Personnel Notes

The technology industry group TechAmerica announced Friday they have added three new hires to their lobbying team.

“We’ve added three accomplished professionals who will bring a great depth of expertise across the complete range of technology and economic policy issues affecting American innovation,” said TechAmerica President and CEO Phil Bond.

Kevin Richardson will take the lead on the group's lobbying of Congress and the Obama administration after previously serving as senior manager of federal government relations at Symantec Corp. He spent 13 years on the staff of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), rising to the position of senior economic policy adviser.

Christopher Badgley will take over TechAmerica's efforts to reach out to state governments. He previously spent more than 10 years at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers or America (PhRMA), where he helped develop the group's public policy platforms.

Finally, Vicki Hadfield will join TechAmerica as senior vice president for global public policy, where she will coordinate the group's positions on international policy issues. She previously served as North American president of the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI).

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) released the names of the rest of the committee's staff members for the upcoming session of Congress late on Wednesday.

Upton previously announced the appointment of staff director Gary Andres as well as several other senior committee staff members.

"[The staff's] knowledge and expertise will be critical as Energy and Commerce takes the lead to foster a new era of job growth, repeal the budget-busting health law, fight rampant regulations, fortify our energy security, cut spending, and reduce the size of government," Upton said.

The full list of staff members can be found after the jump.

Yul Kwon, the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) only staffer who has starred in and won a season of the reality show "Survivor," has decided to ship out.

Kwon, a deputy chief in the agency's consumer bureau for more than a year, is returning to television, hosting an upcoming PBS miniseries titled "America Revealed."

Before joining the FCC, Kwon served as an aide to Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), held positions at Google and at McKinsey & Co. and worked as an attorney in private practice.

Kwon won a season of "Survivor" based in the Cook Islands.

About "America Revealed," per a PBS release: "Using aerial footage, high-definition video and real-time satellite data, this new miniseries traces the movements and communications that miraculously come together to manufacture goods, transport people and materials, grow tons of food and power our increasingly tech-savvy nation. Produced by award-winning Lion Television, the series is slated to air Fall 2011 on PBS."

David Hunt was officially named Federal Communications Commission inspector general Monday after holding the position on an interim basis since June 2009.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced Hunt's appointment Monday and praised him for detecting and preventing waste, fraud and abuse.

“During the time he served as Acting IG, David and his team have been instrumental in working with us to uncover millions of dollars of fraud in federally funded programs, and helping to obtain numerous indictments and criminal convictions nationwide,” Genachowski said.

Hunt joined the FCC IG's office in 2006 as assistant inspector general for investigations, where he received the FCC's Gold Award. He joined the FCC in 1996 and served as senior attorney in enforcement bureau from 1999-2006.

He received a B.A. from George Washington University and a J.D. from Georgetown University. Before entering law school, Hunt ran his own computer firm building software and hardware systems for the healthcare industry.

National Association of Broadcasters vice president for media relations Kristopher Jones is leaving to take a position with News Corporation.

Jones told reporters Friday will be his last day before he joins member company News Corp. on Monday as director of government relations. He has been at NAB since 2005.

News Corp. owns Fox broadcast network, numerous cable channels including Fox News, FX, Fox Sports Net etc., as well as newspapers (Wall Street Journal, New York Post), websites (MySpace, Hulu) and publishing houses (Harper Collins).

News Corp. is owned by Australian media tycoon Rupert Murdoch and attracted Democrats' ire in August for donating $1 million to the Republican Governors Association.

The media giant also drew headlines for its standoff with Cablevision over carriage rates for the Fox network, which caused millions of New York-area viewers to miss part of the World Series.

The Motion Picture Association of America announced several promotions on Thursday of personnel in charge of enforcing copyright protections.

Mike Robinson has been promoted to executive vice president of content protection and chief of operations, while Kevin Suh has been named senior vice president of content protection on the Internet.

Suh will continue to report to Robinson who, in turn, reports to senior vice president and chief content protection officer Daniel Mandil.

Robinson will continue to lead the movie industry group's efforts to combat film piracy around the globe by working to ensure enforcement organizations funded by the MPAA are coordinated and focused on the organization's goals.

The Motion Picture Association of America announced Wednesday that Paul Brigner has been named senior vice president and chief technology policy officer.

In his new role Brigner will take the lead for the movie industry trade group on technology issues affecting the protection of intellectual property. He will participate in the development of industrywide content standards for streaming digital video.

Brigner will report to MPAA interim CEO Bob Pisano and begin his new job Jan. 10.

“Paul’s depth and breadth of experience will be crucial as he helps steer our members through a rapidly changing technological landscape," Pisano said. "With his counsel, we will continue to strike a balance between protecting the intellectual property rights of our members and our continuing desire to provide fans around the world with the content they enjoy in the format of their choice. We are delighted that Paul has joined our team."

Brigner most recently served as executive director of Internet and technology policy for Verizon, where he held several senior management positions since joining the firm in 2001. He previously worked for technology firms Digital Focus and Cambridge Technology Partners.

Brigner holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and is working to finish an MBA from George Washington University's McDonough School of Business. He graduated summa cum laude from Stephen F. Austin State University and served in the United States Army.

Federal Communications Commission press secretary Jen Howard is leaving the agency to take a senior communications role at the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

"Working with the dedicated, brilliant FCC staff and the tireless, talented reporters who cover us has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life," Howard said in an e-mail to reporters on Thursday. "I am so proud of everything the agency has accomplished and I couldn't be more grateful to Chairman [Julius] Genachowski for the opportunity to be a part of his team at such an exciting time."

Howard's last day will be Jan. 14. Her departure comes on the heels of the impending resolution of several longstanding issues for the FCC, including the passage of Genachowski's net-neutrality plan and the forthcoming approval of Comcast's proposed acquisition of NBC Universal.

Incoming House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) released the names of the incoming senior staff on Wednesday. 

"I am thrilled with the talented team we have for the Energy and Commerce Committee — some are continuing their service while others are returning to public service at this most critical time," said Upton.

"Their knowledge and expertise will be crucial as Energy and Commerce takes the lead to repeal the job-killing health law, cut spending, fight rampant regulations, reduce the size of government and fortify our energy security."

The individuals listed after the jump will serve under previously announced staff director Gary Andres.

Incoming House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) announced Tuesday that Gary Andres, a former White House staff member under President George H.W. Bush, will serve as staff director for the committee in the next Congress.

Upton said in his new role, Andres will take a lead role on the Republicans' efforts to repeal the White House's healthcare bill. The GOP is also expected to fight any new climate change regulations, and the committee should serve as ground zero for those confrontations.

"For over two decades, Gary has been a leading voice in Republican policy, always seeking solutions to advance our principles to limit the size and scope of government," Upton said in a statement.

"Gary knows how to focus like a laser beam to get the job done. He is one of the most respected, most knowledgeable individuals in Republican policy who has advised Presidents and Republican Leaders through the years and has the demeanor and relationships to help advance our agenda."

Andres previous served as deputy assistant for legislative affairs to the first President Bush and was an adviser to President George W. Bush's transition team. He currently services as vice chairman of public policy and research at the lobbying firm Dutko World Wide. He has also served as a columnist for The Weekly Standard Online, Politico, National Review, and Roll Call.

Andres is also a research fellow at the American University Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies and holds a Ph.D. in public policy from the University of Illinois-Chicago. He previously served vice president for Washington research at Prudential Securities and executive director of federal relations at Southwestern Bell Corp.