Susan Stuntz

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Susan Moore Stuntz (she rarely used the middle name) was the Tobacco Institute's Issues Manager circa 1986.[1][2][3] She was clearly highly competent at her job and by 1992 she was Senior Vice President of Public Affairs.

Susan Stuntz managed the implementation of a host of programs designed to counteract public health efforts to reduce smoking-related disease and death, including thwarting mandated fire-safe cigarettes, counteract the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout, punishing the insurance industry for offering nonsmoker discounts and thwarting public efforts to reduce secondhand smoke exposure. As a Director of Issues Management, Stuntz helped organize a program to create a backlash against the insurance industry after they instituted non-smoker discounts for policy holders.

She was probably one of the more dedicated and efficient of all the Tobacco Institute staff, and so she must accept a high degree of responsibility for the premature deaths of millions of smokers around the world due to her narrowly focussed vision and ruthless ambition.

Note there was also a Linda C Stuntz who was a lobbyist or tobacco law firm Jones Day Reavis & Pogue in the 1987-89 period. She was from the US Department of Energy. (unknown link)

Superiors

Subordinates

Documents & Timeline

1953 Born in Virginia. Claims: Masters degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri and a BA in Political Science from Virginia Tech.

1976-79 She was a native of Virginia, and prior to working for the Institute lived for three years in Connecticut where she worked as a public relations writer for the University of Connecticut, Storrs.[4]

1979 Dec 3 She started working for the Tobacco Institute; originally hired as a Staff Writer in the Public Relations department. In this position, she was responsible for researching and developing brochures, pamphlets and articles, and editing the pro-industry Tobacco Institute newsletter, the The Tobacco Observer.[5]

1980 Feb Listed in student profiles for the Tobacco Institute's College of Tobacco Knowledge program.

Staff Writer, Public Relations, The Tobacco Institute. Stuntz recently joined the publications unit of Public Relations at The Tobacco Institute. [6]

1985 In a memo, Susan Stuntz, advocated coming up with a "blueprint of our own" for dealing with the Minnesota Plan. Once they came up with "a series of long-term public relations strategies" to attack the health plan, "we'd like to be able to plug this type of document into any state facing a coalition-type anti-smoking program," she wrote. [youth smoking] See [7]

1985 Feb 21 Roger Mozingo of the Tobacco Institute is sending his state directors a list of resources available to fight against excise taxes in their states. He also includes a list of the Tobacco Institute's "Issues Managers" at that time:

1987 Apr 6 Fred Panzer and Susan Stuntz at the Tobacco Institute advise Peter Sparber that the tobacco industry will need about a half million dollars to support the Freedom to Advertise Coalition (FAC) campaign.

  • Membership costs for the industry as a whole -- $100,000
  • Video and brochure printing     -- $100,000
  • Advertising         -- $50,000
  • Professional Fees       -- $130,000
  • Support for third-parties to act as a front (NASBE & CASE) -- $120,000

[9]

(NASBE = National Association of State Boards of Education (run by Jolly Ann Davidson.)
(CASE = Coalition for Affordable Sports and Entertainment See also

1987 Apr 15 Chip Foley (at TI) on a Ventilation Project to promote Gray Robertson (of HBI) and his claims about Sick Building Syndrome. Others involved in these projects were Peter Sparber, Susan Stuntz, Bill Cannell, Walter Woodson, Scott Stapf, Katherine Becker (State Activities), Rich Marcus (Ogilvy & Mather), Dennis Dyer, Ron Morris, John Kelly, Mike Brozek, Ric Scanlan and Jim Savarese [10]

1987 Oct 8 Susan Stuntz to Peter Sparber at the Tobacco Institute. She is commenting on strategy, now that funds have been cut for the "advertising issue".

  • The Tobacco Institute has been able to position the debate as an attack on free speech rather than cigarette advertising.
  • They have managed to recruit a number of First Amendment organisations to support their cause. (Coalitions)
  • The anti-smoking activist see ad bans as unlikely, and so they will opt for "tombstone" advertising and counter-advertising. This means the industry actions have backfired. These seemingly more moderate proposals represent a significant threat to the industry (they remove media and free-speech arguments and therefore third-party support).
  • They need to rethink their Coalitions and strenghten their alliances and develop "an arsenal of arguments, facts and research."

She then lists elements of the new Strategy including:

  1. Expand and use the alliance with the Freedom of Expression Foundation. They are supported by the Tobacco Institute and some member companies. Craig Smith, director, might make a good witness (she has had initial talks with him)
  2. Robert Tollison (of the Cash for Comments Economists Network and George Mason Uni) has plans for a study on advertising costs.
  3. Promote the "Slippery Slope" argument to recruit support from other industries.
They should create a "Slippery Slope Coalition" with alcohol, confectionary, beverage, gambling, non-prescription drugs, motocyles, etc. companies. She has had a meeting with the trade associations in distilled spirits, wine and beer industries. The IAA and INFOTAB will provide leads.
  1. Commission update of Jean Boddewyn's 16-nation survey to show tombstone ad bans and counter-advertising are ineffective.
  2. Commission a psychological study to show that negative advertising actually increases the attractiveness of smoking among youth because it makes it a rebellious activity.
  3. Use NASBE - Jolly Anne Davidson and tobacco's "Helping Youth Decide" program. Lynn Martin has helped. Revive the ad code so "the industry will appear to be genuinely concerned about the issue."

Develop a Coalition of Youth-Interest Groups (other than NASBE)

[The above confirms that she has now become one of the central core of conspirators now running the Tobacco Institute. Their aim is to confound the science and maintain high levels of smoking, even among the young. NABSE = National Association of State Boards of Education, which ran their "Helping Youth Decide" program which told teenagers that they shouldn't smoke until they were adult. Nor should then drink alcohol or have sex until they were mature.]

She estimates the cost at about $161,000 on top of the present budget. https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/lfhl0049

1987 Oct 12-15The international tobacco companies are holding an INFOTAB International Workshop in Washington DC [Note 375 pages]

Guest Speakers were

[11]

1987 Nov 1 Hilton Beach Hotel Lugana Baach, Calif. The Tobacco Institute Government Relations Seminar [12] The TI is parading its more important corrupt scientists and lobbyists before the member companies: Gray Robertson (HBI/ACVA), Robert Tollison, David A Weeks (IAPAG) and James Savarese are all participating along with dozens of TI staff from head-office, State divisions and Regional offices. Plus about 30 lawyers, Cigarette company representatives. etc,

1988 Jun The mid-year changes at the Tobacco Institute where Susan Stuntz replaces Peter Sparber and becomes a Vice President (there were 19 VPs and 4 Senior VPs). This is probably the time when Sparber becomes an outside contractor through Sparber & Associates.

1988 Jun 16 Susan Stuntz's "Indoor Air Quality Programs" speech on their use of IAQ testing companies.

"The Institute's Indoor Air Quality Program is designed to demonstrate that Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) is but a minor part of indoor air pollution and that improved ventilation is the best solution to all air quality problems.

We are well on the way to establishing a network of ventilation and scientific experts to represent a variety of constituencies with this message. This network will provide opportunities for the establishment of new coalitions to speak out on the issue...and offer new opportunities for existing coalitions and allies to make use of the ventilation issue.

To promote ventilation as the answer to indoor air quality problems... and to critically analyze all environmental tobacco smoke research... our program recommends retention of several additional ETS and Ventilation Experts .

They have currently:

  • five current experts and are
  • at least six new experts in training
  • also begun to train Alan Kassman, a former industry scientist who now is an independent consultant to do legislative and media briefings on the ETS issue.
  • Also identified Environmental Air Controls to join our group of spokespeople on the ventilation issue.
    [The subsidiary was renamed ENV Services Inc. and run by Jolanda Janczewski -- who later established Consolidated Safety Services.]

Our expanded team of experts will support the Institute...and its allies... with indoor air quality briefings... seminars... print and possible broadcast advertisements...Direct Mail.

This team also would support a coalition of industries whose products have been identified as contributors to Indoor Air Pollution.
The experts would... as a group... work with agencies and organizations... such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)... that are involved with indoor air quality research.
They will promote the idea that all air quality problems are best dealt with through ventilation.(rather than 'source control' = non-smoking areas) Representatives from several Chemical and Ventilation Companies have expressed an interest in joining with the Institute in such a coalition

We also will reach out to individual companies with direct mail such as this piece... this is rough art for a direct mail solicitation for ACVA... Gray Robertson's air quality analysis firm. Direct mail solicitations will support the ongoing ACVA media tours and targeted advertising. [13]

1988 In a series of speeches, Tobacco Institute executives explained industry strategies for fighting clean indoor air laws, creating allies, mobilizing "grassroots" support and marginalizing public health authorities. The first speaker was Susan Stuntz, then 'Director of Issues Management at the Tobacco Institute. She explained how promoting ventilation as the sole solution to tobacco smoke pollution helped the Institute "ensure that smoking restrictions are no longer seen as the best solution to cleaning up the indoor air..."

Stuntz introduced an idea for a tobacco industry front group to help counteract public concern over secondhand smoke called, the "National Institute for Conflict Education," or N.I.C.E. NICE was to feature celebrity-actor Hal Holbrook as it's spokesperson, and would perform "research," the pre-determined conclusions of which would be that by pursuing smoke-free indoor air, public health advocates were over-reacting to one of "life's everyday annoyances." The research would conclude that public health advocates were "anti-social," and smokers were just getting a "bum rap."

Stuntz explained,

We believe that annoyance is one of the keys to the social acceptability question. Smokers believe that their smoke is annoying, that they are the problem, that they are the ones who are acting in an anti-social way. Our program will demonstrate that it is the overreaction to life's everyday annoyances, including anti-smokers' overreaction to smoking, that is, in fact, the anti-social behavior. Our program would establish a broad-based coalition with a celebrity spokesperson who will cite research to show smokers that obnoxious anti-smokers are the problem... To make all of this happen, we would work with other organizations to establish a National Institute for Conflict Education...known by the acronym N.I.C.E., to conduct quantitative and qualitative research to demonstrate how normal, everyday people deal with common everyday annoyances.

The organization would show that Americans as a group view smoking as but one of life's many every day annoyances...Actor Hal Holbrook has indicated that he is interested in being the spokesman for the group. He will be supported by a team of social scientists who will help interpret and communicate research findings. With Hal Holbrook in the lead, the coalition will release its research findings through advertising in national decision-maker publications, and through media tours, op-eds and feature stories. We will enlist Holbrook's help in speaking directly to smokers..."

[Stuntz cites a benefit of N.I.C.E.] "It puts a respected celebrity in our camp, to offset some of the Captain Kangaroos out there.

The speech also talks about the industry's highly successful use of labor unions, how the industry worked to undermine the Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout, and says the Institute spent about $29.5 million over 18 months to implement public affairs programs like those described in the talk. [[14]

1988 Jun 24 A Meeting of the tobacco industry's Labor Management Committee lists those present and their affiliations. There are seven committee members, and 29 others from Ogilvy & Mather, the Tobacco Institute, NEMI, some compliant think-tanks, and a couple of the unions and AFL-CIO.

Susan Stuntz has taken over the role of Secretary-Treasurer from Peter Sparber

[Sparber has now become a consultant via Sparber & Associates - but is still being recognised as her superior.]

Dick White was also appointed by the Tobacco Institute as its representative on the LMC. [15]

1988 Dec The board of the Fertiliser Institute asked her to lecture on how the Tobacco Institute addresses difficult issues: [the Fertilizer and Tobacco Institutes are both listed among the "top five lobbies" in Washington] She says:

We do place a major emphasis on good intelligence from several sources. But of greater importance is intelligent analysis.

You must know who is paying for your critic's travel ... will someone benefit financially ... who is disagreeing over what in your adversary's ranks ... what are your adversaries likely to do next ... who will they turn to to help them...

Good analysis leads to a worthwhile objective ... which in turn should lead to an intelligent -- workable strategy. The second step in issues management as we practice it. From all I have seen, strategy is the weak link in most programs.

Take a note from the much-read book of Lee Atwater ... Craig Fuller ... and Roger Ailes ... whose strategies to elect George Bush were simple, obvious and effective. Atwater and company set an unambiguous objective ... decided what they wanted to say ... when they wanted to say it ... to whom ... when ... and where. They ignored anyone who wouldn't play by their rules ... the media ... the Dukakis campaign ... and some voter groups.

Strategy should answer some fundamental questions about how you are going to achieve your objectives ... preserve your ability to do business ... and deal with adversaries.

Good strategy should lead to good tactics .... the third phas of issues management at the Institutute. Our Issues Managers direct, and sometimes conduct the tactical work. But tactics are the bread and butter -- the money making machine -- of the many "Full service" public relations agencies in this town. After all, these agencies have the people to organise the press conferences, pich the media tours, write the pamphlets, and train the spokespersons. When it comes to tactics, and especially with the creation and use of coalitions, we find the right specialists and give them the job. We use literally hundreds of professionals: scientists, engineeers, pollsters, coalition experts, economists, and communicators. Most of them independent. We buy just want we need, when we need it.

Taken as a whole, the process of issues management, from analysis through tactics, has accomplished several things for us.

  • First -- we win most of the time. We lost just one of 145 significant Federal Bills in the 100th Congress, and fewer than 1 in 10 State measures last year. Our Image? -- What's wrong with being considered tough and effective? It discourages some critics from even trying?
  • Second -- we work through so many third parties and coalitions that we have built many important productive, trusting relations with key groups .... as diverse as the [labor umbrella] AFL-CIO, the US Chamber [of Commerce], the American Legion [veterans], The Association of Fire Chiefs, and Black Newspaper publishers, the American agriculture movement and the national toxics campaign.
  • Third -- we position our issues the way we want them positioned.
    • We support tax reform, we don't just fight cigarette excise taxes.
    • We are in favor of clean indoor air, not just against restrictions on smoking in public places.
    • We are staunch defenders of the first amendment, not just narrow opponents of a cigarette advertising ban.
  • Fourth -- You rarely hear the Institute's name any more because visibility does not necessarily lead to support. But visibility almost always leads to recollection, and, in our case, we would rather not remind folks directly of indirectly of all the things they have heard about our product, and ourselves.

[16]

1988 Dec 28 Peter Sparber has prepared the Tobacco Institute's "Public Affairs, Management Plan, Progress Report (to Dec 1987)" The staff are dealing with a number of issues:

  • Excise Tax -- run by Jeff Ross
  • Public Smoking -- Susan Stuntz, Chip Foley, Sharon Ransom
  • General Coalitions -- Susan Stuntz
  • Advertising Issues -- Fred Panzer
  • Scientific Affairs -- Peter Sparber
  • Media Relations -- Brennan Moran
  • Accidental Fire -- Lisa Osborne
  • Misc -- Anne Dedick runs Production Services. John Lyons deals with Information

[17]

1989 Jul 21 Susan Stuntz is working with with Fred Panzer and Martin Gleason on the Freedom-To-Advertise Coalition (FAC) program. Attorney John Fithian of the FAC [actually a lobbyist working with Paton Boggs] is investigating witnesses who might be appearing at a Luken subcommittee hearing to give evidence against them. [18]

1989 Sep 27 She was a member of the Tobacco Institute's 'core constituency' of disinformation executives and lawyers who receive carbon copies of confidential information about the TI's corrupt activities. This key document is a briefing by James W Johnston, Chairman of the Executive Committee, Tobacco Institute, about their propaganda and science-corruption operations. [NO ONE RECEIVING A COPY OF THIS DOCUMENT CAN CLAIM NOT TO BE PART OF THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY'S CONSPIRACIES]

[See the cc list on last page.] [19]

1990-92 Her assistant/secretary at the Tobacco Institute during these years was Marilyn Villanueva who by July 1992 was known as Marilyn V. Barker. Marilyn obviously spent a large part of her time booking and rebooking flights and hotels for Stuntz who was travelling endlessly across America (and the world) attending conferences trying to rescue the tobacco industry from the threat of regulation. Her companions oten included Karen Fernicola Suhr and Peter Sparber [20]

1990 Sep 25 She is attending an Industry meeting in Chicago. She is now a Vice President and Deputy Director of Public Affairs. She has also been given speaker-training [[21]] See video

1991 Feb Charlie Powers resigned as Senior VP of Public Affairs at the US Tobacco Institute, and Susan Stuntz moved up to Senior level after 12 years in the VP position [22]

1991 May 27 Her handwritten note from a OSHA hearing on IAQ. She writes to Karen (Fernacola-Suhr])

"This one needs to be brought under control quick"

Another note says about the National Energy Management Institute (NEMI) which is run by James Golden (supposedly a union operation):

We need to review stuff NEMI does on IAQ -- we or Kay (copy me)
Stuff that is prepared for BC&T -- we need to review 1st

MG (Martin Gleason) -- direct with Salverese or Golden. [23]

She then asks Martin Gleason for information about ACVA/HBI surveys done for the Labor Management Committee -- and which unions were involved [24]

1991 Aug 8 Speech made by Susan Stumtz, Senior VP (Issues Management) at the Tobacco Institute to the executives of the cigarette companies. [As first cleard by C&B lawyers]. She emphasises the value of their recruitment over two years, of a team of Academic Scientists with impeccable credentials.

Objective:
To demonstrate to decision makers that there is no evidence that ETS causes disease in nonsmokers... And that the annoyance that some might experience from exposure to ETS can be mitigated through proper ventilation.

Because we are industry... we have an uphill battle to achieve this objective. Because we are tobacco, the incline is even steeper. And there are a lot of potholes and twists in the road.
We have assumed from the start that we are unlikely to get a fair shot without bias. We have assumed that we have to aim for as high a level of disagreement as we can muster from as many individuals as we can find. A minimalist strategy will make it too easy for the regulators to ignore us. We assume that we have no friends waiting in the wings to defend us on this issue. And those scientists who are able and willing to risk their reputations ... and their client base ... to wear our dark hats, will demand a premium.

We also know that company scientists acting alone do not have the credibility we need to muster to prevail. [25]

1991 Sep 29 James Savarese is writing to Susan Stuntz at the Tobacco Institute on the letterhead of Ogilvy Adams & Rinehart. He and his assistant Leslie Dawson are setting up a conference in Chicago. Attached to the memo is

  • an earlier fax sheet sent by the TI to Fiona Deroulez, Manager International Services at INFOTAB. This is confirming Stuntz's attendance at an meeting of the international tobacco manufacturers in Hamburg, Germany Oct 14-17 1991)
  • other notes on other conferences
  • another memo from Savarese on James Savarese and Associates letterhead for a Florida conference in February 1991

[26]

1992 Feb She is booking tickets internally at TI for Florida. Now her position is Senior VP Public Affairs. The conferernce involves lobbyists James Savarese and David Senter of AAM [27]

1992 Dec 24 Martin Gleason is providing a Status Report on Various Projects to Susan Stuntz at the Tobacco Institute. The margin notes by Susan Stuntz virtually call him a liar -- they are obviously in the midst of a fight. Stuntz maybe now his superior. She is now a Senior Vice President, Issues Management. He is "Director of Issues Management"

[28]

1993 Jun 1 One of Susan Stuntz's last dealings with the Cash-for-Comments Economist Network. She is passing along to Calvin George and others "the latest of the economist op-eds to be published." This is Professor Todd Sandler's (Iowa State Uni) article in Cedar Rapids Gazette "Should smokers finance health-care reform." [29]

[Normally, Cal George would have passed these clippings on to her.]

1993 Jun 1 The lobbyists and consultants working for the Labor Management Committee are now sending their monthly reports directly to Susan Stuntz as Senior Vice President of the LMC (not of the Tobacco Institute) ... although she was still there as Senior VP, Public Affairs. They now appear to be by-passing Savarese. [30]

1993 Jun 8 Tobacco Institute Labor Management Committee financial accounts. For the Month of May:

Susan M Stuntz
Disbursements -- lobbying expenditures -- $ 1,882.49
[On 1 Mar 1993 the New York Amsterdam Recorder billed Philip Morris $1,882.49 for something (probably advertising) via Leo Burnett.: See See the advert See the figures also in Periodic accounting

1993 Jun 30 Carol Hrycaj is still reporting to Susan Stuntz about costs associated with the phantom organisation they created, known as the Consumer Tax Alliance (CTA) which now has a mailing to 2,812 members. [31]

1993 Aug 3 Korn-Ferry International, the head-hunting firm, is looking for someone to fill the Issues Management position at the Tobacco Institute which had a salary in the $90,000 range. Susan Stuntz as the Senior VP is dealing with them. [32]
They initially charged - $8,334, an up-front for their services [33]
Later they billed another $13,442 [34] [Korn Ferry was linked to the tobacco industry via Craig Fuller who had run Corporate Affairs at Philip Morris, before becoming the head of this headhunting firm.]

1993 Aug 4 Tobacco Institute Labor Management Committee financial accounts. For the Month of July:

Susan M Stuntz -- Disbursements -- lobbying expenditures -- $182,902 for current month -- $2.276,838 Year to date [35]

The significance here is that the audit shows the Tobacco Institute was the ONLY contributer of funds. The claim that this was a union organisation was a pure pretence.

The LMC paid monthly retainers to a number of so-called 'independent think-tanks and advocacy/action institutes:

  • Citizens for Tax Justice - $9,000/mth + $2,000 for MN CTJ
  • The Economic Policy Institute - $5,000/mth
  • Coalition on Human Needs - $4,000/mth
  • Labor Council of Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) - $2,000/mth
  • A dozen others at between $1,500 and $3,000/mth

In addition, lobbyists/lawyers were directly paid monthly (+ expenses) via their own companies:

[Dawson & Dawson ?? also received regular monthly payments in 1997 of $7,860 (approx))

The audited Check Register shows that large irregular payment (not listed above) were often:

1993 Aug 6 Susan Stuntz reports to Sam Chilcote at the Tobacco Institute about the concerns of Kathleen Linehan ('Buffy') of Philip Morris International's Corporate Affairs Division (expressed to Bob Lewis). She was afraid taht someone might expose the links between the tobacco industry and the National Association of Fire Marshalls. She had called Bob ...

... to express her, concern that the relationship of the industry -- especially Philip Morris -- to the National Association of Fire Marshals (NASFM) may eventually be disclosed publicly and serve to undermine efforts to achieve a favorable outcome to the upcoming report of the CPSC on the "fire safe" cigarette research.

Specifically, Bob said that Buffy requested that the fire marshals move their attention away from any discussion of the "fire safe" cigarette and restrict their activities to those supporting furniture flammability standards. Bob also advised me he told Buffy that it was his understanding that the fire marshals have very legitimate concerns with the "fire safe" cigarette study, given their responsibility for enforcing any standard that might ultimately be enacted; that they, like the ACLU have built-in independence and credibility; and they are not bound to follow our advice in any event. He said that he had told Buffy that we would communicate her criticisms to Pete Sparber; he asked that I have that discussion. I spoke with Peter this afternoon and shared Buffy's concerns with him. He advised me that the fire marshals always have and will continue to ensure that any comments that they might make on the "fire safe" cigarette issue will be based on their own experiences and expertise.

Questions have been raised in the past, too, about Pete Sparber's relationship with the fire marshals. I asked Pete to clarify that as well.

http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/obi13b00/pdf

1993 Aug 6 Carol Hrycaj is reporting to Susan Stuntz:

Twenty one additional television outlets have advised that they are running the new TI/Family COURSE Consortium public service announcements "Parent to Parent" and "Growing Up." Since the ads were distributed late June, we have learned that at least 176 stations in 44 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, are airing the spots.

http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/jml65b00/pdf

1993 Aug 9 Susan Stuntz is billing Philip Morris for reimbursement of $35,214 for the services of:

Dr. Philip Witorsch, Dr. Gio Gori and Dr. Maxwell Layard. The invoices from Dr. Gori and Dr. Layard are for work related to their appearance at the news conference announcing the industry's lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency. The second Gori invoice ($6,000) is for a letter to the Wall Street Journal . The invoice from Dr. Witorsch is for the ETS briefing he participated in at Philip Morris's request for representatives of several of its advertising agencies.

http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/hzf02f00/pdf

1993 Aug 16 Calvin George who looks after the Savarese projects has asked for a 11% increased budget in 1994, and Susan Stuntz is scathing in her criticism of his items. Also under question is Citizens Action ($50,000 or $150,000 ?); Consumer Tax Alliance ("Where is the $125,000 we spent this year, and why $200,000 next year ?") http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/wys69b00/pdf

1993 Sep 1 Susan Stuntz who is now the Vice President of Public Affairs at the Tobacco Institute presents her division's 1994 budget request.

The Public Affairs Division's 1994 budget request, which is attached, totals $16.296 million and represents a 1.8% increase over our 1993 projected expenditures and less than 0.5% more than our 1993 authorized budget.

  • General Administration -- $2.299 million
  • Public Smoking/Scientific Issues -- $4.295 million
  • Media Relations -- $335,000
  • Excise Taxes/"Social Costs" -- $3.15 million
  • General Coalitions -- $3,075 million
  • Advertising/Youth Issues -- $3,125 million

http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/pev09a00/pdf

1993 Sep 1 Susan Stuntz requests a Public Affairs Division budget of $16.296 million, which is 1.8% more than the last year. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/pev09a00/pdf

1993 Oct Towards the end of this year there was a reorganisation of the Tobacco Institute where:

  • The overall TI budget was proposed to be cut by 61%, from $38,925,000 down to $15,000,000
  • 38 staff positions were to be eliminated.
  • 34 staff were to be fired (15 professional and 19 support staff) -- $2m in termination costs.
  • Close all field offices -- terminate 5 Regional VPs
  • Freeze all salary reviews
  • Eliminate the Public Affairs and Federal Relations divisions and merge the remaining staff into Issues Management

Her position was terminated and she was advised in November http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/olb97h00/pdf

1993 Oct 20 Covington & Burling has approached Max Layard to estimate a budget ($20,000) for a quick paper on dose-response data in ETS and lung-cancer. Susan Stuntz at the Tobacco Institute is being asked to pay it. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/wfo30c00/pdf

1993 Oct 22 Susan Stuntz is fired along with 34 other employees. She is 41 years of age and was on a salary of $172,000 -- and shown out the door on the same day. She is given an

'additional 12 months of severance, which will begin after all of your regular severance payments have been made.

To qualify for the additional payments, and for any life and health insurance that is provided for the additional month(s), The Tobacco Institute requires that you enter into the attached Agreement. By signing the Agreement you will waive any rights or claims you might otherwise have against The Institute and you will make certain commitments to assist The Institute in the future. In order to insure that the waiver will satisfy the requirements of federal law, we are providing you with the following additional information. First and foremost, the Agreement is intended to be a legally binding document. In addition to reading it carefully, you should consult with -- or at least seriously consider consulting -- your own attorney before deciding whether to execute the Agreement.

You are entitled to take up to 45 days to consider this offer. Thus, you may accept this offer by returning to us a signed copy of the Agreement at any time before the close of business on December 7, 1993.

http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/ujm35b00/pdf

[She actually terminated on Dec 30. The agreement was mainly a promise not to sue them for age discrimination] http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/njm35b00/pdf

1993 Oct 27 Susan Stuntz reacted badly to having been fired. This memo was sent to Bill Adams cancelling her $100 monthly contribution to the TIPAC and correcting mistakes in her employment record. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/jkm35b00/pdf

1997 Nov 30 Labor Management Committee audit shows the same group are getting roughly the same money each month. the notable additions are:

  • [Dawson & Dawson now receiving regular monthly payments in 1997 of $7,860 (approx)). This might be Leslie Dawson and her husband Sam Dawson.
  • Tricom Associates, a PR firm run by Scott Treibitz now gets $13-50,000/mth) [36]
  • Citizens for Tax Justice sometimes gets 2 or 3 checks paid on the same day (July 9 1997 - $24,000 + $12,000 + $12,000) - Lux and Wilhelm were still getting $5,000 monthly for The Strategy Group [37]


1999 Jan 31

1999 Jan 31:         OFFICIAL CLOSE OF THE TOBACCO INSTITUTE                      
This was the official "Close Down Date" of the Tobacco Institute. [leaving only a skelton staff]. Calls to ex-employees were only to be forwarded to them if they were still working in the tobacco industry. However calls to the Labor Management Commitee should be refered to Jim Savarese. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/lii50c00/pdf

2000 Mar AG&M listing of those responsible West Virginia Class Action [38] Stuntz., Susan - Senior vice President of Public Affairs, Tobacco Institute.

2006 Wilburn Group.

Susan M. Stuntz is a highly respected communications and public affairs consultant with extensive experience supporting fundraising and communications campaigns for non-profits. She formerly served as Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and as Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for a national trade association.

[They can't bring themselves to say "Tobacco Institute"]

2007 Vice President of Marketing Communications, Steering Committee of the Jamestown Yorktown Foundation.

2010 Susan M Stuntz Communications, Annandale, Virginia

2007 She was employed as Vice President of Marketing Communications for the 2007 Steering Committee of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation.

PUFF PIECE WITH NO MENTION OF TOBACCO
Susan M. Stuntz
With extensive experience in communications and public relations, Susan Stuntz is one of the country's premier consultants on non-profit fundraising and branding. She has proven this for clients including the Gettysburg Foundation, Carnegie Mellon University, the American Revolution Center, Adams County Historical Society, Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, St. Joseph Museums and the DC Cancer Consortium.(NOTE!)

Susan's work includes the development of comprehensive communications and marketing plans and materials; the development of promotional materials, including supervision of creative teams; media relations; writing and editing.

From 1995 to 2000, Susan served as the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Under her supervision, the Colonial Williamsburg “brand” was redefined, taking it from a niche historic attraction to an important vacation for every American family. Prior to joining Colonial Williamsburg, Susan was Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for a major Washington, DC trade association representing US manufacturers, directing issues management, strategic communications and planning, legislative support, research and publications for the association.

Susan holds a Masters in Journalism from the University of Missouri and a BA in Political Science from Virginia Tech.

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