People: November 23, 1999 ?
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	Meet And Greet The Chiefs 

?????"People are very confused out there in America today about their 
choices," said Federal Communications Commission Chairman William Kennard 
before presenting the staffs of the agency's nascent bureaus Friday. "It's 
important to reconnect with the consumers and get a feedback loop." And in an 
attempt to clear up this confusion and streamline the agency's function over 
the next five years, Kennard has enlisted a top-notch staff for the Consumer 
Information and Enforcement Bureaus. 
?????Coming from the Federal Trade Commission where she was the director of 
the Office of Congressional Relations, Lorraine C. Miller was named the 
Consumer Information Bureau's chief. 
?????"I had to almost wrestle Bob Pitofsky for her out at the FTC," Kennard 
said. "She has a Rolodex second to none in the area." 
?????Joining Miller as deputy chiefs are Karen Peltz Strauss and Pam 
Hairston. On the enforcement side, David Solomon, who was formerly the FCC's 
deputy general counsel, will head the bureau. 
?????"He is one of the most disciplined people I know," Kennard said, 
reflecting on the days he worked with Solomon in the general counsel's 
office. "I remember every day at 6:30 he would water his plants." 
?????Jane Mago and Brad Berry will assist Solomon as deputy chiefs of the 
enforcement bureau. 
	
?????Sen. Chuck Robb, D-VA, stole the show Friday at a technology forum 
hosted by CapNet. As the guest speaker, Robb led the discussion on such 
topics as R&D tax credits, workforce shortages (Robb worked with CapNet on 
his H-1T visa proposal) and the ways technology can stimulate the economy. 
?????The forum was held at the offices of Reed, Smith, Hazel and Thomas in 
Falls Church, VA, and those attending the event included Susan Defife, 
president and CEO of womenCONNECT.com, Scott Silverthorne and Covad lobbyist 
Tim Powderly. Representatives from America Online and Dittus Communications 
were also in attendance. 
?????Also on CapNet's plate is an educational tour of Northern Virginia 
companies with Congressional Black Caucus members. The tour has been in the 
making for a few months, as organizers on both sides hoped to meet before the 
new millennium. But that was not in the cards, as technology executives and 
CBC members have had difficulty coordinating their busy schedules, resulting 
in a post-New Year's tour date. CBC Chairman Rep. James Clyburn, D-SC, 
continues to work on making the tech tour a reality as soon as possible. 
?????"He has identified the need to engage the corporate community in a 
better working relationship with the Caucus," said CBC Policy Director Andrea 
Martin. "He will often ask do we want headlines or headway. He's a behind the 
scenes kind of guy and a take charge kind of guy." 
	
?????Who keeps whom waiting? Rep. Tom Davis, R-VA, was seen pacing outside a 
hotel ballroom last Tuesday before a Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce 
technology breakfast. He said he came to the 7:30 a.m. event so he could 
catch Federal Communications Commission chief William Kennard before the 
chairman addressed the Virginia high-tech business community. Davis wouldn't 
specify what he needed to discuss with Kennard beyond saying that a number of 
his Northern Virginia constituents have business pending before the FCC. 
Kennard showed up late and Davis had to wait out the entire breakfast until 
after the speech to get a word in with the communications chief. 
	
?????Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, fresh from a sweeping GOP victory in the Old 
Dominion's November elections, was elected vice-chair of the Republican 
Governors Association on Friday. Gilmore, the chair of the Advisory 
Commission on Electronic Commerce and an outspoken anti-Internet tax 
advocate, recently led the GOP's takeover of the state Legislature for the 
first time since Reconstruction. In his new role of vice-chairman, Gilmore 
will help campaign nationwide in support of Republican gubernatorial 
candidates and increase his fundraising efforts, RGA spokesmen said. North 
Dakota Governor Ed Schafer was elected as chairman, a role Gilmore will 
overtake after his yearlong stint in the second-man spot. 
	
?????Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, D-CA, has decided what's good for the East 
Coast is good for the West Coast. Dipping into her current pool of employees, 
Lofgren promoted special counsel John Flannery to Washington chief of staff 
and hired Sandra Soto as her District chief of staff in San Jose. "John has 
been an invaluable asset over the past year as Special Counsel, particularly 
on technology issues so important to Silicon Valley as well as during the 
impeachment proceedings," Lofgren said in a statement. "My office has truly 
benefited form his extensive legal and legislative experience(on everything 
from encryption to Y2K." Flannery joined Lofgren's staff last fall after 
several years of serving as special counsel to the House Education and Work 
Force Committee, House Judiciary Committee, former Sen. Howard Metzenbaum, 
D-OH, and the Senate Labor Committee over a 16 year period. As for Soto, 
Lofgren expects her to be "a key figure in bridging the gap between 
neighborhoods in need and Silicon Valley." 
	
?????Technology Network Texas corralled a group of high-tech cowboys for 
another one of its recruitment breakfasts Friday Nov. 12. The event, hosted 
by Texas Instruments CEO Tom Engibous, drew Sabre General Counsel Andy 
Steinberg, venture capitalist Steve Papermaster, iSong CEO Guy Hoffman, 
Austin Ventures principal Brian Goffman, iStation.com CEO George Grayson and 
about 30 others to discuss the condition of education in the Lone Star state. 
	
?????The final chapter in the Justice Department's antitrust case against 
Microsoft won't necessarily be Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson's final ruling. 
Publisher McGraw-Hill is prepared to release the premiere book on the case 
the moment the trial is complete, Publishers Weekly reported. In 
collaboration with The New York Times' book development unit, McGraw-Hill has 
commissioned the Times' two chief Microsuit correspondents to pen the 
account. As the trial has unfolded Steve Lohr and Joel Brinkley have been 
working on the project. But for now the publishers and authors will have to 
exercise patience and see how the story is going to end before the books are 
bound. 
	
?????It's official. Commerce Secretary William Daley has sworn in Greg Rohde 
as assistant secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and 
administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration. "Greg Rohde's vast experience in the legislative arena, 
particularly his significant experience in dealing with telecommunications 
and technology issues, will decidedly be an asset to me and to the Commerce 
Department as we work towards the administration's goals of bringing the 
benefits of Information Technology to all Americans," Daley said in a 
statement. Formerly the chief policy advisor to Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-ND, 
Rohde will be responsible for designing policies to stimulate the growth of 
telecommunications and information industries. 
	
?????Clarence Crawford is agency hopping from the Office of Management and 
Budget to the Patent and Trademark Office. Formerly the OMB's associate 
director of administration, Crawford has been pegged associate commissioner 
and chief financial officer at the PTO. Newly-appointed PTO Commissioner and 
Assistant Secretary of Commerce Q. Todd Dickinson noted that Crawford's 
"superlative record of government service" will be of great use to the agency 
as it faces future challenges. While at the OMB, Crawford was the key advisor 
to OMB Director Jacob Lew on internal management issues and working on such 
programs as the budget and information technology. Crawford's road to the PTO 
has been an interesting one holding a multitude of positions with the General 
Accounting Office, the Internal Revenue Service and where he began his career 
as an officer of the law: the Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department.