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Republican Will Head Recording Industry
by Ted Leventhal
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced on Monday that it has selected Mitch Bainwol, the former executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and a longtime senior Senate staffer, to succeed Hilary Rosen as its new chairman and chief executive officer.
In a statement, RIAA President Cary Sherman praised Bainwol's "strong background and experience" as an asset for the association as it moves forward "on the important issues facing our industry at this crucial time."
"What could be more rewarding than helping to promote two great American traditions: music and property rights?" Bainwol said in a statement. He assumes his new post in September.
For months, many key Republicans have been rumored to be candidates for the position, including former Rep. Susan Molinari of New York, former Republican National Committee Chairman Rich Bond and John Buckley, a Republican now with AOL Time Warner. Asked by National Journal magazine on May 17 if he was interested in the RIAA position, Bainwol said he didn't "intend to be a candidate."
Bainwol previously was a registered lobbyist with Clark & Weinstock, representing AT&T, Microsoft and Vivendi Universal, among others. He opened his own consulting firm, the Bainwol Group, in May, and his clients there included Oracle.
Landing the top position at RIAA is the latest in a string of accomplishments for Bainwol in Washington. As director of the NRSC, Bainwol was the chief strategist behind GOP efforts to retake the Senate in 2002 and presided over its $80 million war chest. Subsequently, he served as chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., until May.
Bainwol started his political career during the Reagan administration as an analyst in the White House Office of Management and Budget. Later, he spent nine years as chief of staff to Sen. Connie Mack, R-Fla. He also was a leadership staff director, chief of staff of the Republican National Committee and executive director of the Republican platform during the 2000 election.
Caucus Creates E911 Think Tank
The congressional caucus focused on "enhanced 911" service for pinpointing the locations of emergency calls placed on cellular phones on Monday launched the E9-1-1 Institute.
The institute will pool the talents of public-safety organizations, industry and academia to provide public outreach on E911 issues. "The institute will function as our think tank on E911 issues, provide administrative support to the caucus and assist us in working with the private sector," Sen. Conrad Burns, a Montana Republican who is one of four co-chairs for the Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus, said in a statement.
Telecommunications industry representatives on the institute's board are Brian Fontes of Cingular Wireless, Susanne Guyer of Verizon Communications and Raymond Roman of Motorola.
AOL Hires New Chief Tech Officer
John McKinley, the former chief technology officer of Merrill Lynch and GE Capital, is moving to America Online to become CTO and president of AOL Technologies. AOL noted in its announcement that McKinley will guide the company's technology agenda "as it moves aggressively into areas like broadband, wireless and premium services."
"John has an extraordinary reputation as a strategic thinker and has an intuitive grasp for how new and existing technologies can address the needs of the consumer," AOL Vice Chairman Joe Ripp said in a statement. "John has helped some of the largest companies in the world implement ambitious technological efforts while maintaining strong discipline."
In other industry news, the security firm Universal Guardian has named former White House cyber-security adviser Richard Clarke to its board. Clarke was a senior national security adviser for the last three presidential administrations. He currently consults for ABC News, serves on the board of the new Civitas consulting firm on security and is chairman of Good Harbor Consulting, also a homeland security firm.
Changes At The White House And Beyond
President Bush nominated Michelle Van Cleave of California to become national counter-intelligence executive. Van Cleave currently is a special assistant to the Defense undersecretary for policy, having joined the Defense Department from National Security Concepts.
During the 105th Congress, she was staff director and chief counsel for Senate Judiciary Technology, Terrorism and Government Information Subcommittee. She also has served as general counsel and assistant director for national security affairs in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Elsewhere in the executive branch, R. Hewitt Pate, the Justice Department's assistant attorney general for antitrust, has tapped Makan Delrahim to be deputy assistant attorney general for international policy and appellate matters. Delrahim is the staff director and majority counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which he first joined as majority counsel in 1998.
From 1992 to 1995, Delrahim was a technology-licensing analyst with the Office of Technology Transfer in the National Institutes of Health. And in 1994, he helped negotiate international intellectual property rights with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. In a statement, Pate said Delrahim's credentials make him an "unprecedented asset" to the antitrust division.
Bruce Artim, a member of Hatch's staff since 1992 and currently committee counsel covering health care, intellectual property and international trade issues, will replace Delrahim on Senate Judiciary. Artim has a law degree from Indiana University and a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
And Emily Willeford, special assistant for legislative and public affairs to FCC Commissioner Kevin Martin, is leaving the commission to return to the White House. Previously, Willeford was an aide at the National Economic Council in the White House. She came to Washington after working as a legal assistant with the Bush presidential campaign in Austin, Texas.
"Emily has been my point person for intergovernmental and industry relations, as well as my liaison on press matters," Martin said in a statement. "I thank her profoundly for her wise counsel and hard work."
Austin Or Bust
While many people have migrated from Austin to Washington since Bush became president, Caroline Dietz is leaving Dittus Communications in Washington for the capital of the Lone Star State. "Being a native and virtually lifelong Washington [resident], I thought I'd check out the heart of Texas for a little while," she said in an e-mail sent Monday to friends and colleagues.
Dittus currently is on the job market but shows potential as a booster for the city. "And if I'm not enough to get you to come to Texas, just remember that my future home is not only number one on Forbes' 'Best Place for Business and Careers,' but is also ranked at the top of the 'Best City for Singles' list!"
Security Alliance To Open Offices
The Homeland Security Leadership Alliance, a nonprofit organization representing government and private-sector interests in the homeland security field, now boasts 200 members and plans to open offices soon in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, Politicalmoneyline.com reports.
The group's board includes leaders of venture-capital firms interested in security, including Hilary Goldstone, president of the Millennium Financial Advisory Group, and Michael Steed, managing director of the Paladin Capital Group.
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