Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's last day at Department of Agriculture was Friday, he said ... McDonald Hopkins announces Intellectual Property Department leadership promotions: Todd Benni to chairman, Patent Practice group; James Dimitrijevs to chairman, Trademark practice group, and he also is vice chairman, Intellectual Property Department; David Movius becomes chairman, Intellectual Property Litigation practice group ... Office of Science and Technology Policy Communications Director-Senior Policy Analyst Kristin Lee's last day at the White House was Friday ... Sequential Technology International hires Kent Mathy, ex-AT&T, as CEO.
Scripps Networks Interactive Chairman-President-CEO Kenneth Lowe appointed chairman of the company's TVN; Scripps Networks Interactive International President Jim Samples, leading TVN since July, named president of the Polish programmer's management board with day-to-day oversight and continues in current job ... Raycom names Mark Bunting, from Alabama's WKRG-TV Mobile and WFNA Gulf Shores, vice president-general manager WSFA Montgomery, succeeding Eric Duncan, who stays with that title at the broadcaster's KXXV Waco, Texas ... Joining Disney is Amit Ziv, ex-Epix, as vice president-strategy and business development, Freeform.
Free Press adding Jessica Gonzalez, leaving National Hispanic Media Coalition, as deputy director-senior counsel, effective Jan. 30 ... Jenner & Block elections to partnership include: Michael Babbitt, Patent Litigation and Counseling and Technology Litigation practices; Alison Stein, Content, Media & Entertainment practice; and Erica Ross, Appellate and Supreme Court; Content, Media and Entertainment; and Government Controversies and Public Policy Litigation practices ... TVFreedom hired Casey Mohan, ex-Hillary for America and NAB, as spokesperson ... Electronic Payments Coalition hires Peter Goelz, ex-Brownstein Hyatt.
Joining Telecommunications Law Professionals is communications lawyer Dennis Corbett, ex-Lerman Senter, as a member ... MusicFIRST Coalition hires Chris Israel, a former George W. Bush administration official who the group says has worked with those promoting a strong copyright system, as executive director ... Morrison & Foerster appoints John Carlin, ex-DOJ, to chairman, Global Risk + Crisis Management practice ... Copyright Office promotes Regan Smith to deputy general counsel ... American Airlines hires Shannon Gilson, ex-director of the FCC Office of Media Relations, as director-public relations.
NAB hires Garrett Levin, ex-aide to Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., as deputy general counsel-intellectual property law and policy, effective Jan. 30 ... At 21st Century Fox, Liba Wenig Rubenstein, ex-Tumblr, becomes senior vice president-social impact, new position; reporting to her are Vijay Sudan and Shira Oberlander, who launched the social impact program in 2013, moving up to vice president-social impact; also reporting to Rubenstein is Tony Safford, who recently returned to the company and was named vice president, FoxGives (see this section of the Dec. 20 issue of this publication) ... Arizona Corporation Commission names Elijah Abinah, who has been assistant director, acting director of the Utilities Division, which had been run on an interim basis by former Commissioner Jeff Hatch-Miller.
New Mexico Public Regulation Commissioner Sandy Jones named chairman; new Commissioner Cynthia Hall named vice chairwoman ... Commissioner Donald Polmann began Thursday on the Florida Public Service Commission, appointed by Gov. Rick Scott (R) to a term ending in January 2021 ... Among those Trump-Pence Presidential Transition Team adds to White House policy team are Zina Bash, Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, for areas including regulatory reform, and Peter White, ex-FCC and FTC and most recently aide to Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., as senior policy analyst ... BakerHostetler adds to Federal Policy team as senior advisers ex-Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., and government affairs consultant James Murphy, ex-Donald J. Trump for President, who has done telecom work.
Intel hired Linda Kinney, ex-NTIA, as managing counsel-product regulatory ... American National Standards Institute adds Mary Saunders, leaving the National Institute of Standards and Technology and former ANSI vice chairwoman, as vice president-government relations and public policy, effective March 1, succeeding Scott Cooper, retired ... Viacom Kids & Family Group Chief Operating Officer Sarah Levy moves to COO of the company's Global Entertainment Group, new position ... Washington Utilities and Transportation Commissioner Philip Jones won't seek a third term after his term ended Jan. 1; Gov. Jay Inslee (D) extended his service until Feb. 28.
ICANN said it promotes Jamie Hedlund to senior vice president-contractual compliance and consumer safeguards, succeeding Allen Grogan, who previously said he was leaving (see 1610050040); Senior Vice President-Global Communications Duncan Burns takes on Hedlund's former responsibilities overseeing U.S. government relations and the Washington office ... Center for Democracy & Technology promotes Michelle De Mooy to director-Privacy & Data Project ... Joining CenturyLink government solutions team are Marcy Palus, ex-Lockheed Martin, as vice president-contracts management, and Kristine Adams, ex-staff assistant to then-Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., who works on special projects ... Keller and Heckman Telecommunications partner Jack Richards retires.
David Nace, who helped found Lukas Nace, Gutierrez & Sachs, left "to explore a wide variety of enjoyable pursuits," it said; the law firm is being renamed Lukas, LaFuria, Gutierrez & Sachs; and it elevated to partner Todd Lantor ... AMD names Amy Wolverton, ex-HTC America, associate vice president-U.S. government affairs, leading U.S. government affairs from Washington ... New to Harris Wiltshire is Sam Walsh, ex-Department of Energy deputy general counsel-energy policy, as a partner.
Named members of the FCC Intergovernmental Advisory Committee for 2017-2019: state executive representative Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy; municipal representatives Bob Fifer, Arvada, Colorado; Andy Huckaba, Lenexa, Kansas; Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh; and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed; county representatives Edwin Lee, San Francisco, and Hans Riemer, Montgomery County, Maryland; city attorney representative Kenneth Fellman, Yuma, Colorado; state legislative representatives Deb Peters, South Dakota; Angelo Puppolo, Massachusetts; and Jason Saine, North Carolina; state public utility commission representative Ronald Brisé, Florida; and tribal representatives Clifford Agee; Chickasaw Nation; Ada, Oklahoma, and James Norton; Yurok Tribe; Klamath, California ... Lobbyist registrations: Akamai Technologies, ATNI, Donuts, Google, INSP, Neustar, TiVo, Perry Bayliss Government Relations, effective Nov. 1; Iridium Communications, effective Dec. 1.