Tricia Primrose, a longtime AOL public relations official whose Capitol Hill experience dates back to when Sen. Richard C. Shelby, R-Ala., was a Democrat, has become a partner at Rational 360, a Washington, D.C., PR firm.

Primrose, who worked for Shelby during the senator’s first term before working 12 years at AOL, told CQ Roll Call the position felt like a natural fit.

“I’ve had a diverse background in that I’ve served on the Hill, went into politics and then jumped to the private sector,” Primrose said. “I really took a step back as I left AOL and looked to what the next opportunity that would bring all of that together and to draw on that past experience.”

Rational 360’s partner and co-founder, Patrick Dorton, worked with Primrose previously in Shelby’s office as the deputy press secretary.

“I have watched Rational 360 since Don [Marshall] and Patrick started it 10 years ago and have been impressed with how they have built this firm,” Primrose said.

Primrose, who also worked for EMILY’s List and for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee before moving to the corporate world in 1997, said the ability to communicate and respond quickly with constituents and consumers benefited her, especially with the advent of the Internet and social media.

“If you take that mindset that you need to be focused on every aspect of communication, I definitely think the Capitol Hill training, political training, was perfect as I ended up at AOL, which was really asking consumers to take a little bit of a leap of faith as it introduced consumers to the Internet,” Primrose said.

Primrose will expand Rational 360’s media, entertainment and technology services while splitting time between Washington and New York, drawing on past experience as a communications executive at AOL and at Robinson Lerer & Montgomery, a New York-based communications firm.