Auto Alliance Chief Drops 'Acting' From Title

Among the firm's clients: the city of Fort Worth; the Shinnecock Indian Nation; Source One Distributors, a military hardware supplier; and Precision Metalforming Association.

Mark Robertson , president of Williams Mullen Strategies, noted there are folks also joining the lobby shop. Joy Lombard has signed on as vice president for state government affairs. Previously, she was director of policy for the Virginia Association of Health Plans and government relations manager for the American Cancer Society of Virginia. Thomas P. Cassidy , who ran the D.C. law office of New Jersey's Nowell Amoroso Klein & Bierman , has joined as vice president, focusing on financial services and health care issues.

Changes at the National Mining Association

Leaving . . . John E. Shelk, senior vice president for government affairs at the National Mining Association, is leaving for the Electric Power Supply Association, which has named him chief executive. Earlier, he was Republican counsel to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Arriving . . . Craig Montesano has left the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where he was a congressional affairs specialist, for the National Mining Association, where he is director of government affairs for energy and environment issues.

Comings and Goings

Also moving around about town . . . Jennifer Grodsky , former legislative director for Rep. Hilda L. Solis (D-Calif.), has left the Hill to head the new federal relations office in Washington of the University of Southern California. She graduated from USC in 1997, majoring in political science and psychology.

Deborah J. Vagins , previously acting deputy general counsel for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, has joined the Washington legislative office of the American Civil Liberties Union as policy counsel for civil rights and civil liberties.

Her work at the ACLU will cover such issues as religious liberty, free speech, voting rights and an independent judiciary, among others.

Matt Gobush has left Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) for Exxon Mobil, where he is manager for executive communications. Earlier, he served as communications director for the Democratic staff of the House International Relations Committee and as national security spokesman and speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore's presidential campaign.

Glenn S. Ruskin is joining the American Chemical Society as director of its office of legislative and government affairs. Most recently, he was vice president for public affairs for Solutia Inc. and earlier worked for Ciba-Geigy Corp.

The Lupus Foundation of America brought on board Pricilla Chatman as vice president for public policy and government relations. Chatman previously was director of government relations and policy for the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.

Milo Cividanes , formerly a partner at DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary , has joined Venable as a partner, specializing in privacy regulations, counseling, lobbying and litigation. Earlier, he worked on the staff of the Senate subcommittee on technology and law.