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Cisco Systems Loses Press Duo
by Bara Vaida
Kent Jenkins has left his position as spokesman for the Washington office of Cisco Systems to become managing director of the media practice at Burson-Marsteller, a large public affairs company. Jenkins previously was a director of Burson-Marsteller's media practice. He also covered Congress for U.S. News & World Report and was a local and national political reporter for The Washington Post.
Tom Galvin, public relations manager in Cisco's San Jose office, is leaving to become director of corporate communications at VeriSign. Galvin proceeded Jenkins as Cisco's Washington contact. Cisco has been interviewing lobbyists to replace Bruce Mehlman, who left Cisco in April to join the Commerce Department as the assistant secretary of technology. The company is also looking to replace Jenkins.
Elsewhere in the tech community, Jeff Modisett, the former Democratic political director at the Silicon Valley lobbying group TechNet, has joined Manatt, Phelps & Phillips as a partner in its Los Angeles office. Modisett left TechNet earlier this year to become a consultant for the group. Modisett has told colleagues he intends to continue to work on technology and policy issues at Manatt Phelps.
And Verizon has appointed David Valdez to succeed Shelley Harms in leading the company's privacy efforts. Valdez, who previously worked at the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), has worked on many telecom and Internet policy issues, including privacy and consumer protection. He also conducted workshops and advised government officials and other policymakers from the international community on how to develop policies that foster e-commerce, the company said in a statement.
Dittus Taps Three Top Officials
Dittus Communications announced three new hires earlier this month. Kevin Walker, who has 14 years of experience in public affairs, was named vice president and managing director for public policy; Jennifer Daniel joins Dittus as its director to provide strategic communications and media relations to local, state and federal clients; and Rory O'Connor will be the vice president of strategic communications.
Before joining Dittus, Walker served as vice president at Golin/Harris International Washington, D.C., Group and as vice president for Weber Public Relations Worldwide in Washington. Daniel also previously worked at both Golin/Harris and Weber Public Relations. Her areas of expertise at Golin/Harris included Internet social policy. O'Connor was an investigative reporter at Interactive Week, editor at National Journal's Technology Daily and a technology reporter at the San Jose Mercury News.
New Hires By The FCC Newcomers
New FCC Commissioner Michael Copps named staff appointments last week. He hired Jordan Goldstein as his interim senior legal adviser on common carrier issues, Susanna Zwerling as his interim legal adviser on mass media and cable issues, and Lauren Maxim Van Wazer as his legal adviser for wireless and international issues.
New Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy also named her staff, including Ann Monahan to coordinate Abernathy's personal schedule and travel. Abernathy also hired Tjuana Price as a staff assistant to handle the schedules and travel for Abernathy's legal advisers. Bryan Tramont was named senior legal adviser and will provide counsel on wireless, international, technology and enforcement issues. Tramont also will serve as Abernathy's press liaison.
At the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), meanwhile, USTR Robert Zoellick named Regina Vargo as the assistant trade representative for the Americas.
Vargo is a 30-year veteran of the Commerce Department, of which USTR is a part, and most recently was deputy assistant secretary for the Western Hemisphere. At Commerce, Vargo managed the department's participation in the Free Trade of Area of the Americas (FTAA) negotiations and U.S.-Chilean trade talks. She also led U.S. delegations on e-commerce.
Firms, Trade Groups Hire New Lobbyists
Cingular Wireless, a unit of SBC Telecommunications and BellSouth, has hired two more lobbyists to work on spectrum availability and wireless privacy issues: Barbara Phillips and Kent Wells. They will work with chief Washington lobbyist Brian Fontes.
In other lobbying news, SBC hired Jay Velasquez to lobby on broadband issues, and both the Competitive Telecommunications Association and Axcent hired Thomas White to lobby on broadband.
The Education Testing Service, meanwhile, hired Cleta Michell to lobby on its behalf on legislation to reauthorize the Education and Secondary Elementary Act.
Gore's Former Webmaster Joins Kerry Camp
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, a potential Democratic presidential candidate, is moving quickly to set up a campaign staff, U.S. News & World Report reported. Boston native Ben Green, who was the webmaster for the 2000 presidential campaign of former Vice President Al Gore, is among Kerry's major new hires. Green will run johnkerry.com and has a goal of creating an e-mail list of 2 million subscribers, as well as raising cash online.
Kerry also has recruited top Silicon Valley fundraisers, a clear sign he plans to add technology to his stable of issue positions, the magazine's "Whispers" column said.
House Lawmakers Announce Political Plans
New York Rep. Amo Houghton, the founder of the Republican Main Street Partnership, said last Saturday that he will seek a ninth term from his 31st District in southern New York, which is endangered by redistricting. Houghton announced his decision during a three-stop tour of his district, CongressDaily reported.
Houghton, a former executive at Corning, led the Republican Main Street Partnership, a moderate group, on a tour of Silicon Valley this past spring.
His district stretches over parts of 10 counties, from Lake Erie along the Pennsylvania border to the Finger Lakes, and it faces the prospect of being split so some of its population can be matched with Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse. New York faces the loss of two congressional seats from reapportionment, and Houghton has made redistricting a major issue, collecting signatures on a petition to save the current district that he and other supporters intended to present to GOP Gov. George Pataki and state legislators later this year.
In other political news, GOP Rep. Anne Northup of Kentucky said Friday she will not seek the governorship, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported. Northup was a leader in the successful drive to repeal the Clinton administration's rule on repetitive-stress injuries in the workplace.
Earlier this year, Northup began attending Republican gatherings far out in the state to test the waters for a gubernatorial run, but the political landscape has changed. In March, Democrats in Northup's 3rd District were expecting a primary that would leave the eventual nominee without enough money to mount a strong campaign against her. Now, Louisville lawyer and former gubernatorial aide Jack Conway, who plans to announce his candidacy today, appears to be the only Democratic candidate.
But a Northup aide said Northup was not feeling pressure from Conway or the possibility that Democrats in the General Assembly would keep her Democratic-leaning district from expanding into Republican territory during redistricting.
And in Colorado, Democratic Rep. Mark Udall announced Friday that he will not challenge GOP Sen. Wayne Allard in 2002, fueling speculation that Denver Mayor Wellington Webb will be the Democratic nominee, the Rocky Mountain News reported. "My hunch is he is running," Udall, the sponsor of a telecommuting bill, H.R. 1035, said of Webb, although he said the mayor's plans had little to do with his own decision to stay out of the race.
Tech Executives To Speak At Workforce Summit
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina are scheduled speakers at the Labor Department's first 21st Century Workforce Summit on Wednesday June 20.
The summit aims to develop policy that would prepare workers for the information technology economy, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao said when she announced the summit. Its goal also is to examine current laws to determine whether they are keeping pace with economic changes.
Commerce Secretary Donald Evans and Education Secretary Roderick Paige also are expected to speak at the conference.
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