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Bush Nears Decisions On Key Tech Jobs
by Bara Vaida
Commerce Secretary Donald Evans told a crowd gathered at Microsoft headquarters that he expected to soon fill two key high-tech positions at his department.
One is the top slot at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Sources said Nancy Victory, a partner in Wiley, Rein & Fielding's communications and government affairs practices, is on the short list to head the agency. According to her resume, Victory is experienced in a wide range of telecommunications matters, having represented a broad spectrum of clients before Congress, the FCC and other federal agencies. She has particular expertise in wireless and satellite issues, including licensing, compliance and policy matters.
Meanwhile, Virginia Technology Secretary Don Upson is on the short list to become the Bush administration's undersecretary of technology. According to sources, Upson has been offered the job but has not decided whether to take it.
In other nomination news, the Senate last week confirmed Kenneth Juster as undersecretary for export administration and Maria Cino as assistant Commerce secretary and director general of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service. Juster will head the agency that was central to the computer export-control debate under the Clinton administration.
New Faces At The FCC
Elsewhere in the federal government, Deborah Lathen is leaving her job as chief of the FCC's Cable Services Bureau. The move is among several recent personnel changes at the agency.
During her two-and-a-half years in her position, Lathen led the review of the America Online, Time Warner merger, the AT&T, MediaOne merger and the AT&T, TCI merger. She also oversaw the agency's implementation of the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act and produced a report on the state of broadband.
W. Kenneth Ferree, a partner in the Washington law firm Goldberg, Godles, Wiener & Wright, has been named Lathen's replacement, the FCC said. Ferree has had extensive experience with telecommunications and information technology issues and for the past seven years has been an adjunct law professor at Georgetown University Law Center.
FCC Chairman Michael Powell also made the following appointments: Linda Blair as associate chief of the Enforcement Bureau and Lisa Fowlkes as the assistant bureau chief; Dane Snowden as chief of the Consumer Information Bureau; Martha Johnston as director of the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs; Jane Mago as the agency's general counsel; John Rogovin as deputy general counsel; and William Spencer as deputy managing director.
Life After Clinton And Gore
Tom Kalil, the former deputy director at President Clinton's National Economic Council, is an adjunct fellow at the New America Foundation, a nonprofit policy institute. While at the White House, Kalil worked on science, technology and telecommunications issues. He co-chaired the administration's National Nanotechnology Initiative and served as the U.S. representative to the G-8's Digital Opportunity Task Force, which focused on bridging the digital divide between developed and developing countries.
Former Vice President Al Gore, meanwhile, has been holding periodic private receptions to thank former aides and campaign donor for their support. On May 24, he is scheduled to hold one in Washington at the Capital City Brewery to thank any aides who have worked for him in the last 24 years.
On The Communications Front
Another former Clinton aide has landed at the Information Technology Industry Council as its new communications director. Roberta Heine replaces Connie Correll in that job. Heine most recently was an Education Department spokeswoman under the Clinton administration. Before that, she worked at National Endowment for the Humanities and on education technology issues for Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M.
Elsewhere in the public relations world, Ann Little, a former PR manager at Sun Microsystems in Palo Alto, Calif., is returning to the East Coast to join the Fratelli Group as a senior corporate communications manager, where she again will be working with Sun. Little left the company last year to be director of public relations for the startup Square Trade.
And Chad Cowen is jumping ship from Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) to become communications director at Citizens for a Sound Economy, the same job he held at ATR.
Executive Decisions
Personnel news in the corporate world in the past week included changes in the policy and business realms.
On the policy front, Eric Koenig is leaving Microsoft after 10 years to spend more time with his family. Koenig is currently the senior federal government affairs manager and senior corporate counsel in Microsoft's Washington office.
Scott Parven, meanwhile, is joining AOL Time Warner as vice president of law and domestic public policy. Previously, he was the chairman of international public policy at Mayer, Brown & Platt, where he represented AOL as a client. Parven worked closely with AOL in particular on its strategy to gain passage of permanent normal trade relations with China. At AOL, Parven will lobby on issues ranging from postal reform to presidential trade-negotiating authority.
And Tom Meredith, Dell Computer's senior vice president of business development and strategy and a managing director in Dell's venture group, will leave the company at the end of August, CNET News reported. In June 2000, Meredith hosted a $1 million fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. He also supported President Bush's campaign.
On the business side, London-based domain-name registrar Global Name Registry has named Andrew Tsai as its CEO. Tsai was formerly the president of Urbanfetch.
Inside The Boardroom
In other corporate news, several recent board appointments have been announced.
Raymond Gilmartin, the chairman, president and CEO of Merck & Co., is joining Microsoft's board of directors, the Associated Press reported. And Ebrary, a closely held provider of digital reference materials, has named Adobe Systems cofounder and co-chairman John Warnock to its board. Ebrary's cofounder is Christopher Warnock, who also is John Warnock's son, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) also elected Thomas McConnell to be its next chairman. McConnell is a general partner at New Enterprise Associates. He will be responsible for setting the public policy agenda and overall direction of the NVCA for the coming year.
And Gary Schieneman, director of comparative global equity analysis of Merrill Lynch & Co., has been named to a two-year term as a member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) effective July 1. Schieneman will complete the term of Anthony Cope, who resigned from FASB to join the International Accounting Standards Board.
From Lawmaking To Law Practice
Vincent Garlock, who was majority counsel for the House Judiciary Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property Subcommittee, has left to join the law firm Verner Liipfert Bernhard McPherson and Hand. Garlock joined the subcommittee in March 1997. Before that, he was an assistant attorney general in Ohio and assistant attorney for the city of Columbus.
Silicon Alley Connection
Since Josh Isay left his position as lead lobbyist for DoubleClick, there has been little connection between the Silicon Alley high-tech community in New York City and Washington. However, Andrew Rasiej, president and CEO of New York-based Digital Club Network, has been working to fill that gap. Rasiej, who is leading an effort in New York to urge school systems to use technology, attended a retreat this winter in Colorado with a dozen Democratic senators and briefed Senate Democratic staff several weeks ago on government policy that can improve the use of technology in schools.
"The digital divide shouldn't be considered [as] a hardware or broadband issue but as a civil rights issue," Rasiej said in a recent interview with National Journal's Technology Daily. Rasiej said he also urged the lawmakers to seek more funding for technical assistance in schools and for training teachers in how to use technology.
Elsewhere on the social scene, TechNet will be holding two events at the end May. On May 30, there will be a fundraising reception for New Democrat Coalition co-Chairman Calvin Dooley, D-Calif. in Silicon Valley. Also on that day, TechNet Texas and Microsoft will co-host a reception to express appreciation to members of the state legislature.
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