Lobbying world

• Matt Lavoie has started with the National Association of Manufacturers as director of media relations. Lavoie left the office of Rep. Wally Herger (R-Calif.), where he was communications director. He previously worked for Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as a press secretary and for Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) as a press assistant.

• Roetzel & Andress and The Abraham Group have merged. The law firm and the strategic consulting firm, respectively, will become Abraham & Roetzel. The new organization will be co-owned by the two firms and centered at Roetzel’s Washington, D.C., headquarters. They will also keep offices in Columbus, Ohio, and Tallahassee, Fla.

• The Ben Barnes Group and Strategic Partnerships are joining forces to become the Gemini Global Group. The group’s current Texas-based leadership, which includes former Texas Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes and former Texas statewide officeholder Mary Scott Nabers, will specialize in “procurement assistance, government affairs and business development,” according to a press release. The group has offices in Austin, Texas, and Washington, D.C.

• Heather Sibbison, Suzanne Schaeffer and George Skibine have joined SNR Denton. The new hires are part of the firm’s Indian Law and Tribal Representation practice in Washington, D.C. Sibbison has served as counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Environment and Natural Resources within the Justice Department. Schaeffer worked in the Interior Department as the assistant solicitor for environment, land and minerals. Skibine has served as the deputy assistant secretary for management (Indian Affairs) within the Interior Department and is an enrolled member of the Osage Nation of Oklahoma.

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