Lobbying World

•The House Energy and Commerce Committee has hired Melissa Froelich, a former lobbyist at the National Retail Federation, as a Republican counsel. The group has lobbied on several issues, including swipe fees, corporate taxes and repealing parts of ObamaCare.

• The digital advocacy firm IMGE recently made two additions to its staff: Anton Vuljaj and Katie Steiner, who will be leading the firm’s advertising and programmatic teams, respectively. Vuljaj comes from Google, where he worked on “political advertising outreach to government officials, candidates, campaigns and issue organizations.” Steiner has worked at Match.com and Time Inc. 

{mosads} • Greenberg Traurig is welcoming back Ernesto Lanza as a shareholder in its public finance practice in Washington. He left the firm in 1991 to hold several senior positions at the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB), most recently serving as the deputy executive director of the self-regulatory organization. In the last 12 months, Greenberg has hired nearly 40 attorneys and lobbyists for its Washington office.

• The Motion Picture Association of America named Joanna McIntosh as its executive vice president for global policy and external affairs. Prior to that, she served as the vice president of federal government relations at Verizon in Washington. She has also worked at the international policy shop at AT&T and within the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

• The American Medical Group Association hired two new lobbyists, including a former aide to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who has a limited circle of former staffers on K Street. Grant Couch and Jamie Miller have joined the organization as directors of government relations. Couch comes from the American Society of Anesthesiologists, and worked for Wyden for six years, handling any healthcare issues that came before the Finance panel. Miller previously worked at Premier Inc., representing about 2,900 hospitals before Congress and Obama. 

• The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) hired two for its public affairs department: Elinore Boeke and Amanda Deatherage, who have joined the group as the director and manager of public affairs, respectively. Boeke has worked for trade groups before, and most recently worked at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. Deatherage comes from DCI Group.