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The Two Worlds Of Raymond Gifford
by Bara Vaida
Raymond Gifford plans to live an inside- and outside-the-Beltway lifestyle when he becomes president of the Progress and Freedom Foundation (PFF) early next year. Gifford, the stepson of Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., will be splitting his time between the Colorado and Washington, D.C., instead of re-locating full time to the East Coast.
"We'll start having the courage of our convictions of being a digital" think tank, Gifford said of his plan to work from two locations. His continued residency in Colorado should help solidify the think tank's annual summer policy retreat in Aspen, Colo., which draws numerous CEOs, lobbyists, legislative staff and media.
Gifford said he plans to move forward with the same agenda PFF has had: highlighting how free-market structures "benefit consumers more than administratively regulated structures or regulated monopolies." He added that he was drawn to the area of policy and regulation in the telecom area "because it is the most exciting and crucial area of policy and regulation today."
Getting the right public policy on technology can help the economy, Gifford said. "I know firsthand what problems that ... outdated legacy regulations can create," Gifford said in reference to his years at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, which he now chairs.
Before joining the commission, Gifford was first assistant in the regulatory law unit of then- Colorado Attorney General Gale Norton, who now heads the Interior Department.
Meanwhile, Jeffrey Eisenach, who is stepping aside as PFF president next February, said he looks forward to being a focused economic consultant at his new job as executive vice chairman of The CapAnalysis Group, which provides detailed analysis on antitrust, intellectual property, litigation and regulatory matters.
Eisenach said he is most proud that under his leadership PFF "established a deregulatory benchmark" in telecom policy, took a tough stance on advocating a break-up of Microsoft and made the Aspen conference an important place for policy discussions.
Farewells To Congressional Arms
After three-and-a-half years as chief of staff to Rep. Randy (Duke) Cunningham, R-Calif., Trey Hardin is leaving for the private sector. Hardin is starting a firm, NorthPoint Strategies, with two colleagues to focus on governmental affairs, political consulting and business development.
Hardin is starting the firm with Patrick McSwain, a former spokesman for Cunningham, and Frank Collins, a former vice president of Carlyle Management Group. They will seek clients within the defense, high-tech, education and homeland security industries, Hardin said. "This was just a great opportunity I couldn't pass up," he said.
Before joining Cunningham's office, Hardin spent two years directing policy and communications for Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., and worked on Davis' campaign. During his time at Cunningham's office, Hardin developed a high-tech advisory board in San Diego, where many cell-phone, biotechnology and defense tech companies are based.
Daniel Ebert, the legislative director for Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., already has left to return to his home state of Wisconsin, where he will be working in the governor's office. Ebert's replacement has yet to be named. Ebert previously spent several years as executive director of the NetCoalition, an organization that represented Internet companies on policy issues.
While Ebert has left, Ethan Ackerman, an Idaho native has joined Cantwell's office to handle telecom, technology and intellectual property issues. Ackerman previously worked at the Center for Law, Commerce and Technology at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Back on the House side, Ed McDonald, the chief of staff since 1988 for North Carolina Republican Howard Coble, who is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property Subcommittee, is leaving to become deputy chief of staff for Maryland Gov.-elect Robert Ehrlich, a Republican.
Missy Branson will replace McDonald, and senior legislative assistant Anna Sagely will fill Branson's previous position. Coble is term-limited as the subcommittee chairman and will be replaced in that post next year.
ITI Lobbyist To Lead Exports Fight
Ralph Hellmann, senior vice president of the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), has become the lead lobbyist of the Computer Coalition for Responsible Exports (CCRE), replacing Ken Kay of Infotech Strategies in the job, according to ITI President Rhett Dawson. Hellmann will remain at ITI while assuming the additional task of leading the lobbying for CCRE, a coalition of high-tech CEOs who advocate export-control reforms.
High-tech companies were close to getting an export-control bill through the 107th Congress but ultimately failed because of opposition from California Republican Duncan Hunter, who is expected to be the next chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
Task Force To Study Science, Tech Programs
Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Charles Vest has been named as head of a task force on the Future of Science Programs at the Energy Department. The task force will examine science and technology programs across the department and consider future priorities for scientific research, such as supercomputing and nuclear engineering.
The other task force members are: John Baldeschwieler, professor emeritus of chemistry at the California Institute of Technology; Alfred Berkeley, vice chairman of the Nasdaq stock market; Robert Birgeneu, president of the University of Toronto; James Duderstadt, president emeritus of the University of Michigan; MRC Greenwood, chancellor of the University of California at Santa Cruz; Ray Irani, chairman of Occidental Petroleum; Steve Koonin, provost of the California Institute of Technology; Leon Lederman, director emeritus of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy; William Martin, chairman of Washington Policy and Analysis Inc.; Peter McPherson, president of Michigan State University; Steve Papermaster, chairman of Powershift Ventures; and Deborah Wince-Smith, president of the Council on Competitiveness.
Also at Energy, Secretary Spencer Abraham named Joe McMonigle as chief of staff, replacing Kyle McSlarrow, who was confirmed as deputy energy secretary in November. McMonigle will help plan and implement the department's policies.
In other administration moves, the White House press office announced that Catherine Martin has been named public affairs assistant to Vice President Richard Cheney. Previously Martin was his deputy assistant for public affairs. She replaces Mary Matalin, who is returning to the private sector at the end of the year. Martin is married to Kevin Martin, who is an FCC commissioner.
FCC Shuffles Spectrum Staff
The FCC has announced several changes in the leadership of its Spectrum Policy Task Force, including the naming of co-Director Peter Tenhula as director.
Tenhula will replace Paul Kolodzy, who is leaving the FCC to become director of the Center for Wireless Network Security at the Stevens Institute of Technology. Fred Thomas, chief of the spectrum coordination branch in the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology, will fill Tenhula's post as co-director.
Lauren Van Wazer, who has been deputy director of the task force, is returning to her duties as special counsel to the chief of the Office of Engineering and Technology. And Mary McManus, senior counsel in the Office of General Counsel, will be special counsel on the task force.
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