Leadership

Rich Bamberger is an award-winning journalist and an authority on crisis management and media relations. Rich directs complex communications campaigns on behalf of BV Strategies’ clients.

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Prior to his work Bamberger & Vlasto, Rich spent a decade at Kivvit Public Affairs creating and managing issue and reputation campaigns as well as handling crisis issues for public companies, private companies and individuals across the country. Before joining Kivvit, Rich was the Communications Director for Governor Andrew Cuomo where he managed the day-to-day operations of the Governor’s press office, directed major events, coordinated message strategy and helped shape media relations for state agencies and authorities.

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Rich was also Communications Director for Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, overseeing communications strategy and media relations for the Attorney General’s office.

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Before entering the public sector, Rich was an award-winning journalist. During his 17-year career in television news, Rich served as a producer at WRGB-TV in Albany, NY, assignment manager at WFOR-TV in Miami, FL and managing editor of WJBK-TV in Detroit, MI. From 2007 to 2008, Rich was the managing editor of the nationally syndicated news show “Inside Edition.”

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On September 10, 2001, Rich became the managing editor of WCBS-TV in New York City and went on to run the CBS coverage of the 9/11 terror attacks, for which the station won an Edward R. Murrow Award. In 2014, Rich spent hours helping to negotiate a hostage situation at a university in Connecticut when the hostage-taker called the WCBS-TV newsroom. The situation ended with no injuries.

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Rich has been named to City & State’s Power 100 list of the most influential New Yorkers as well as the PR Power and the Westchester Power lists over the past several years.

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Rich lives in Westchester with his wife and three children.

Josh Vlasto has run communications and public affairs strategy at the most senior levels of both the public and private sector sectors, tackling some of the highest profile and most complex communications and public policy issues facing global companies, start-ups and high-net-worth individuals. Josh’s experience includes serving as Press Secretary for U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and Chief of Staff to Governor Andrew M. Cuomo before moving to the private sector as head of corporate communications for Ronald O. Perelman and MacAndrews &Forbes Incorporated where he handled media strategy involving M&A, IPO’s, SPAC’s, executive leadership changes and other major corporate and philanthropic announcements.

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Prior to forming Bamberger & Vlasto, Josh served as Managing Director at Kivvit, a premier New York communications and public affairs firm a leading public affairs and corporate communications firm. Before joining Kivvit in 2021, Josh served as vice president and Head of Corporate Communications at MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated, the operating company owned by Ronald O. Perelman, where he ran communications for Mr. Perelman and all MacAndrews' platform companies. During his time at MacAndrews & Forbes, Josh managed corporate communications and investor relations for the public and private companies owned or controlled by MacAndrews & Forbes. Josh developed and implemented communications strategies— including internal, external and investor-related communications — for major transactions, acquisitions, debt financing matters, senior management changes, as well as major corporate events, product launches and crisis management. He was also in charge of communications for Mr. Perelman and the Perelman Family Foundation. In addition, Josh advised on and implemented state and local government relations strategies. Josh also led operations and publication at The Independent, an East Hampton newspaper owned by Mr. Perelman.

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Josh previously served as Chief of Staff to Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and before that Deputy Communications Director. From 2004 to 2010,Josh worked for U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, first as Legislative Aide for transportation and homeland security and then Press Secretary from 2007 to 2010.

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Josh graduated from the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations in 2004 and previously served on the university's Board of Trustees. Josh lives in New York City with his wife Megan and their three boys.