Kerri Kupec, former Justice Department public affairs director and AG counsel, lends advice to communication students

Kerri Kupec (’11), an alumna of Liberty University’s School of Law, returned to campus to speak with Department of Strategic and Personal Communication (SAPC) students Friday morning, recounting her experiences in crisis communications and handling the 24-hour news cycle in the nation’s capital.

After serving as a communications director and legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom — the largest conservative nonprofit law firm in the United States — and the White House spokesperson for the U.S. Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh confirmation team, Kupec became the Director of Public Affairs and Counselor to Attorney General William P. Barr for the Department of Justice under President Donald J. Trump in 2018.

Her opening advice to the students was to trust God’s calling for their careers in the diverse world of communication. Coming to Washington, D.C., with virtually no experience in the communication field and little to no connections with other industry professionals, Kupec said that she seized every possible opportunity and conversation and learned on the job because she knew that it’s where God wanted her.

“Dream big because I am living proof that if the Lord is calling you to do something and you work hard and you do the right thing, then you can do it,” Kupec said. “Trust your instincts and trust what God is saying. If He has called you to do something, you can do it and do it well, and don’t worry about what happens next.”

Kupec told multiple stories about her time working with the Department of Justice, addressing the different challenges and successes that she had in handling the ever-changing landscape of Washington. She encouraged students to take on the aspects of communication work that might seem intimidating and learn from those experiences.

“If you’re handed a challenge, there are ways to go on offense with it, so always find the ways to take back (control) and find ways to handle it,” Kupec said. “I used to be afraid of crisis communications, but then doing it as much as I did, not only did I learn how to do it but by the end of it I was doing it so much that if there wasn’t a crisis, I was bored. My reason for sharing that is to say it’s amazing how you can change professionally over time, and the thing that you might see as your greatest fear can end up being the thing you like the most.”

In talking about how social media can be used as a tool, Kupec talked about intentionally utilizing her Twitter account to positively engage with the public and share meaningful content as opposed to using it to “hit back.” By posting videos of Barr that showed him as a relatable person and humanizing the attorney general, Kupec saw how it affected the general public. One video in particular she talked about was from when Barr got out of his motorcade and interacted with people standing outside with signs supporting law enforcement; the video received millions of views.

“I don’t have any social media training and didn’t have experience before this, but it’s about having instincts and looking at something and knowing ‘this matters to people right now,’” Kupec said. “My organic, terribly produced video on my iPhone can still make a difference because it’s showing something that people care about. If you have a voice on social media, use it wisely and you can build a lot of capital by using social media well.”

Kupec also briefly talked about working with members of the media and the importance of building up a rapport and credibility with them. Having a daily interaction and open conversation with reporters, Kupec explained, can pay off when an important story needs adjusting.

“When you have those relationships with reporters and they put out a story that is inaccurate or the headline is (misleading), you’re able to make a phone call with them … and eight times out of 10 they’ll change it,” she said. “But that only happens when you have a relationship with them and they’re willing to work with you.”

The sessions closed with an open Q&A, where Kupec answered questions on the importance of internships and building connections.

“I didn’t do internships and I regret that so much, and I can’t emphasize enough how important they are,” she said. “When you intern, you basically have an advocate or mentor for life or usually at least an advocate who can help either give you a job or help you find one.”

Kupec has appeared on FOX, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, and NBC and has been quoted extensively in print and online news publications, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Washington Post. She is a 2017 recipient of the America’s Future Foundation Buckley Award, which recognizes outstanding young professionals for their above-and-beyond service to the liberty movement.

This is Kupec’s second visit to campus this semester; in February, she spoke with Liberty Law and Helms School of Government students. She said that after that visit, she wanted to return to share her career experience with students in the School of Communication and the Arts.

“Communications can make or break a situation ,whether it’s interpersonal or on a national level,” she said. “Good communication is 90 percent of the game, and I have a passion for that and I enjoy sharing that with communication students.”