Lobbying World: Schumer, Amazon alum to join Crossroads Strategies

Lucy Panza is joining Crossroads Strategies as an executive vice president. A former counsel to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Panza most recently spearheaded Amazon’s outreach efforts to Senate Democrats and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. 

Tiber Creek Group welcomed Jan Beukelman, who was most recently chief of staff to Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.). Carper praised Beukelman as a “critical member of our team” in the announcement, saying, “We will miss him greatly in Carpertown.” Beukelman also previously worked for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and former Reps. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) and Dennis Moore (D-Kan.).

Capitol Counsel announced plans to merge with Salinas & Scism and add Norberto Salinas, former senior counsel on the House Judiciary Committee, and Jason Scism, another Capitol Hill alum who previously led government relations for Blackberry, as partners and co-chairs of the firm’s new judiciary practice.

Michael Falencki, former deputy staff director of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is joining Cornerstone Government Affairs as a principal. His resume includes stints as staff director of House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittees and as a legislative assistant, legislative director and deputy chief of staff to Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.).

Morgan Lorraine Viña is joining Invariant as a principal. She was most recently vice president of government affairs at the Jewish Institute for National Security, and she previously served as chief of staff for international security affairs within the Department of Defense’s Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Viña also served as chief of staff and senior policy adviser to then-U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination.

Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies has hired Rick Van Buren as a senior principal. Van Buren was most recently senior health policy counsel to Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) and is a Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) alum.

Safiya Ghori-Ahmad joined APCO Worldwide in Washington, D.C., as head of global public affairs. Ghori-Ahmad is a former staffer for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and adviser in the State Department’s Office of the Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan under secretaries Hillary Clinton and John Kerry.

McDonald’s promoted Sam Tatevosyan to vice president of federal government relations and global policy and hired Melissa Walsh, most recently vice president of state government affairs at AbbVie, as vice president of U.S. state and local government relations and community & public affairs.

Joshua Friedlander joined the U.S. Travel Association as vice president of research. He was most recently senior vice president of research and economics at the Recording Industry Association of America.

K&L Gates welcomed Drew Tedford as a partner in the firm’s Austin, Texas, office. Tedford was most recently the director of the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs and was previously general counsel and legislative director to state Sen. Bryan Hughes (R).

Adam Grossberg has joined FGS Global as a partner in New York. Grossberg was most recently senior global head for corporate communications at Spotify and was previously a communications executive at CLEAR and WebMD.

Husch Blackwell Strategies’s co-founders have swapped roles: Andy Blunt has been appointed CEO, and Gregg Hartley is now COO. Rochelle Mallett was named executive vice president for state government affairs and Stacy McBride, former chief of staff and committee staff director to former Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), will be executive vice president of federal government affairs.

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck promoted three members of its D.C. team to senior policy advisers: Kate Gonzales, former legislative aide to then-Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.); Adam Steinmetz, a former policy adviser on the House Budget Committee; and Sage Schaftel, former legal counsel to former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D).