Lobbying World: Consumer Brands Association taps next president and CEO

The Consumer Brands Association has selected Melissa Hockstad as the organization’s new president and CEO effective Jan. 6, 2025. Hockstad joins from the American Cleaning Institute, where she has been president and CEO since 2017. 

Hockstad succeeds David Chavern, who became president and CEO of the American Council of Life Insurers in September. 

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck is adding Beth Beacham White as a shareholder in the government relations department, based in the Washington, D.C., office. She is a Republican National Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee, Federal Election Commission and Environmental Protection Agency alum.

Brownstein also added J. Brady Howell as a senior policy adviser. Howell previously served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee under former Reps. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) and Ed Royce (R-Calif.), who previously chaired the committee and now works at Brownstein. Howell was also previously a senior adviser in the Treasury Department’s Office of Legislative Affairs, where he was the lead legislative liaison for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

Republican adviser Jennifer Haynes is joining Invariant as a director on Nov. 7. Haynes was most recently legislative director for Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and previously worked for Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) and Louisiana GOP Sens. John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy.

Venn Strategies has hired Joe Brady as a vice president in its critical infrastructure practice. Brady was most recently director of government affairs for the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association and previously established the government relations program for the Federation of Tax Administrators. He also previously lobbied for the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Organic Trade Association and is a Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) and former Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) alum.

The Real Estate Technology and Transformation Center launched Wednesday to “bring together leaders from both technology and real estate, leveraging their collective expertise to drive innovation and help address America’s housing challenges.” The organization named Kevin Donnelly as its executive director and chief advocacy officer.