Republican to Lead Fight on Gun Violence

Leaving the Potomac Behind

Potomac fever, we know, is pandemic, a very difficult condition to cure. But every once in a while someone's fever breaks and the former patient leaves for new climes. Such a case is Dan Brouillette -- vice president of federal government affairs at Ford Motor Co. and a longtime aide to then-House member W.J. "Billy" Tauzin (R-La.) -- who's making a break for it.

Brouillette is decamping to San Antonio in June to join USAA, the financial services company as senior vice president in charge of industry affairs, including Washington and international government relations.

"It's been 18, 19 years. I'm finally going to do what I said I would," Brouillette said yesterday.

Brouillette, a former Army drill sergeant, said he likes the fact that USAA's primary market is military service members and families.

He joined Ford in 2004 to help rev up its Washington government affairs operation.

NASA Official Joins Lobby Shop

The revolving door continues to spin. Joe Davis , chief of strategic communications at NASA, is leaving to join Artemis Strategies on May 15 as senior vice president. A statement from the lobby shop said that Davis "is the first member of the agency's new executive management team to head to the private sector."

Davis earlier served as principal deputy director of public affairs at the Energy Department under then-Secretary Spencer Abraham and worked on Abraham's staff in the Senate as well as for then-Sen. Connie Mack (R-Fla.). Davis also worked for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers.

Here and There

John Freshman has joined Troutman Sanders Public Affairs Group as senior vice president. He brought along clients such as Anheuser-Busch and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. He was a founder of Freshman, Kast Inc. , a lobbying and regulatory boutique.

E. Neil Trautwein has joined the National Retail Federation as vice president and employee benefits policy counsel. He previously served as assistant vice president for human resources policy at the National Association of Manufacturers and as manager of health-care policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Stephanie Cutter has left the Hill, where she split her time between advising Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), to start her own shop, the Cutter Media Group . She'll do strategic political and communications counsel for candidates, companies and issue campaigns.