William
Pierce

William A. Pierce has been a public policy advocate for over 40 years. In 2025, he founded Pierce Media and Public Affairs (PMPA). At PMPA he specializes in helping clients navigate the media landscape and devise solutions to advance policy and business objectives. He provides strategic advice and counsel and tactical execution on behalf of his clients. He also has extensive crisis management and media training expertise. He speaks with the media as a subject matter expert on health care and politics as well as writes for public consumption. 

He is a member of APCO’s International Advisory Council (IAC) and Health Advisory Board (HAB). Prior to joining the IAC/HAB, Bill worked at APCO for 20 years, joining in 2005. At APCO, he specialized in providing strategic advice and counsel, tactical execution and representation to a wide range of clients in health care and other sectors, all facing challenging circumstances as well as great opportunity. He helped clients develop strategies and tactics that combined media relations, message and policy development, issue advocacy and alliance development for campaigns to achieve definable objectives. Bill also served pro-bono as the spokesperson to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund. 

Areas of issue expertise include the Congress, politics, health care reform, policy development, the FDA regulatory process, Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP policy, public health, Bioterrorism, HHS, CDC and NIH. Bill also works on First Amendment protection issues and disability rights.  

Before joining APCO, Bill served as the deputy assistant secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) beginning in 2001. At HHS, Bill was at the forefront of some of the country’s most challenging and unexpected health policies and public health debates. Beginning with President Bush’s 2001 announcement regarding a first ever stem cell policy, the 9/11 and anthrax attacks, through the Medicare Modernization debate, passage and implementation, to the flu shortage and the debate over Medicaid reform, Bill stood at the frontlines as the spokesperson for HHS and one of HHS’ key public affairs advisors. 

Bill is currently an adjunct professor at George Washington University in the Department of Organizational Communications teaching courses in communications.  

Bill earned his Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and English and a master’s degree in international and public affairs from the University of Pittsburgh. In 1998, he also earned the designation of Professional from the Academy for Healthcare Management.