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Cheney to Visit Silicon Valley
by Bara Vaida
Vice President Richard Cheney is scheduled to give a "major economic speech" in Silicon Valley next Thursday and also will attend several fundraisers for House Republicans from the state, according to several industry sources.
The region's largest high-tech boosters -- the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group, the San Jose Chamber of Commerce and the lobbying group TechNet -- are helping organize Cheney's speaking event. White House officials declined to comment on the speech.
Silicon Valley executives were among President's Bush's biggest financial backers during the 2000 presidential campaign, and one of his leading technology advisers, Floyd Kvamme, hails from the region. Bush considered mentioning high-speed Internet policy, a top Silicon Valley issue, in his State of the Union speech in January but later told high-tech business leaders that the administration will unveil a broadband plan later.
In other Silicon Valley news, TechNet is hosting several meetings and fundraisers involving lawmakers and technology executives next week. The participants will include House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Boehner, R-Ohio, on Tuesday, members of the National Republican Senatorial Committee that evening, and Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., on Wednesday.
TechNet also is preparing for its Washington policy days on March 5-6. More than a dozen executives, including venture capitalist John Doerr, former Netscape Communications CEO James Barksdale and Texas Instruments CEO Tom Engibous, are expected to attend. They are scheduled to meet with congressional leaders as well as Bush administration staff. Commerce Secretary Donald Evans is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at TechNet's March 6 press lunch.
The organization is expected to lobby on topics such as Senate passage of a bill to renew presidential trade-negotiating authority, accounting standards and broadband policy. TechNet had scheduled the policy day for Sept. 12 but cancelled it after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Writing A New Career Chapter
Will Rodger has moved from a 10-year career writing about technology policy to making policy. Rodger, who formerly worked for USA Today's online and print services, has become director of public policy at the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), where he is focusing on several technology issues, including broadband.
"At some point, you just have to decide what is important professionally, and it became clear to me that the vast majority of journalism outlets no longer considered it worth covering technology policy in depth," Rodger said when asked why he left the fourth estate. "I had to decide whether I wanted to be a journalist without technology or work on technology policy without the journalism, so I decided I wanted to do policy." Several high-profile tech publications, including The Industry Standard and Interactive Week, have folded over the past year.
Tech Staffers Tackle New Challenges
Paul Reagan, the chief of staff to Rep. James Moran, D-Va., since 1996, has left Capitol Hill to become the communications director for new Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, a Democrat.
Reagan worked on several high-tech issues over the years, including legislation that aims to encourage companies to share computer-security information with the government. Previously, Reagan was a legislative assistant and then press secretary to Congressional Internet Caucus co-Chairman Rick Boucher, another Virginia Democrat in the House.
Another recent departure in the high-tech world is Patrick Melody, who left his job as press relations manager for the Business Software Alliance. BSA is seeking a replacement. Melody previously handled public affairs at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Meanwhile, Heidi Blumenthal, who was director of technology policy at Americans for Tax Reform, has left to become legislative affairs director for the American International Automobile Dealers Association. Previously, Blumenthal worked for Rep. Jennifer Dunn, R-Wash.
Changes On The International Front
Meggan Dissly, who was handling media inquiries for the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on science and technology, has moved to the OECD's public affairs liaison office, leaving her position open. Her temporary replacements are: Helen Fisher, who handles media questions about advanced technology; Stephen Biasio, who handles macroeconomic technology issues; and Nick Bray, who handles trade press.
Elsewhere, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) has named Scott Otteman as director of trade policy in its international economic affairs department. Otteman will monitor and analyze U.S. trade-negotiation disputes and ongoing trade talks. Before joining NAM, Otteman held jobs as director of the Inter-American Dialogue's Trade Policy Project, chief editor of the AmericasTrade/Inside NAFTA newsletter and managing editor of Inside U.S. Trade.
The Lure Of Politics
Jano Cabrero, who was handling communications at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), has left to join former Vice President Al Gore's newly formed political action committee. Before joining RIAA, Cabrero worked on Gore's 2000 presidential campaign and in Gore's White House press office. Gore has yet to say whether he will launch another bid for president in 2004.
In other news, Margita Thompson, who has been second lady Lynne Cheney's press secretary since the Bush administration took office last year, has left Washington to return to her native California, where she will be communications director for the gubernatorial campaign of Richard Riordon. Thompson previously headed the National Venture Capital Association's Silicon Valley office and before that worked on GOP policy for TechNet.
Riordon, a former mayor of Los Angeles, is challenging incumbent Democratic Gov. Gray Davis.
The Lone Star State Beckons
Public Strategies Inc. has hired Republican Clifford Angelo as its director of online strategy in the public affairs company's Austin, Texas, office, Influence Online reported. Angelo headed Bush's Internet strategy and Web site during the 2000 presidential campaign and spent the past year as chief privacy officer at the Commerce Department.
Cisco's Chambers Wins Educational Tech Award
Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers and his wife, Elaine, will receive the 2002 NetDay Hero award on March 9 in honor of their commitment to education and technology.
NetDay is a nonprofit firm involved in educational technology at the elementary and secondary level. It aims to help children learn future opportunities through the use of technology.
Chambers received the award for his support of educational technology in schools. Cisco has created hundreds of Cisco academies across the world to help students learn to build and operate computer networks and spark their interest in technology.
Anti-Terrorism Panelists Named In Virginia
Vint Cerf, WorldCom's senior vice president for Internet architecture and technology and one of the original developers of the Internet, has been named to Virginia Gov. Warner's Secure Virginia Panel. The 20-member panel's aim is to improve the state's emergency preparedness, response and recovery.
Other panelists will include Charles Steger, the president of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), and Verizon President and CEO Robert Woltz.
The panel is to convene a statewide forum of local and state emergency management officials and other community leaders this spring. It will provide quarterly progress reports to Warner, with final recommendations by February 2003.
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