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Entertained By The Investment Industry
by Heather Greenfield
The founding president of the Entertainment Software Association is leaving after 12 years to launch a new trade association in the investment industry.
Doug Lowenstein will stay at ESA into early 2007 to help with the transition. The association says it will begin a full executive search for a replacement immediately. "Like our industry, the ESA has grown and matured and is now stronger and more robust than ever before," Lowenstein said. "The future of videogames and its trade association is very bright indeed."
Lowenstein joined what was then known as the Interactive Digital Software Association in 1994. The name of the organization was changed to ESA in 2003 to more accurately describe the industry that the group represents.
During Lowenstein's tenure, industry revenues grew from about $3 billion to more than $10 billion. ESA grew from two employees at launch to 32 employees working on a range of programs, from anti-piracy enforcement and intellectual property policy to government and media relations and research.
ESA Chairman Robbie Bach, the president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, thanked Lowenstein for his service and for building ESA "into a very effective and influential trade association fully and articulately representing the interests of our members.
"He leaves behind a tremendous record of accomplishments, which provides us with the foundation for continued growth and success," Bach said.
Senate, House Leaders Build Their Staffs
Information Technology Industry Council lobbyist Ryan Peebles will be a whip liaison for Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi in the new Republican whip's office. Peebles is from Mississippi and used to work for the senator.
Lott also has moved his senior policy adviser, Manny Rossman, over from his personal office to become chief of staff to the whip's office. Two other personal Lott staffers Lauren Bellman and Annie Estrada, will become staff assistants.
Susan Wells, who has been the staff director for the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, will become the whip office's staff director. Alexander Polinsky also will move from Rules to be the counsel for Senate floor proceedings.
And Lott has nabbed Amy Swonger, the legislative affairs assistant to Vice President Richard Cheney, as a whip liaison, and John O'Neill will move from the Senate Finance Committee to become policy director.
New Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, meanwhile, has chosen Jon Henke as new media director for the Republican communications office. Henke, who briefly held a similar position last year for the failed re-election campaign of Sen. George Allen, R-Va., announced the hiring at The QandO Blog.
In the House, meanwhile, incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has a new chief of staff in Peter Cleveland. He has worked as Pelosi's legislative director for three years and previously worked for former Sen. Chuck Robb, D-Va.
Cleveland replaces Mark Kadesh, who took a job as a partner at the Bartlett, Bendall and Kadesh law firm. Pelosi said Kadesh has the rare combination of "book smarts and street smarts."
Howard Gantman, Pelosi's communications director for the past eight years, will become the staff director of the House Rules Committee.
"This is a critical time for the committee, and I am hopeful we can pass major ethics, lobby and earmark reform, as well as reform of our nation's electronic voting system," Pelosi said. "It is a robust agenda and a critical one. Howard is the right person for this job."
EFF Board Gains Computer Security Expert
Edward Felten will be charting a new frontier as a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation's board.
Felten, a Princeton University computer science professor, is credited with mapping the vulnerabilities in anti-piracy technology installed on Sony BMG musical compact discs in 2005. He also recently demonstrated the ability to manipulate results on a Diebold e-voting machine -- showing that the equipment could be extremely vulnerable to "vote-stealing" attacks.
"My research and EFF's work have often intersected over the years," Felten said, "and I'm very pleased to take the next step and join the board as we strive to keep the digital world innovative, free, and secure."
Felten was the lead expert witness for the Justice Department in the Microsoft antitrust case. He also has testified before the Senate Commerce Committee on digital television technology and regulation, and before the House Administration Committee about e-voting. In 2004, Scientific American magazine named Felten to its list of 50 worldwide science and technology leaders.
In 2001, Felten and EFF sued the Recording Industry Association of America and the Secure Digital Music Initiative in a case challenging the constitutionality of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. EFF honored Felten with a Pioneer Award in 2005, which recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to the development of computer-mediated communications. He previously served on EFF's advisory board.
NAM 'Manufacturing Czar' Retires
The National Association of Manufacturers is losing its "manufacturing czar." That description comes from NAM President John Engler, who said he was "saddened to hear of the resignation of Assistant Secretary of Manufacturing and Services Al Frink."
Engler said Frink was "a stalwart advocate for the industry" during his two years at NAM. Frink oversaw the implementation of 35 of the 57 recommendations from the Manufacturing in America Report in April 2004. That includes the creation of the Manufacturing Council, which helped bridge communication between the industry and the federal government.
"Frink played an instrumental role in putting manufacturing issues at the forefront of the nation's policy debate," Engler said.
"As a former manufacturer and the point person for this powerful industry, Frink brought an 'outside the Beltway' focus to Washington," Engler said. "He tapped the pulse of manufacturers by logging many miles and hours to reach our members' plants and hear their stories."
"All manufacturers owe him a debt of gratitude for his service," Engler said.
U.S. Telecom Members Choose Officers
It's a new year, and the U.S. Telecom Association has a new board of directors and officers -- except for the chairman, who will stay.
"New technologies and evolving business opportunities are rapidly changing the telecom sector," said Skip Frantz, the chairman of Windstream and of the group's board. "In this environment, it is important for industry leaders to be able to work together through our trade association to advance our common goals." Frantz just completed a one-year term as U.S. Telecom chairman and will continue in that role in 2007.
Other officers for the association's board are: Vice Chairman Ron McCue, the vice president of Silver Star Communications; Secretary James Cicconi, the senior executive vice president of external and legislative affairs at AT&T; and Treasurer Albert Kramer, the senior vice president of operations for D&E Communications.
Quote Of The Week
"I want all of you journalists locked up, especially anybody who's ever written an article saying I was doing a lousy job."
-- Incoming Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, answering a question on C-Span about whether there should be a federal shield law protecting journalists' sources.
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