Personnel Notes

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is bringing in a former federal prosecutor to lead its enforcement division.

Andrew Ceresney, a former New York prosecutor, will join his friend, current Acting Director George Canellos, as a co-director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement.

“George and Andrew are two of the best lawyers and finest people I know," said SEC Chairwoman Mary Jo White in a statement. "They are a perfect combination to lead the talented Enforcement Division professionals who protect investors and keep our markets safe and vibrant."

White started her tenure at the agency this month after a speedy confirmation in the Senate. The appointment of Ceresney is her first major personnel move.

Citi has added a former top official with the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to its government affairs team.

Kimberley Claman, who previously served as deputy assistant USTR for financial services, has joined the bank as a senior vice president for its international government affairs team.

According to an internal posting from Citi, Claman's new role will have her representing the bank's interests in its dealings with officials from U.S. and foreign governments, and "support Citi executives and colleagues interacting and building relationships with key government partners and officials."

"As you can see, Kimberley’s unique depth of knowledge and expertise in working with governments and the private sector on global financial issues will provide Citi and its customers with an important perspective on key trade and international affairs issues," wrote Candi Wolff, Citi's head of global government affairs.

Former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) has joined the lobbying firm Carmen Group.

Kerrey, who lost a bid to return to the Senate last year, will work as a client project leader for the firm as contracted through his corporate entity, Kerrey & Co. The firm said he will be directing “projects of significant merit and scale across a variety of industries.”

Geoff Freeman will take over the American Gaming Association this summer.

One of the top government officials charged with overseeing the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) has joined the law firm Venable LLP.

The firm announced Friday that it had hired Michael Rivera, formerly the chief investigative counsel for the Special Inspector General for TARP (SIGTARP), as a partner in its Washington office. Rivera will be joining the firm's SEC and white collar defense group.

While at SIGTARP, Rivera was responsible for guiding the watch dog's investigative oversight efforts, managing over 150 investigations into fraud and misconduct under the massive bank bailout program.

“Anyone who questions whether the government successfully pursued wrongdoing related to the economic crisis need only review Mike Rivera’s resume. He led what was arguably one of the country’s most significant government investigative and prosecutorial initiatives in history,” said Geoffrey Garinther, who chairs Venable’s litigation practice group. “Mike has exceptional experience handling criminal and civil investigations, including 17 years in private practice at a major international law firm defending companies and executives facing government investigations."

Richard Hertling will work for the firm’s global public policy and government affairs practice.

Mary Schapiro, the former head of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), is joining a private consulting firm as managing director.

The longtime public servant is now stepping into the private sector, joining the Promontory Financial Group LLC in its Washington office, according to The Wall Street Journal.

While the firm is known for hiring a host of former regulators — more than one-quarter of its full-time employees spent time at regulatory agencies — Schapiro shot down any notion that she was engaging in the widely criticized "revolving door" of government workers joining private firms and vice versa.

"In my case, there's no revolving door…I won't ever be going back to government," she told the Journal.

Two Wall Street executives are under consideration for a top spot at the Treasury Department.

Raymond McGuire, who oversees mergers and acquisitions at Citigroup and Orin Kramer, a general partner at Boston Provident, are leading the list to become deputy Treasury secretary, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

President Obama and newly tapped Treasury Secretary Jack Lew want to fill the position with someone who holds financial markets expertise to work in tandem with Lew's career, which has primarily focused on governmental budgetary policy.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) is shuffling his top staff, placing long-term colleagues at the top of the hierarchy.

The White House has nominated Fred Hochberg to serve a second four-year term at the Export-Import Bank to help achieve its export goals.

Hochberg, who has held the position since May 2009 and also serves on the President's Export Council, led the agency through a tough reauthorization fight last year, and is expected to boost the Obama administration's chances of doubling U.S. exports by the end of 2014.

Nearly a year ago, President Obama signed legislation to renew the bank's charter for three years and raise the limit on the total financing the bank can guarantee, to $140 billion from $100 billion.