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Homeland Security's New Privacy Chief
by Heather Greenfield
Maybe the third time is the charm for the privacy office at the Homeland Security Department. It has named one of its own lawyers to become its third privacy chief in three years.
Hugo Teufel has been an associate general counsel for the department and was an associate solicitor at the Interior Department. He replaces acting Chief Privacy Officer Maureen Cooney, who leaves in September to become an adviser at Hunton & Williams, a New York law firm.
Cooney took over last fall after Nuala O'Connor Kelly resigned. Kelly had experience as a privacy officer in the Commerce Department, but she took a top privacy job at General Electric.
While Congress created the privacy officer's position in 2002 to make it a watchdog over new technologies and federal security activities, the position has limited independence because the person reports to Homeland Security and not Congress. The limited independence is a concern for privacy advocates who also were hoping for an officer with a strong privacy background.
"We have no personal objection to Mr. Teufel, but we think that professionally he doesn't have the requisite background to be a leading privacy advocate in the federal government," said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Council. "We've had some discussions and will be meeting with him next week and trying to get him involved in the privacy community."
Rotenberg said the position was created by statute and clearly has a role to play in protecting privacy -- especially in light of recent revelations of government surveillance. He said the determination of what is fair and legal falls to the office, and the challenge is that the programs are being pursued by the department that oversees the office.
"We think the top privacy officer needs the ability to push back. He needs to be aggressive, to do oversight, to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests, and also ensure the protection of the Privacy Act," Rotenberg said. "We'd like to see Congress strengthen the office and give it power to pursue subpoenas."
Embarq To Launch Washington Office
Embarq, the country's fifth-largest local communications company, plans to open a Washington office early this month, and David Bartlett will lead the office as the vice president of federal government affairs.
Bartlett brings regulatory and legislative expertise to Embarq from his years of work in the communications industry, most recently as vice president of government affairs at Alltel.
"We are excited to have a person of David's background and experience heading our new Washington, D.C. office," said David Zesiger, Embarq's vice president of regulatory policy and external affairs. "David brings a unique set of skills and knowledge of the industry that will enable the newly independent Embarq to have an immediate impact on the key issues currently being debated in Washington."
McMahon Answers Quest's Request
Qwest Communications International has hired Tom McMahon, a former Capitol Hill press secretary, to be its director of corporate communications and government relations.
McMahon has served as a press secretary in both the House and Senate, first for former Rep. Bill Nichols and later for former Sen. Howell Heflin. Both lawmakers represented McMahon's home state of Alabama. McMahon was most recently vice president of communications and government affairs at WaveCrest Laboratories in Dulles, Va.
"Tom has represented senior members of Congress as well as innovative technology companies," said Gary Lytle, Qwest's senior vice president of federal relations. "We are pleased to have him join our team in Washington and assist in managing the federal issues that affect Qwest and its customers throughout the West and the rest of the nation."
GAGE Hires New Strategist
GAGE Business Consulting and Government Affairs has tapped Rick Jones to be its new vice president of marketing strategy. Jones brings to his new job 24 years of business-development expertise with Intel.
"Working for a Fortune 500 company like Intel presented me with diverse opportunities within the government marketplace, and I look forward to adding my niche skills to the wide range of services that GAGE provides for their clients," Jones said.
Jones began his career in the technology industry, working for RCA and Computer Sciences Corp. before starting with Intel as a consultant in 1982.
"Rick's key role in defining business plans and creating prominent relationships with major [non-governmental organizations] will be a driving asset for this firm and its clients," GAGE founding partner Leo Giacometto said.
Losses And Gains After The Symantec Merger
A Symantec executive is leaving a million-dollar bonus on the table as he departs the company, but Securities and Exchange Commission documents show he made out pretty well.
When Symantec acquired Veritas for $13.5 billion last year, it offered Veritas executive Gary Bloom a sign-on bonus of $5 million to be paid in three installments every six months that he remained on staff. Bloom collected the first $1.66 million payment and then resigned from Symantec a year after the merger, according to former financial reporter Michelle Leder, who analyzes SEC filings.
Leder said that after resigning, Bloom became eligible for $3.5 million in severance benefits, including a salary of $1.5 million, bonus of $1.5 million and an additional $831.781 bonus.
She noted that it is not hard to see why Bloom left. Symantec has been losing customers, and its stock is down more than 50 percent since the merger was announced in late 2004.
Sen. Baucus Honored By Science Coalition
The Science Coalition presented Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., with its 60th "Champion of Science" award for his continued support of federal funding for basic science research.
"As a ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Baucus has proven to be a formidable ally in promoting federal funding for basic science research and a champion for advancing American competitiveness," said Geoffrey Gamble, the president of Montana State University, who presented the award to Baucus at a breakfast ceremony. "He has turned that call into higher levels of appropriation" and has been a "proponent for science education."
The Science Coalition is an alliance of more than 400 organizations and institutions, including Nobel laureates, businesses, voluntary health organizations and scientific societies, led by more than 60 top public and private universities.
The coalition has been an advocate this session for improved mathematics and science education.
Quote Of The Week
"We like to say we're for scientific consensus until it leads to a politically inconvenient solution. Then we want to go to Plan B."
-- House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y., at a hearing on ensuring that lawmakers get unbiased scientific reports.
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