Steve Piacente

@stevepiacente

About

Steve Piacente, author of the 2010 novel Bella(www.getbella.com), has been a professional writer since graduating fromAmerican University in 1976.

He started as a high school sportswriter at the Naples DailyNews in Florida, switched to news at the Lakeland Ledger, and eventually woundhis way back to D.C. in 1985 as Washington Correspondent for the Tampa Tribune.In 1989, the native New Yorker switched to another Southern paper, becoming theCapitol Correspondent for the Charleston (S.C.) Post & Courier.

Toward the end of his stint with Charleston, Steve returnedto school for a Masters in fiction from Johns Hopkins University. His reportingwork and fiction have both won competitions sponsored by the National PressClub.

In late 2001, he left reporting and became a governmentspeechwriter. At the U.S. General Services Administration, Steve also created aSpeechwriting Office and later moved into his current position as deputycommunications director. He is currently responsible for GSA’s externalwebsite, gsa.gov, intranet, called InSite, and the agency’s new media team.

Steve also teaches beginning journalism at his alma mater,AU, and has taught classes on public relations, media and politics, andreporting in other university Washington Semester programs.

Steve is married to Felicia Piacente, director of SpecialEducation for Preschool and Related Services in Montgomery County, Md. Theyhave three children.