O'Melveny & Myers hires Thomas Donilon, ex-national security adviser to President Barack Obama, who rejoins law firm as partner, vice chairman and member of Policy Committee … Creative Commons hires Ryan Merkley, ex-Mozilla Foundation, as CEO … Comcast hires Michael Willner, ex-Insight Communications and now at Penthera Partners, as president and CEO of SpinCo, new cable company to be spun off after Comcast’s planned buy of Time Warner Cable and divestment of subscribers to Charter Communications; Charter CEO Tom Rutledge will be SpinCo nonexecutive chairman … Gunderson Dettmer law firm hires Melissa Marks, ex-Boxee, who returns to firm, as associate representing venture capitalists and high-technology companies on tech issues.
AARP promotes Jo Ann Jenkins to CEO, succeeding Barry Rand, effective Sept. 1 … SEC hires Gina Talamona, ex-Justice Department, as communications director … TNCI, telecom provider, hires Victor Flores, ex-Telscape Communications/Sage Telecomm, as vice president-network operations … CellTrust, mobile communication firm, hires Bryan Glancey, ex-Samsung Electronics, as chief technology officer.
Scott Blake Harris, ex-Wilkinson Barker, returns to the law firm that changes its name back to Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis, where he’s chairman … Akin Gump hires Michael Drobac, ex-Patton Boggs, as senior policy adviser-public law and policy practice, working on technology and telecom … NPR hires Michael Beach, ex-Intelsat, as vice president-distribution, overseeing Public Radio Satellite System … Clear Channel Media and Entertainment San Francisco promotes Katie Wilcox to market president, succeeding JD Freeman, retiring.
Comcast hires Ken Klaer, ex-Cisco, as senior vice president-premises technology … LIN Media hires Adrienne Roark, ex-CBS, as president and general manager, KOIN Portland, Oregon … Zayo Group, bandwidth colocation and fiber provider, elects Linda Rottenberg, Endeavor, to board, as directors Tony Downer, Oak Investment Group, and Lawrence Fey, GTCR, resign … Lobbyist registration: Back9Network, pay-TV network, Covington & Burling, effective March 27.
NPR hires Jarl Mohn, ex-Liberty Digital, as president and CEO, succeeding Paul Haaga, acting CEO and president, effective in July … Returning to Wiltshire & Grannis is Amy Richardson, ex-Ellis & Winters, hired as partner, rejoining Government Investigations practice … FCC hires Kim Hart, ex-Neustar, as press secretary to Chairman Tom Wheeler, as commission spokeswoman in Office of Media Relations.
World Intellectual Property Organization names Francis Gurry to second six-year term as director general … Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., promotes Emily Spain to legislative director … SpaceX, spacecraft and launch company, hires John Taylor, leaving Sprint, as director-communications … Comcast’s thePlatform, video publishing company, promotes Marty Roberts and Jamie Miller to co-CEOs, as CEO Ian Blaine becomes strategic adviser … World Teleport Association has newly elected to three-year board terms Robert Kubbernus, Signalhorn, Kian Soon Lim, Singapore Telecommunications, and Jorge Villarreal Schutz, Elara Comunicaciones … Lobbyist registration: British Telecommunications, Hogan Lovells, effective May 1.
Information Technology Industry Council promotes in government affairs Andy Halataei to senior vice president and Vince Jesaitis to vice president … Covington & Burling hires Shara Aranoff, ex-International Trade Commission, as of counsel, intellectual property and international trade practices … Apple Vice President-Worldwide Communications Katie Cotton retiring … i2c, provider of prepaid, mobile and online commerce processing services, hires Scott Salmon, ex-Visa, as general manager-international.
FTC promotes to Bureau of Competition deputy assistant directors: In Anticompetitive Practices Division Barbara Blank and Mark Woodward, in Mergers II Division James Rhilinger, and Kate Walsh in Premerger Notification Office, where Bob Jones promoted to assistant director … Keller and Heckman hires as attorneys in telecom group Al Catalano, with expertise in wireless and other areas, as counsel, and Wes Wright, ex-Intrado, returns to firm, as senior associate, working in Denver … Holland & Knight forms unmanned aerial systems practice, including: Philip Baker-Shenk, Gary Halbert, Charles Naftalin, Joel Roberson, Charles Tobin, Christine Walz and David Whitestone.
Brownstein Hyatt promotes Marc Lampkin to managing partner, Washington office, and co-chairman, Government Relations Department, succeeding Al Mottur, who remains partner and now is focused on his lobbying practice … Internet Society Chief Internet Technology Officer Leslie Daigle leaving, no new plans announced … Gannett’s Broadcasting division hires Deborah Collura, ex-Washington Post Co.’s Post-Newsweek Stations, as president and general manager, WCNC-TV Charlotte … Qualcomm elects Harish Manwani, Unilever, to board … John Seely Brown, ex-Xerox, retires from Corning board.
Gannett board elects Lidia Fonseca, Quest Diagnostics, a member, effective July 1.