Dunn said she'll also be working with the firm's political action committee, helping to bolster its coffers. The firm's release noted that "in her career, Dunn has raised tens of millions of dollars for fellow Republican candidates for Congress and for President Bush's campaign." She brought along Lisa LaBrache, who helped her PAC work.

"I've always enjoyed fundraising, strangely," Dunn acknowledged, adding that "it's very important to raise their [DLA Piper] presence" in Washington.

Dunn, a former member of the House Ways and Means Committee, the Joint Economic Committee and the Select Committee on Homeland Security, said she will be focusing on international trade issues. She'll be splitting her time between the firm's D.C. and Seattle offices.

She is preceded at the firm by former Senate majority leader George J. Mitchell (D-Maine) and Richard K. Armey (R-Tex.), who defeated her for House majority leader. Armey apparently advised Dunn on the practical issues of making the transition from Congress to the private sector.

Said Dunn: "I ran against him for majority leader, but everybody knows we're good buddies."

Mining Chief to Take Over Chemistry Council

After forcing out its CEO last year, the American Chemistry Council announced this week that Jack N. Gerard, head of the National Mining Association, will be its new chief executive.

Effective July 1, Gerard will succeed interim President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas Reilly, the retired chairman of Reilly Industries, who stepped in last year after then-CEO Greg Lebedev fell victim to warring factions and members' unhappiness with the industry's economic woes.

The ACC, which had merged with the American Plastics Council in 2001, had not been a particularly happy place as the two groups' different cultures clashed. But Gerard, in an interview yesterday, expressed optimism about the future -- his and the ACC's.

"It's a great opportunity. It's also a challenge. It's a great industry," Gerard said. "There's good cohesion."

He noted that the ACC with 135 members and a $110 million annual budget is a bigger operation than the mining trade association. The council represents the "leading companies in the business of chemistry."

The ACC's priorities, Gerard said, are to bolster the industry's advocacy efforts and deal with key issues, such as energy legislation, the price of natural gas and tax policy.

"We have a lot of issues on our plate: the security of our industry, runaway energy prices, attacks on many of our products, to name a few," Mike Campbell, chairman of the ACC's board of directors and chief executive of Arch Chemicals Inc., said in a statement. "Jack is uniquely qualified to spearhead the ACC's efforts to combine top-notch advocacy, a powerful communications campaign and responsible industry performance and research."

Before signing on to trade association work, Gerard was a founding partner and head of the McClure, Gerard & Neuenschwander lobby shop and was a Hill veteran.

Democrats Take New Jobs

Maria Cardona, formerly senior vice president of the New Democrat Network and communications director of the Democratic National Committee, has signed on with the Dewey Square Group public affairs shop.

Speaking of Democrats . . . Lane M. Luskey, who served as deputy national finance director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, has joined the Loeffler Group as a partner. A Texas native, he earlier worked in the campaigns of former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk and former House member Martin Frost (Tex.). The Loeffler in the Loeffler Group lobby shop is former Republican House member Tom Loeffler, also a Texan.

For the Record

Chelsea Maxwell has moved from the Nature Conservancy to the National Wildlife Federation, where she is the new legislative director and the enviro group's chief lobbyist. Earlier, she worked for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and, before that, for Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).

Steven Y. Winnick, deputy general counsel at the Department of Education, will be joining Holland & Knight as senior counsel April 11.

David Heil, a Hill veteran who served a stint as chief of staff for Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.), is signing on with McKenna Long & Aldridge as a senior adviser in the law firm's government affairs practice.

Sandra Marquardt, formerly coordinator of the Organic Trade Association Fiber Council, has joined M&R Strategic Services as a senior consultant. Capitalizing on her experience, Marquardt will launch a new division, M&R Organics, to focus on PR, policy assistance and such for the organic food and fiber industry.

Adam Chrisney, most recently a lobbyist at B&D Sagamore and earlier legislative director for then-House member Greg Ganske (R-Iowa), has moved to Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville as senior legislative director.

Peter M. Robinson moves up from senior vice president and chief operating officer to chief executive of the United States Council for International Business. Effective April 15, he will succeed Thomas M.T. Niles, who is retiring.

© 2005 The Washington Post Company