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Two New Staffers Accept Hill Jobs
by Heather Greenfield
Rep. Vernon Ehlers, R-Mich., has hired a journalist as his new communications director. Kevan Chapman was a reporter, producer and host for WGVU Public Broadcasting in Grand Rapids before joining Ehlers' staff. He spent five years covering a variety of issues, including state and federal politics, the environment and business.
"Kevan is a skilled communicator with an in-depth understanding of the issues that impact Michigan's Third Congressional District," Ehlers said. "He is a good fit for the role and will help citizens in the 3rd District to better understand the issues in which I am engaged in Washington."
"I am proud to serve Congressman Ehlers in this new role and eager to assume my new duties," Chapman said. "Congressman Ehlers is a strong advocate for the people of West Michigan who he represents in Washington, D.C."
Meanwhile, Jessica Rosenworcel joined the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committeee as a senior legal counsel working on communications and media issues.
Rosenworcel most recently served as senior legal advisor at the Federal Communications Commission to Commissioner Michael Copps, where she worked on media and broadcast issues. Previously, she served as competition and universal service legal advisor to Commissioner Copps. Prior to that, she served as legal counsel to the chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau.
National Association of Manufacturers Hires Trade Expert
Doug Goudie, a Washington trade expert and lobbyist, has been traded to the National Association of Manufacturers. Goudie has been named the NAM's director of international trade policy. Goudie has been manager of legislative affairs at the Automotive Trade Policy Council.
"Doug is both a seasoned trade lobbyist and an expert in trade policy," said Jay Timmons, the NAM's senior vice president of policy and government relations. "Moreover, he has great bipartisan credentials and is known and respected by both sides of the aisle.
As the ATPC's chief trade lobbyist, Goudie worked on a bipartisan basis with Senate and House leadership on a variety of issues impacting the auto industry. Goudie has also been active in supporting manufacturing trade issues at the World Trade Organization.
Government Satellite Provider Gets New Leader
William Shernit is the new president and CEO of Intelsat General Corp., which delivers communications and integrated, satellite-based solutions to the federal government as well as other government and commercial customers.
In a news release Shernit indicated plans to grow from traditional satellite communications services to U.S. government agencies and NATO forces around the globe, as well as a future in satellite-based systems and solutions.
"Intelsat General is well positioned to be a key player and to partner with its customers in the nation's efforts to define and bring assured communications technology to the war on terror, disaster relief, and a broad range of other government and commercial activities," Shernit said.
Shernit comes to Intelsat General after serving over 15 years as president of BAE Systems Information Technology.
CEA Recognizes Digital Patriots
At its Washington Forum, the Consumer Electronics Association honored some tech leaders at its third annual Digital Patriots Dinner last week.
CEA recognized Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., Rep. Zoe Lofgren, Calif., as well as Dell CEO Michael Dell for their contributions in furthering consumer technology.
CEA's Washington Forum is a two day event focusing on key issues affecting consumer technology, including public policy challenges and consumer issues.
"Innovation is fueling our nation's growth, and these Digital Patriots are vital to the success of our digital economy. They are champions of the liberty that comes from unfettered access to the new digital world," said the association's CEO, Gary Shapiro.
Sununu said technology and innovation have made a major impact on society, transforming freedom and the lives of billions worldwide. He added his legislative philosophy was guided by the principles of, "free people, free markets."
Lofgren reminisced about her upbringing in Silicon Valley, noting how the area's technology boom raised the standard of living for the region. Lofgren noted that anytime, anywhere access to content has become the status quo and also said innovation fuels the economy and must not be suppressed.
Dell addressed the need for businesses to adapt to the expanding digital information age, as the population of online global users quickly doubles from one billion to two billion users over the next several years. Dell said, "At the end of the day, this is about innovation and competitiveness. For the U.S. to remain truly competitive long-term, we need to continue to lead in innovation and technology access."
Preparedness Chief Leaves DHS
After 15 months on the job Undersecretary for Preparedness at the Department of Homeland Security George Foresman has resigned to spend more time with his family. He was brought on board just after Hurricane Katrina when DHS's Federal Emergency Management Agency faced criticism for its response to the disaster.
Foresman has more than 20 years experience in state and local emergency preparedness. During his time at DHS he was in charge of the $3 billion first-responder grant program along with the critical infrastructure and cybersecurity programs.
DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff said he regretted seeing Foresman leave. Chertoff said Foresman "helped sharpen the federal government's focus in the areas of infrastructure protection, including the security of chemical facilities, national information technology and telecommunications systems, and he has been instrumental in leading refinements to our grants processes, approaches to risk management, use of biometrics, and communications interoperability."
Before joining DHS, Foresman was former Democratic Virginia Gov. Mark Warner's state preparedness assistant and he also served the previous Republican governor in preparedness.
Quote of the Week:
"They still need some basic tools: A real blog, RSS feeds, less 'shiny,' ditch the annoying splash page, more content, etc. But hopefully that'll change once they find out that being in the pool is better than watching everyone else swimming around, splashing each other, and doing cannon balls off the high-dive."
-- Republican online strategist David All, critiquing Republican presidential candidate John McCain's Web site in a blog posting at Techpresident.com
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