Michael Schoenfeld 

Michael Schoenfeld serves as partner and foundations, education, and global health co-lead in the Washington, D.C., office of Brunswick, a leading international critical issues firm. As head of their education sector, he works with some of the world’s leading universities, academic medical centers, research institutes, and foundations.

With more than three decades as a chief public affairs executive and counselor to senior leaders, Schoenfeld has deep expertise in issues and crisis management, global strategy and positioning, media relations, stakeholder engagement, government relations, and policy advocacy.

Prior to joining Brunswick in 2022, Schoenfeld was chief communications officer and vice president for public affairs and government relations at Duke University for 14 years. As Duke’s principal spokesperson, he led communications and advocacy initiatives for education, research, healthcare and sports in the United States, Asia, Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. He previously served for more than a decade as vice chancellor for public affairs at Vanderbilt University.

Earlier, Schoenfeld was senior vice president for policy and public affairs at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and held news reporting and executive public diplomacy roles at the Voice of America and U.S. Information Agency.

Schoenfeld graduated from Duke and received a master’s degree in public policy from Stony Brook University. He serves on a number of civic, cultural, and professional boards, including The Seminar, the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, and PBS-North Carolina. He is also a visiting professor of the practice of public policy at Duke, where he teaches a course on media, politics, and policy.