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Latest Comings & Goings
Editor's note: The following items have been compiled by Winter Casey, who regularly writes about such changes for National Journal and CongressDaily. News of comings and goings in the tech sector may be directed to her at people@nationaljournal.com or by calling 202-739-8400.
April 11, 2008
Wu Will Chair Free Press Board
Free Press, a national media reform organization, has named Columbia Law Professor Tim Wu as chairman of the board. Wu previously served as a board member of the Free Press Action Fund, the group's advocacy arm. Wu, who frequently testifies before Congress, worked for Riverstone Networks in the telecommunications industry in Silicon Valley and was a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and U.S. Court of Appeals Court Judge Richard Posner. Wu has been recognized as a leader in science and technology by Scientific American magazine and as one of Harvard's 100 most influential graduates by 02138 magazine.
April 11, 2008
At The Bar
Howard Symons has been named chairman of the communications law practice in the Washington office of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo. He has handled communications issues for the firm since 1985.
Symons worked for four years as senior counsel to the House Energy and Commerce Committee's subcommittee on telecommunications. He was one of the principal drafters of the panel's legislative response to the AT&T divestiture and of the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984.
April 9, 2008
New CIO For Homeland Security Named
President Bush this week announced that he intends to appoint Richard Mangogna to be chief information officer for the Homeland Security Department. Mangogna serves as an independent consultant with the Mason Harriman Group, a management consulting firm. He also served as executive vice president and chief Information officer at JP Morgan Chase. Mangogna is a former president and chief executive officer of Covidea, a videotext venture.
April 9, 2008
Qwest CEO To Lead Advisory Panel
President Bush said this week he will appoint Edward Mueller, Qwest chairman and CEO, to chair the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee. The committee provides industry-based advice to the president on issues related to national security and emergency-preparedness communications policy. The committee consists of up to 30 industry chief executives representing communications and network service providers and information technology, finance, and aerospace companies. "Qwest has a proud and distinguished history of service on NSTAC," Mueller said in a statement.
April 8, 2008
ITAA Makes Another Acquisition
On the heels of the Information Technology Association of America's January announcement that it would merge with the Government Electronics and Information Technology Association, the ITAA said today it would also acquire the members and programs of the 4-year-old Cyber Security Industry Alliance.
CSIA represents 14 high-tech security providers including IBM, RSA and Symantec. ITAA President Phil Bond said the global reach of CSIA, with its office in Brussels, Belgium, "will bring valuable new perspective and resources" to his trade group's own information security program.
The pairing "reflects how the impact of information security issues on public policy has grown at both the national and global level," CSIA Vice Chairman Phil Dunkelberger said. The combination increases ITAA's membership to more than 350 companies.
April 8, 2008
Ridge Chooses Trade Security Executive
Former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge has appointed Luke Ritter to head global trade security for his firm Ridge Global. Ritter is the co-author of "Securing Global Transportation Networks."
April 7, 2008
Telecom Association Hires A New Director
The Telecommunications Industry Association has hired Patrick Sullivan to be its director of technical and government affairs.
Sullivan served as counsel for Kajeet, Inc., a wireless provider. He has also practiced law at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and spent time working on Capitol Hill.
Sullivan received a bachelor's degree in political science and French studies from Syracuse University and his law degree from Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America.
April 7, 2008
Lavell Lands New COO
Lavell Systems has hired Brian Skimmons to be its chief operating officer. Skimmons spent seven years at Loral Corp where he at one point reported to Loral Skynet President Patrick Brant -- who is now president of Lavell.
"Brian and I have worked together for many years and I was eager to bring him on board at Lavell because I have experienced first-hand the quality of his work," Brant said in a statement.
Skimmons has degrees from the United States Naval Academy, the Naval Postgraduate School and Johns Hopkins University. He also attended the senior executive advanced management program at the Wharton Business School in 2006.
Lavell Systems, which is headquartered in Reston, Va., provides managed network services.
April 7, 2008
New Gig
Marc Pearl is the new president and CEO of the Homeland Security & Defense Business Council. He previously served as executive director of the Consumer Electronics Retailers Coalition.
April 1, 2008
AG Announces New IP Leader
Mark Filip, the new Deputy Attorney General, will be chairman of the Justice Department's Intellectual Property Task Force, Attorney General Mukasey said in prepared remarks Friday at the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, Calif. This "will ensure that IP related issues remain on our radar screen," Mukasey said.
April 1, 2008
CompTIA's Cochetti Appointed to State Advisory Committee
Roger Cochetti, the group director of domestic public policy for CompTIA, has been named to the Department of State's Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information Policy. In this role, Cochetti will advise U.S. Government agencies on issues related to international communications and information policy. Cochetti has served as a senior vice president and chief policy officer for VeriSign and a director of global Internet and e-commerce-related policy activities for IBM.
March 28, 2008
ITI Names New Government Relations Director
Bret Wincup, recently hired by the Information Technology Industry Council as a director of government relations, is a local who grew up around politics: He’s from Bethesda, Md., and his dad, Kim Wincup, is a former staff director of the House Armed Services Committee.
Bret Wincup started his Washington career as a doorkeeper on Capitol Hill, and also volunteered in the office of then-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D. He was there during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and when Daschle's office received an anthrax-laced letter in the weeks that followed. Despite the scares, Wincup stayed on and was hired as assistant to Daschle's chief of staff.
Since then, the 33-year old Wincup has been the director of government affairs at TechNet; a deputy finance director for the PAC office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.; and an aide for the Senate Democratic cloakroom.
March 26, 2008
Moving Up At The FTC
The White House announced that President Bush intends to designate William Kovacic to be chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. Kovacic has been a member of the FTC since 2006. As chairman, he will succeed Deborah Platt Majoras, who will leave the commission this month after serving since 2004.
Prior to serving on the commission, Kovacic was the FTC's general counsel from 2001-2004. Prior to that, he taught at the George Washington University Law School and the George Mason University School of Law. A graduate of Princeton University and Columbia University Law School, Kovacic also did a stint with the FTC from 1979-1983.
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March 25, 2008
Commerce Dept. Hires Chief Information Officer
Commerce Secretary Gutierrez has appointed Suzanne Hilding to serve as chief information officer for the department.
"Under Suzanne's leadership as acting chief information officer, the department has made progress in developing stronger policies, strategies and processes in managing emerging threats in both the classified and unclassified domains," Gutierrez said in a statement.
"Information technology is a top priority at the Commerce Department and I am confident that Suzanne's experience and knowledge make her well suited to lead the Department's efforts in protecting the Department's data, products and services, while ensuring large amounts of data and information is readily available to citizens and businesses," he said.
Hilding worked for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration before joining Commerce.
March 25, 2008
New Trade Rep Knows The Territory
As the new assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Intellectual Property and Innovation, Stan McCoy will travel a good part of the time for his job, but he says he plans to stay on American soil as much as possible in April. His promotion from deputy assistant trade representative means he is responsible for heading the agency's intellectual property efforts, including the annual report published in April, known as the Special 301 report, on the adequacy and effectiveness of other countries' success in protecting intellectual property.
Groups such as the National Association of Manufacturers and the International Intellectual Property Alliance have already weighed in on what countries they feel belong on the list. The list also plays a significant role in how countries will be viewed by the United States and U.S. companies in trade discussions for the coming year. McCoy, 36, is replacing Victoria Espinel and has worked as Office of the Trade Representative's chief negotiator for intellectual property enforcement and as associate general counsel.
Meanwhile, another deputy assistant trade representative, Andy Olson, has been promoted to Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Congressional Affairs to replace Justin McCarthy. Olson, 40, has served as legislative counsel to former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., where he handled foreign policy, international trade, tax and financial services issues, and as a staffer for Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Calif., chairman of the SEC. Olson, who hails from Columbia, Tenn., is married to Jen Olson, legislative director for Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
Also at the agency, Shaun Donnelly, the Assistant Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East, is leaving to take a position as senior director for international business policy at the NAM. Donnelly has been a career Foreign Service Officer and has held a number of high level positions at the State Department as well as served as U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. His replacement has not been determined.
March 20, 2008
Institute for Policy Innovation Adds Senior Fellow
Former U.S. Coordinator for International Intellectual Property Enforcement Chris Israel has joined the Institute for Policy Innovation, a free-market public policy organization, as a senior research fellow specializing in intellectual property and trade policy.
Israel remains a managing partner of PCT Government Relations, a public policy advisory firm focused on intellectual property and technology issues. In 2006 Israel was named one of the 50 "Most Influential People in IP" by Managing Intellectual Property magazine.
Israel has worked on Capitol Hill for Kansas Republicans Reps. Jan Meyers and Todd Tiahrt. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas and an MBA from The George Washington University.
March 19, 2008
Powell Tate Adds Key Staffers
Powell Tate, a strategic communications and public affairs firm, has brought some new tech-related senior staff members on board. My Le Ducharme will be a new vice president. The firm said she "specializes in education advocacy work and the use of new technologies in communications." Previously, she was a program director at the Smithsonian Institution.
Another new VP will be Colin Moffett. The company said Moffett "will lead the firm's interactive communications team drawing on his experience at Virilion Inc. (formerly Mindshare Interactive Campaigns) where he led interactive client teams for online public affairs campaigns, Web site redesigns, online advertising campaigns and social media."
Erin Skinner has been hired as a senior account executive to assist in the development and execution of digital media campaigns. She worked in client services for Blue State Digital, a Web development company that worked on strategies for Democratic candidates and progressive organizations.
March 19, 2008
Ex-White House Cybersecurity Adviser Makes A Move
Former White House cybersecurity adviser Howard Schmidt has been named information security strategist by the board of The International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium –- (ISC)2 for short –- a nonprofit organization which describes itself as “dedicated to offering training, certification examinations and a common body of information security knowledge.”
Schmidt served as special adviser for cyberspace security to the White House and vice chairman of President Bush's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board. He has been a vice president and chief information security officer for eBay and chief security officer for Microsoft.
March 18, 2008
Waz, Knott Become ‘Senior’ At Comcast
Comcast has promoted Joseph Waz to the position of senior vice president of external affairs and public policy counsel, and Kerry Knott to senior vice president of government affairs.
Waz -- who joined Comcast in 1994 as vice president of external affairs -- is responsible for Comcast’s public policy activities including overseeing its PACs, while also serving as president of the Comcast Foundation.
Knott joined Comcast in 2003 as vice president of government affairs and is responsible for developing and overseeing Comcast's government affairs strategy at the federal, state and local levels. He is a former congressional aide who was the long-time chief of staff to former House Majority Leader Richard Armey, R-Texas.
March 18, 2008
An Export To The Commerce Dept.
President Bush plans to nominate Christopher Wall to be assistant secretary of Commerce for export administration.
Wall currently serves as the senior international trade partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. Wall earned his bachelor’s degrees from Yale College and Oxford University and a law degree from the University of Virginia.
If confirmed, Wall would serve in the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, reporting to Commerce Undersecretary Mario Mancuso.
March 18, 2008
NASA Veteran Lands At IT Firm
Sam Venneri, a former chief technologist at NASA, will be the new senior vice president at Asynchrony Solutions -- a firm which focuses on the delivery of IT solutions to government agencies and companies.
During the 20 years Venneri spent working at NASA, he focused on transforming advanced technology research into practical applications. “I joined Asynchrony because it offers a clear and actionable solution to the most pervasive challenge faced by IT initiatives across both government and private sector projects,” said Venneri.
“The problems we saw at NASA still remain a key challenge for almost every major IT project,” he added. “Over the past decade, efforts to improve the processes of legacy project methodology have only produced marginal improvements in project success. Clearly, patching up the old ways of doing things was a dead-end approach.”