Stem Cell Advocates Regroup

The council is bipartisan: Kapur has been a major Democratic fundraiser, and Krishna V. Srinivasa , vice president, is active in GOP circles.

Ron Somers , president of the U.S.-India Business Council, which has been out front in support of the nuclear initiative, said the ad was helpful. "It's important for our elected officials to recognize that there is broad support from many quarters," he said in a telephone interview from New Delhi.

Changes Atop Edelman

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While the folks at Edelman are sorry to see Democratic operative Leslie Dach leave for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. -- a client since last year -- after nearly 17 years at the helm of the PR firm's D.C. office, they're not worried about continuity.

Rob Rehg , a 14-year veteran of the office, is moving up to be president of the 200-person office, while Reagan confidant Michael Deaver , also a 14-year veteran of the firm, steps up from vice chairman-international and director of corporate affairs to chairman. "Leslie has gone from being our leader to being our biggest client," Rehg said.

Chief executive Richard Edelman noted that Dach, who was vice chairman, had grown "our D.C. operation from $1.5 million to $32 million today."

Dach was a communications adviser to President Bill Clinton as well as serving as an adviser to the Democratic National Committee and Sen. John Kerry's bid for president.

Rehg, who has worked for Republicans on the Hill, said Edelman is looking to add a senior Democrat to restore the office's partisan balance.

New Roles at Fleishman-Hillard

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Speaking of PR restructuring . . . Fleishman-Hillard Inc. has also made some big changes, with Chairman John D. Graham starting to pull back a bit after some four decades. David T. Senay , a regional president, becomes president and chief executive, while Paul W. Johnson , another regional president, moves up to vice chairman of worldwide growth and president of public affairs. Senay and Johnson have been with the firm since the mid-1980s.

"We've gone from a small Midwest company to a global player," Johnson said.

Here and There

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Retiring after 25 years working in the Senate, Bob Stevenson , communications director for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), will join the OB-C Group LLC. He starts Monday.

Juanita D. Duggan, CEO of Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America, will sign on with the American Forest & Paper Association Oct. 25 as chief executive, succeeding W. Henson Moore .