Lobbying World

• Patricia McMurray has joined Quinn Gillespie & Associates as director of the firm’s communications practice. A former television news producer, McMurray served most recently as director of Burson-Marsteller’s media practice.

• Frances Fragos Townsend, who served as President Bush’s homeland security adviser, was named senior adviser and outside consultant to Tom Donohue, the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Townsend, who was the U.S. Coast Guard’s first assistant commandant for intelligence, advises corporations on global strategic risk and contingency planning.

{mosads}• John O’Neill, who was a senior policy adviser to former Senate Republican Whip Trent Lott (Miss.), has joined Venable LLP as partner in the firm’s lobbying practice. Prior to joining the whip’s office, he served as counsel to then-Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on tax and pension issues.

• Alex Kaplan has joined Swiss Re as vice president in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. Kaplan comes from U.S. Treasury Department, where he served as deputy to the assistant secretary of legislative affairs.

• Sean O’Hollaren has been promoted to senior vice president of global government relations for Honeywell , succeeding Tim Keating in the job.

• Chris Colwell has joined McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP as a senior adviser in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. Colwell comes from the Biotechnology Industry Organization , where he served as director of healthcare regulatory affairs. He was a staffer to former Rep. James Greenwood (R-Pa.) and a lobbyist for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America .

• Michael Wm. Schick has joined Adfero Group as partner. Schick comes from Porter Novelli , where he served as senior vice president for the past five years. He was head of communications at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform.

• Stuart J. Kaswell has joined Bryan Cave as a partner in the law firm’s Washington office. He will focus on white-collar defense, securities litigation and corporate finance.