Lobbying World

• Melida Hodgson has joined Foley Hoag as counsel. Most recently counsel at Miller & Chevalier , Hodgson previously worked at the Justice Department and the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

• Phil Dougherty has joined Strategic Marketing Innovations as an associate. Dougherty previously served as the national director of Wind Powering America at the Energy Department.

{mosads}• Eric Ebenstein has joined the American Electronics Association as a manager and counsel of domestic policy. Dougherty served previously as an attorney at the Transportation Department, and has also worked as an associate at Winget, Spadafora & Schwartzberg and Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays & Handler .

• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has hired Mark Esper as executive vice president and promoted Caroline Joiner to vice president. Esper most recently served as national policy director for former Sen. Fred Thompsonís (R-Tenn.) presidential campaign. He has also worked for the Heritage Foundation and on the staffs of former Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.). Joiner was previously executive director of the Chamberís anti-counterfeiting and -piracy initiative.

• The Business Roundtable has promoted both Brigitte Gwyn and Marian Hopkins to senior director, public policy. Gwyn works primarily on issues such as trade adjustment assistance and trade promotion authority legislation. Hopkins focuses on legislative and lobbying issues relating to homeland security and energy.

• Jim Hoehn has been named executive director of the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research and Institutional Development Awards . Hoehn was previously a senior associate at the foundation. Hoehn replaces Joseph Danek, who will continue to serve as senior adviser and senior vice president at The Implementation Group.

• Jason Kello has joined the Adfero Group as an account supervisor. Previously, Kello worked as communications director for Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) and was a speechwriter for former Sen. George Allen (R-Va.).

• Deborah Fleischaker has joined Families Against Mandatory Minimums as director of state legislative affairs.