Peter Goelz offers decades of
leadership in management,
communications and national and international
political strategy. Mr. Goelz has
managed the Washington, DC office
for O’Neill and Associates from
2005 through 2021 when he moved to Of
Counsel status. Prior to that he
was the head of the Crisis
Communications Practice Group for
the global communications firm APCO
Mr. Goelz has been active in
public life and politics for close to
four decades having worked for and
advised Presidents, Senators, and
Governors. He served as Executive
Assistant and political Director for
Governor Hugh J. Gallen, worked
for Presidents Jimmy Carter and
In addition, Mr. Goelz was
appointed by President Clinton to serve as
Managing Director of the National
Transportation Safety Board. After
joining the NTSB in 1995, Mr.
Goelz served as Director of the offices
of government affairs, public
affairs and family affairs as well as
Managing Director. As Managing
Director, his responsibilities
included handling the day-to-day
operations of the agency and serving
as chief policy advisor to the
Chairman. In addition, he managed the
re-authorization and appropriations
legislation and testified on
Capitol Hill. He is widely hailed as one
of the country’s most experienced
safety investigative experts.
Mr. Goelz was on scene and
directed investigative activities at
numerous aviation accidents,
including ValuJet in Miami; TWA off the
coast of New York; EgyptAir off
the coast of Rhode Island; American
Airlines in Arkansas; and the J.
F. Kennedy, Jr. accident off the
coast of Massachusetts. Mr. Goelz
was the principle liaison to the
White House, the FBI and the CIA.
During this time Mr. Goelz also
directed investigative activities
in numerous pipelines, rail and other
While serving in the Clinton
Administration Goelz was detailed to the
White House to work on security
issues surrounding the WTO conference
In September of 1990 Goelz began
work with the Government of Kuwait
while they were in exile.
Stationed with the Government, in Taif Saudi
Arabia, he helped stand up the
Government’s Public Information Office
and crafted a number of innovative
communications strategies on behalf
In the private sector, Mr. Goelz
worked with major airlines, airports,
unions, and corporations, advising
them on safety and security
matters. For the Warren Buffet
owned company NetJets, he drafted their
first crisis response plan and
guided them through a mid-air collision
His current and past clients have
included Alaska Airlines, Boeing,
PG&E, NetJets, Presidential
Airways, L3 Communications, Massport/Logan
Airport, the Association of
Professional Flight Attendants,
Mr. Goelz is a sought-after
commentator on aviation safety issues and
is currently under contract with
CNN. His written commentary has
appeared in numerous national and
international outlets, including USA
Times, and Aviation Daily.
Mr. Goelz is a member of the Aero
International Aviation Club, and
the International Society of Air
Safety Investigators (ISASI
Mr. Goelz, holds both a Bachelors
and Master’s degree and he and his
wife, reside in Alexandria,
https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-goelz-851864a1/