Bayer is bringing on four former democratic congressional aides through Invariant LLC to lobby on agricultural chemicals and biotechnology in farming. The four hired are Anne MacMillan, Benjamin Klein, Eric Rosen, and Nicole Venable. MacMillan is a partner at Invariant and previously served as the deputy chief of staff at USDA under former Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack. She also worked for Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., under the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee as a policy adviser. Klein previously served former Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., as a legislative director. He currently serves as the health and energy policy practice group leader at Invariant. Earlier in Rosen’s career, he served as a counsel for former Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., and now leads the technology practice group at Invariant. Venable, a previous chief of staff for Rep. Bill Jefferson, D-La., served as a lobbyist at the Bockorny Group Inc. and the McAllister & Quinn LLC. She also served as the director of international trade and global competitiveness at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Anne MacMillan
Ben Reinke is now the senior adviser to the deputy secretary of energy at the Department of Energy. He previously served on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee as a professional staff member for Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.
Justin Schardin now serves as the legislative assistant and economic policy adviser for Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. He handles the portfolio for small business and commerce issues. He most recently worked as a fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center. Trevor Higgins left Feinstein's office where he served as her legislative assistant. He left to take on a new role as director of domestic climate and energy policy at the Center for American Progress.
Paul Laurie was promoted to legislative assistant covering the agriculture and food, animals, labor and employment, public lands and natural resources, and small business portfolio for Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill. Laurie was serving as the legislative aide.
Bill Ball joined the House Natural Resources Committee as a deputy staff director under Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah. He previously served as the staff director for the Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee.
Dylan Sodaro has moved to legislative director from senior legislative assistant for Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J. Sodaro covers the energy, environmental protection, immigration, and public lands and natural resources portfolio.
Kyle Morse is the new communications director for Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif. Morse previously worked in the office of Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., as her press secretary.
Eric Heigis is the new legislative assistant covering the labor and employment, small business, and transportation and public works portfolios for Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C. He was the legislative assistant for Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va.
Emily Michael is promoted to legislative director from senior policy adviser for Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va. Michael covers the portfolios for appropriations, energy, environmental protection, foreign trade, and public lands and natural resources.
Kristin Seum joined the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Health Subcommittee as a counsel for Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas. She previously served in the office of Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., as a legislative counsel.
Aron Wehr now serves as the communications director for Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb. He previously served in the office of Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., as the press secretary.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, moved Katelyn Schultz over to his personal staff as the assistant press secretary. Schultz previously served under Grassley on the Senate Finance Committee as the assistant press secretary.
Charlotte Laracy is now the press secretary for Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas. She previously served as the press assistant for Andy Kim's congressional campaign.
Carina Armenta now serves as the communications director for Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Calif. She previously served as Brownley’s district director.
Kim Johnston has left the office of Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., where she served as the chief of staff. Terra Sabag succeeds her as chief of staff, and previously served as the deputy chief of staff and legislative director. Sabag covers the portfolios of appropriations, foreign trade, labor and employment, and small business.
Ryan White returns to Sen. Jim Risch’s, R-Idaho, office to become the deputy chief of staff. He was working in the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence under Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and before that served as Risch’s legislative director.
Garrett Kral has left the Senate Environment and Public Works committee where he served as a legal fellow for Chairman John Barrasso, R-Wyo. He left the committee to focus on studying for the bar exam.
Lauren Wodarski now serves as the press secretary for Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev. She was promoted from deputy press secretary.
David Heitlinger was promoted to senior legislative assistant for Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md. Heitlinger covers the labor and employment, small business, transportation and public works, appropriations, and immigrations portfolios.
Chris Perkins joins the House Natural Resources Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee as a fellow for Rep. TJ Cox, D-Calif.
Robyn Patterson no longer serves as Rep. Steven Horsford’s, D-Nev., communications director. Patterson left to become the South Carolina communications director for the Beto for America campaign.
Matthew McKnight now serves as a staff assistant for Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb. He previously was working as an intern in Sasse’s office.
Aaron Weber, confidential assistant to Bill Northey, USDA's undersecretary for farm production and conservation, is leaving the department and headed to Capitol Hill to become Sen. John Hoeven’s, R-N.D., agriculture legislative assistant.
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced yesterday the appointment of Mary Walker to become the regional administrator for Region 4. She will oversee environmental protection efforts in the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee, as well as six federally-recognized tribes. She has served at EPA since 2016, most recently as the acting regional administrator for Region 4. Before this appointment she served as the deputy regional administrator for Region 4.
After the acquisition of Actagro, Nutrien Ltd. hired Casey McDaniel to serve as the new managing director. McDaniel previously worked for Pinnacle Agriculture, serving as the vice president of proprietary businesses. McDaniel will be headquartered out of Fresno, California, which is wear the company is based.
Chris Mahoney, Glencore Agriculture CEO, announced he will step down from his role after 17 years at the helm. David Mattiske will succeed Mahoney at the end of September. Mattiske has been with Glencore Ag for 13 years, and has spent the last five years in Rotterdam, Netherlands as regional director for EU/CIS, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Before that, he served at Glencore Agriculture in Melbourne, Australia, as regional CFO and managing director for Australia and New Zealand.
Pierre Brondeau
Clarissa Rojas moves to press secretary from press assistant for Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán, D-Calif.
The Société de Chimie Industrielle awarded the 2019 International Palladium Medal to FMC Corporation Chairman and CEO Pierre Brondeau. Brondeau received the award May 22 at a dinner in New York City. He received this award based on his contributions to the chemical industry and his leadership in enhancing the international aims and objectives of the Société de Chimie Industrielle. Brondeau joined FMC in 2010 as president and chief executive officer and was named chairman of the board later that year. His past experiences include serving as president and CEO of Dow Advanced Materials, a division of The Dow Chemical Company. Before Dow he spent 20 years at Rohm and Haas Company where he last served as president and COO.
Edward Heffernan, general counsel to the Renewable Fuels Association for 25 years, died on May 10, with funeral services held this past weekend. Heffernan received his law degree in 1961 from DePaul University School of Law and in 1967 he was appointed by Illinois Gov. Otto Kerner Jr. to run the State of Illinois Office in Washington, D.C. He ran the office under three Governors: Otto Kerner Jr., Samuel Shapiro, and Richard Ogilvie. When Heffernan ran the state of Illinois office in 1968, future senator Dick Durbin served as an intern. Heffernan left the office in 1969, to practice law in the private sector, which continued until his retirement in 2011, at the age of 78.
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