Director of Public Affairs

 Director of Public Affairs

Bob Spieldenner

Vocational

Bob Spieldenner, APR, is the Director of Public Affairs. He manages the agency’s media relations, disaster communications and public education efforts. 

Bob has worked in ten federally declared disasters and numerous emergencies. He helped establish and lead a joint information center at Virginia Tech after the April 2007 shooting. In addition, Bob managed Virginia’s joint information centers for Hurricane Isabel in 2003, Election Day 2008 and the 2009 Presidential Inauguration. 

Prior to joining VDEM, Bob managed national public education campaigns and served as primary spokesperson for the United Network for Organ Sharing, which coordinates the national organ transplant system. He began his public relations career at the Virginia Department of Transportation. 

A graduate from the Virginia Military Institute in 1989 with a degree in History, Bob also attended Virginia Commonwealth University’s graduate program in Journalism. His is a graduate of the Commonwealth Management Institute and the Virginia Executive Institute. 

Bob is accredited in Public Relations by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and a past-president of the PRSA Richmond chapter. Bob is a member of the Virginia Government Communicators.