Lobbying World: Former lawmakers find new homes in lobbying firms

Two more recently retired lawmakers have found their way to K Street since the end of the 118th Congress.

Former Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) has joined Liberty Partners Group as a senior policy adviser. Stabenow left Congress this month after nearly three decades and was most recently chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Former Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) has also made his way to K Street since retiring from Congress earlier this month, joining Holland & Knight as a senior policy adviser in the firm’s public policy and regulation group. Bucshon, a former cardiothoracic surgeon, was previously chair of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.

Both former lawmakers are barred from lobbying their former colleagues on Capitol Hill — Stabenow for two years and Bucshon for one year. Last week, former Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.) became the first recently-departed lawmaker to announce he would be joining a lobbying firm, as hundreds of former lawmakers before him have.

Nema Milaninia is joining King & Spalding as a partner in the firm’s special matters and government investigations practice group. Milaninia was most recently a senior adviser at the State Department and was previously senior counsel at Google.

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck is adding Bart Reising as a policy director in the firm’s government relations department, effective Jan. 21. Reising was most recently deputy chief of staff in the office of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.).

Meghan Schmidtlein, former Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer’s (R-Mo.) former legislative director, has joined Husch Blackwell Strategies as a principal.

Michael Best Strategies has hired Alison Prange as chief operating officer and named Tory Sendek as head of the firm’s federal government relations practice.

BGR Group is adding Chris Kelly as a vice president with the firm’s health and life science practice later this month. He joins from the office of Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), where he was most recently health policy director.

Wendi Wilkes has joined Banner Public Affairs as senior vice president of government relations and chief of staff of the firm’s water practice. Wilkes arrives from the Environmental Protection Agency, where she was most recently the director of infrastructure implementation for the Office of Water.

The Alpine Group is adding Colin Brainard as a vice president in the firm’s tax practice. Brainard was most recently Walmart’s director of federal government affairs and was previously a senior tax staffer to two members of the House.

Wes Kungel is joining Acorn Consulting as a vice president. He was most recently chief of staff to former Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.), who retired from Congress earlier this month.

The Managed Funds Association has promoted Jennifer Han to chief legal officer and Shelley Guiley to chief administrative officer.

Tony Cotto has been promoted to assistant vice president and counsel for federal and political affairs at the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies.

Drumfire Public Affairs has promoted Katy Rodriguez to senior vice president and chief of staff.

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