Rachel Noerdlinger

Rachel Noerdlinger (born November 14, 1970) is an American publicist. She is the former chief of staff to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray.[3] Early life and education[edit] Rachel Noerdlinger was born on November 14, 1970 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and soon after was adopted by a white couple named Peter and Janau Noerdlinger. She grew up with four siblings, including another African-American child adopted by the Noerdlingers. Throughout Noerdlinger's childhood, her family moved from state to state to New Mexico, Michigan, California and Colorado, and internationally, to Holland. In her childhood, she had only limited contact with African-American culture, something she would later express frustration with; in 1996, she wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post arguing that white couples should only be allowed to adopt black children "as a last resort".[4] She attended the University of Denver from 1988 to 1990[5] and graduated from Mills College in Oakland, California in 1992 with a Bachelor's degree. Noerdlinger moved to New York City in 1993 after being accepted to Teachers College, Columbia University to work on her Master's degree in Education. She had spent the year before teaching in Gambia, West Africa as part of the Teachers for Africa Program with the intent to pursue a career in this field. However, during her first semester at Columbia, Noerdlinger dropped out and soon began an internship at the Terrie Williams Agency, one of the preeminent African-American public relations firms in the country.[6] Career[edit] She is a publicist. Her clients have included lawyer Johnnie Cochran[7] and civil rights activist Al Sharpton.[8] She is the President of Noerdlinger Media[9] and Senior Vice President of Communications of the National Action Network. Noerdlinger has been featured in Essence Magazine, The Washington Post, The New York Times and The Amsterdam News for her work.[clarification needed] In March 2009, Noerdlinger was appointed to the Diversity Board at Ogilvy and Mather, one of the largest communications networks in the world.[citation needed] Al Sharpton and The National Action Network[edit] While at Terrie Williams Agency, Noerdlinger had many clients in the fields of entertainment, sports, business, media and politics, but was most recognized for her work with Attorney Johnnie Cochran, whom she later served as a public relations advisor. She developed a strong relationship with Cochran's client Al Sharpton. Noerdlinger later moved to Sharpton's National Action Network. Noerdlinger's PR firm worked[how?] on the Sean Bell case, the Jena Six case, and the case of Megan Williams. She was also Press Secretary for Sharpton’s 2004 United States Democratic Presidential run. She has a weekly segment on Sharpton’s radio show on NationalActionNetwork.net. Noerdlinger Media[edit] Noerdlinger's PR firm, Noerdlinger Media claims clients including Al Sharpton; The Cochran Firm; Paul B. Weitz and Associates; Lifflander and Reich, LLP; Rubenstein and Rynecki; John Tobacco;[which?] Sunshine Sachs Public Relations (in their work with Martin Luther King III, the eldest son of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; and Lamell McMorris (Cam Newton's agent). She is Michael Skolnik's publicist. Controversy[edit] Noerdlinger was appointed by the mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio as the chief of staff to his wife, Chirlane McCray. Her annual salary was $170,000. [10] A number of embarassing incidents in her personal life uncovered by media have drawn signficant criticism towards her character, judgement and de Blasio's decision of hiring her. [11] Noerdlinger did not disclose in a background questionnaire that she lived with her boyfriend, Hassaun McFarlan, who had an extensive criminal record. [12] According to the public records, Noerdlinger's house in Edgewater, NJ had a $28,190 federal tax lien placed on her Edgewater, New Jersey home in 2011. A federal tax lien is placed on a property when a person fails to pay a tax debt in the proper amount of time. [13] Noerdlinger Media Incorporated, owned by Noerdlinger, had a tax warrent filed by New York State for $1,368, according to public records.[14] Noerdlinger owed a large amount of unpaid fine to the government, including nine parking tickets totaling $876 and E-ZPass unpaid tolls totaling $7,270 . [15] Noerdlinger was granted a waiver to the residency rules by de Blasio for living in Edgewater, NJ because she claimed that her son suffered car accidents and needed to be near his doctors, even though her son was healthy enough to play high school football. [16] Noerdlinger eventually took an unpaid leave of absence n November 18, 2014, a few days after her teenage son Khari Noerdlinger was arrested for criminal traspassing with his friends, two of whom had pot on them. [17] Khari Noerdlinger was previously arrested in a robbery and was classified as a youthful offender. [18] Personal life[edit] Noerdlinger lives in Edgewater, New Jersey with her son Khari.[19][20]