| George Sigalos, SOC ’86 George Sigalos came to AU in 1982 with a flair for journalism, a passion for politics, and a desire to drink up all that the nation’s capital had to offer. “I didn’t want to go to any other school,” he recalls. “Being at AU was literally like being at the front door of Washington.” Nearly 25 years later, Sigalos has crossed the threshold, working his way from one corner of the District to another. 
Halliburton-KBR’s George Sigalos, right, with Iraq interim interior minister Falah al-Nakib in 2004
As director of government relations for Halliburton-KBR, a position he’s held for five years, Sigalos represents the company’s interests before federal, state, and foreign governments. His job with Halliburton, one of the world’s largest suppliers of products and services to the oil and gas industry, takes Sigalos around the globe, where he’s met with business leaders, politicians, and government officials in many of the 120 countries where the company has operations. Since the assignments are often in “very difficult environments, war zones, and very remote locations,” Sigalos can’t discuss all his travels, but recalls his 2004 meeting with Iraqi interim interior minister Falah al-Nakib. “Conveying your message clearly and effectively is critical” to his work says Sigalos. Before joining Halliburton, he honed those skills as a journalist for ABC News and the Associated Press in Washington. A graduate of Suffolk University’s law school, he also served as a press secretary for three members of the president’s cabinet during the Reagan and first Bush administrations, and spent time on Capitol Hill as director of communications for the vice chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Two years ago, Sigalos added “movie star” to his résumé when he appeared in Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, the documentary that offers a scathing critique of the war in Iraq. His Hollywood debut was unscripted, as Moore used footage of Sigalos giving a speech on behalf of Halliburton. “I didn’t know until I started receiving faxes, phone calls, and e-mails from people I knew,” laughs Sigalos, whose family bought him a copy of the film. “I’ve given a lot of sound bites to the media before, so I didn’t feel this appearance was any more than that.” —Adrienne Frank |
