Clear Connections Communications is a communications consulting firm dedicated to shaping the art of messaging through plain language. It was founded by Caitlin Harvey, a seasoned communications professional with nearly two decades of experience in strategic and crisis communications, media relations, and aviation policy.

Caitlin is skilled in external and internal messaging, creating press materials, coordinating media events, digital media, and editing content to align with organizational goals. She has expertise in translating high-level policy, technical, and legal jargon into plain language.

Prior to founding Clear Connections, Caitlin spent more than a decade leading public affairs and media outreach for the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) and Office of Aviation and International Affairs. She has served as the primary Departmental media contact for OACP’s incredibly robust and busy aviation consumer protection program, a key priority for President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, which consistently generated extensive national and local media coverage.

Caitlin successfully harnessed her love for plain language and accessible writing when she spearheaded a team that completely revamped USDOT’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection website. Previously, the website was a messy collection of links to legal documents that only lawyers could understand. Working with a team of lawyers, subject matter experts, and IT professionals, Caitlin was instrumental in completely redesigning the website to make it accessible and easy to use so that any ordinary traveler could find information on their rights when they traveled by air, including flight delays and cancellations, lost baggage, ticket refunds, traveling with a disability, discrimination, and many more issues. Caitlin rewrote the website from legal jargon into plain English and beta tested the new website with DOT employees who were unfamiliar with these issues. The new website was a huge hit and continues to be used by thousands of travelers every year.

During her nearly 16 years at USDOT, Caitlin helped secure media coverage for White House and Departmental safety and economic initiatives benefiting Americans nationwide, from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. During her time at USDOT, earned the following awards at the Secretary's annual awards ceremony:

• Secretary's Creativity and Innovation Award - 2024

• Secretary's Team Award - 2023

• Outstanding Achievement Gold Medal - 2021

• Secretary's Partnering for Excellence Award - 2019

• Partnering for Excellence - 2014

Prior to her time at USDOT, Caitlin worked on Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign in states all across the country, from the Iowa Caucuses until General Election Day. She worked on the ground organizing New Media (Digital) efforts to persuade voters and recruit volunteers during primary season, liveblogging with an aircard in big cities and rural towns. During the general election, she directed the entire out-of-state volunteer operation for 10 counties in central Iowa. Caitlin worked as a Field Organizer for the 2006 Minnesota DFL Coordinated Campaign, helping to elect Amy Klobuchar to the U.S. Senate.

Caitlin has a long history of public service, getting her start in government as a press intern in the Nassau County Executive’s office on Long Island, New York, immediately after high school and while in college. She has also interned on Capitol Hill in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

Caitlin has a Master’s Degree in Political Management and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with a minor in Communication from The George Washington University. She is married with two amazing children. In her free time (ha!), she is fulfilling her childhood dream of being a competitive ice skater.