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Intel Taps Media Expert In Washington
by Bara Vaida with reporting by Teri Rucker
Intel's Washington governmental affairs office is getting a new press-relations manager with the hiring of Jennifer Greeson. Intel's previous press-relations manager in Washington, Sue Richard, died of cancer late last year.
Greeson has been the lead spokeswoman for the Computer Systems Policy Project (CSPP), a network of high-tech CEOs, since November 2000. Before joining CSPP, she was the communications director for Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., where she handled communications strategy and media outreach. Before that, she was deputy press secretary to Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., and led communications for his 1998 re-election campaign.
She also worked in public relations for the World Health Organization, Intuit and the National Association of Broadcasters.
In other industry news, Qorvis Communications has hired Rich Masters as a managing director. Masters is the former policy and communications director of Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and was a news reporter and anchor for television stations in Louisiana, Illinois and Iowa. In his new role at Qorvis, Masters will help develop the company's media-relations training center in its Washington office so that clients, including those in the tech industry, will be better prepared to "meet the press" and communicate their messages through any broadcast media.
Michael Powell, The Comedian
FCC Chairman Michael Powell has stirred plenty of controversy over the past two years, but everyone agrees about one thing: Powell is funny.
His humor was on display Wednesday at the Federal Communications Bar Association luncheon, where he played on rumors that he will resign as chairman. Proclaiming that the past year has been difficult because his agency has handled many tough decisions and that it is time to evaluate his choices, Powell soberly announced that effective July 7, the FCC's summer casual dress code will be implemented.
He then discussed his job's top 10 perks. Here are some of the highlights:
- No. 10: You can wreck the economy and democracy all without being elected.
- No. 8: Chairman of the FCC is the only job in Washington that his father, Colin Powell, says is harder than being secretary of State.
- No. 6: The opportunity to review indecency complaints has its rewards.
- And No. 3: Powell's childhood fascination with acronyms really pays off.
Bill Gates Dines With Policymakers
Microsoft Chairman and co-founder Bill Gates was in Washington last Wednesday. Publicly, he gave a lunch speech at a Center for Strategic and International Studies and Information Technology Industry Council conference on cyber security. Privately, he held meetings with policymakers, including members of the Senate Republican High-Tech Task Force.
Those Republicans who attended the task force discussion were: Chairman John Ensign of Nevada; Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman George Allen of Virginia, a former task force chairman; Michael Crapo of Idaho; Michael Enzi of Wyoming; Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas; Mitch McConnell of Kentucky; and Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.
The officials discussed with Gates "their mutual opposition" to a mandate that public companies record employee stock options as expenses; their "mutual support" for legislation to reduce unsolicited commercial e-mail, or spam; and efforts to prevent copyright infringement.
Later, Gates hosted a dinner attended by: Commerce Secretary Donald Evans; Commerce Undersecretary for the Technology Administration Phil Bond; White House National Economic Council Director Stephen Friedman; the NRSC's Allen; Democratic Reps. Xavier Becerra of California and Norman Dicks of Washington; Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; media columnist James Fallows; Washington Post columnists Fred Hiatt and Charles Krauthammer; PBS news producer Jim Lehrer; World Bank President James Wolfensohn; and Jack Krumholz, head of Microsoft's Washington office.
Gates also had a meeting at the White House.
Hewlett-Packard's Homeland Security Pitch
Hewlett-Packard has joined the ranks of companies to create divisions focused on the homeland security market, and its new vice president of global security, William Mutell, visited Washington last week.
Mutell, a former intelligence officer and strategic planner at the Pentagon, said the company formed the division about five months ago to align its business with the demands for security technologies since the creation of the Homeland Security Department. HP merged with Compaq Computer last year, and Mutell said department officials consulted company CEO Carly Fiorina several times to help them with strategy on merging the technology and cultures of 22 government agencies into the new department.
"She and [Homeland Security Secretary] Tom Ridge hit it off fairly well," said Mutell, a former strategist for Compaq who remains based in Houston.
HP already has a few contracts and pilot programs with the department in conjunction with other high-tech firms and systems integrators, Mutell said. While HP has no plans to hire lobbying shops to help the firm with homeland security efforts, the company is considering creating some sort of demonstration center in the Washington area to showcase technology to policymakers.
Senate Confirms Bush Nominees
The Senate last week confirmed Joshua Bolten to be director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The chamber also confirmed Penrose Albright as the Homeland Security assistant secretary for plans, programs and budgets.
Bolten, a Washington native, worked on the presidential campaign of George W. Bush as has been the president's deputy chief of staff. He succeeds former OMB Director Mitchell Daniels. Previously, he was a London executive of Goldman Sachs.
Albright most recently was the assistant director for homeland and national security in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Before that, he was senior director for research and development in the White House Office of Homeland Security and program manager for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
NetDay, CompTel Elect Executives
NetDay, a nonprofit group that promotes educational technology, has named Alan Arkatov, president of the eEducation Group, to its board. As president of the eEducation Group, Arkatov is working to maximize the e-learning opportunities for educational institutions. Previously, he was the founder and chairman of OnlineLearning.net.
The Competitive Telecommunications Association (CompTel), meanwhile, elected the executive committee of its CEO Council last week. Those elected include: Al Cinelli, chairman of Cinergy Communications; Elliot Derk, chairman and CEO of HTLT; Sam Kumar, president and CEO of Microtech-Tel; James Martino, president and CEO of Last Mile Connections; Ronald Mudry, president and CEO of Progress Telecom; Joe Webb, president of Billing Concepts; and Tom Wright, president and CEO of Access Integrated Networks.
The CEO Council discusses policy agendas and enables the executives at CompTel members to work on lobbying and advocacy efforts with top government officials.
And finally, this is the last "People Column" by Senior Writer Bara Vaida, who is moving to National Journal magazine to cover the Washington lobbying industry. Vaida has been at National Journal's Technology Daily since its founding in 1998.
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