Former Clinton aide leaves Oracle
Former White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart has left Oracle's senior management team after six months at the database software giant.
Lockhart, a former assistant to President Clinton, served as an Oracle senior vice president for six months, where he focused on refining and communicating the company's business strategy.
Lockhart, who joined Oracle last November, left the Redwood Shores, Calif.-based company on May 15 to spend more time with and be closer to his wife and daughter, who live in Washington, D.C., Oracle spokeswoman Jennifer Glass said.
"He had an unworkable commute," said Glass, who said Lockhart left the company amicably. "He just realized it was too hard to fly out here every week, and he was not about to move his family cross-country."
Lockhart could not immediately be reached for comment. During his tenure, he reported directly to Oracle Chief Executive Larry Ellison, counseling him not just on media issues, but on philanthropic work and biomedical investments as well, Glass said.
Lockhart joined the White House staff in 1997 after serving as national press secretary for the 1996 Clinton-Gore re-election campaign. He served as a prominent press relations figure on a string of other political campaigns, including the 1988 Dukakis-Bentsen presidential campaign, the 1984 Mondale-Ferraro campaign, and the 1980 Carter-Mondale campaign.