group Acquires the Government Relations Practice of Jorden Burt LLP, Significantly Expanding its Capitol Hill Presence, Appropriations Practice and Client Roster

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Feb. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- MWW Group (http://www.mww.com/), one of the nation's top ten public relations firms, today announced that it has acquired the government relations practice of Jorden Burt LLP, as well as the practice's staff under the leadership of Marilyn Berry Thompson, who will serve as an executive vice president at MWW Group. A veteran lobbyist with nearly 40 years experience in higher education, healthcare and local government funding, Thompson is well-known and widely respected on Capitol Hill and brings with her a bipartisan team of professionals, many of whom have been with her for a decade or more. The acquisition significantly adds to the client base, resources, experience and services of MWW Group's Washington, DC office.

MWW Group's expanded government relations team will support state and local governments, higher education institutions, medical schools, hospitals, research entities, corporations and financial institutions in areas ranging from federal funding and appropriations matters, to tax, employee benefits, and economic and infrastructure development. The Thompson team has extensive experience both in the halls of Congress and across numerous federal agencies, having secured for its clientele more than $1 billion in federal funding support through legislation and strategic advocacy campaigns within the legislative branch, executive branch and regulatory processes.

"I've known and respected Marilyn for more than thirty years. She has been both a mentor and friend and am pleased to welcome her and her extremely talented team to MWW Group," said Michael Kempner, MWW Group president and chief executive officer. "Marilyn is a rare professional who is deeply respected on by both sides of the political aisle. Her depth of knowledge and her vast experience in managing clients and creating results on the Hill make her one of the best in the business and a trusted voice in Washington."

While with Jorden Burt LLP, where she served for over 15 years, Thompson was chair of the firm's government relations practice team and Director of Government Relations, responsible for congressional relations and federal legislative, executive branch and agency information and advocacy services. Previously Thompson spent more than a decade heading the Washington, DC office of the State of New Jersey, representing three governors and serving as the Director of Federal policy. She also headed the Washington operations for the Coalition of Northeastern Governors and served under President Carter as a White House consultant on his 1979 National Urban Policy. Additionally, Thompson previously headed Meara, Byrne and Thompson Associates.

Joining MWW Group as part of the Thompson-led team is Marion Turner as senior vice president. Turner, an expert in legislative activity within the infrastructure, public works, banking, environment, transportation, telecommunication and electric utility arenas, served for several years on Capitol Hill as an assistant to Senator Connie Mack (R-FL) before joining Jorden Burt, LLP where he headed the local government practice for more than a decade. Joining MWW Group as vice presidents are Alanna Suda and Ryan Haaker. Suda is a specialist in legislative advocacy and appropriations initiatives for education, higher education, science, technology and non-profit organizations, and Haaker specializes in legislative, regulatory and policy developments affecting the healthcare sector.

This acquisition by MWW Group follows last year's appointment of House and Senate veteran Tim Yehl as managing director of its Washington, DC office. Yehl served nearly 15 years in the Congress as chief of staff to Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ).

About MWW Group

In 2006, MWW Group was named PR Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report and Mid-size PR Firm of the Year by PR News in recognition of the firm's growth, strategic account leadership and industry-leading employee retention. Additionally, for three out of the past four years, MWW Group has been honored with the #1 ranking in the Holmes Report/Kelly & Lugbauer agency client satisfaction survey. MWW Group achieved top rankings in the categories of account leadership, strength of account team, creativity, strategy and planning, and program execution.

MWW Group is one of the nation's top ten public relations agencies and is known for its results-driven approach to public relations. The agency is nationally recognized for its work in consumer marketing, corporate communications, investor relations, public affairs and government relations, technology and healthcare. Headquartered in East Rutherford, N.J., MWW Group has 11 full-service offices representing national and multinational companies, including Sun Microsystems; Samsung; McDonald's; Nikon; Bally Total Fitness; Sara Lee; Volkswagen of America, Inc.; Amazon.com; FreshDirect; Trans World Entertainment; Iceland Naturally; Verizon; Oxford Health Plans; Roche; The Mills Corporation; Los Angeles Community College District; The Palm Restaurants and many Fortune 1000 clients in the consumer, professional services and industrial sectors. MWW Group is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies . For more information on MWW Group, visit http://www.mww.com/.