• Neal Cohen has been named senior vice president for external affairs at the Nuclear Energy Institute, beginning on Jan. 1. He will be responsible for developing and managing the government affairs and communications functions at the industry group. Cohen spent the last 30 years at APCO Worldwide.
• Mayer Brown hired David A. Simon from law firm Sidley Austin to serve as a partner in the Washington office. From 2011 to 2015, Simon served as special counsel to the Defense Department’s general counsel, advising on cybersecurity policy and economic sanctions involving Ukraine and the Middle East, among other issues.
{mosads}• Katie Beirne Fallon has joined Hilton as a senior vice president and global head of corporate affairs and will serve on the executive committee. Fallon most recently served as the director of legislative affairs at the White House for President Obama. Before that, she held various senior roles for Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).
• Jim Massie, who helped found the lobbying firm Alpine Group, has started his own firm called Massie Government Relations. Massie says the offshoot was made “in anticipation of the new Trump Administration and the 115th Congress,” according to a release. Massie, in his solo shop, will be “co-located” with Alpine Group “and is designed to unlock further growth and expand the scope of client services both organizations provide.”
• Carola McGiffert will join BGR Group as a managing director in January. She is the founder and CEO of the US-China Strong Foundation, a nonprofit organization that encourages relations between the U.S. and China by boosting Mandarin language learning and study abroad programs. She previously served as a senior adviser at the State Department and also worked at the think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
• Heather Podesta + Partners has brought on a senior House Republican strategist, Annie Palisi. She most recently served as the director of special projects on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce under Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.). Prior to that, she served as deputy director of member services for former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and as chief of staff to Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.).