Thursday, February 9, 2012

PTO: Rai Coming Soon, Pappas Present

October 14, 2009

Duke Law School professor Arti Rai should be landing at the Patent and Trademark Office any day now to take the reins as administrator for external affairs (see original Tech Daily Dose post here) -- but in the meantime another familiar name has surfaced at PTO. Peter Pappas, who previously served in several capacities in the Clinton administration, has been brought on to head up the agency's communications and public outreach operation.

During the Clinton years, Pappas was associate chief of the FCC's international bureau, developing international telecommunications policy on a broad range of issues, including satellite regulation and licensing, international spectrum management, and third generation wireless standards and licensing, according to a bio. He also served as the State Department's director of communications for economic affairs and at one point was assistant White House counsel.

In September 2000, the Georgetown Law School graduate joined Pappas Telecasting -- which at the time was the largest privately-held, commercial television broadcast group in the United States -- where he served as executive vice president for legal and governmental affairs. He was responsible for overseeing all federal government and federal agency regulatory affairs of the company, including the supervision of all filings before the FCC and other agencies.

In related PTO personnel news, Jefferson Taylor, director of congressional relations, has moved on and a permanent replacement has not been named.

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Juliana Gruenwald

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Juliana Gruenwald has been covering tech and telecom issues for more than a decade for National Journal, Interactive Week, BNA and Congressional Quarterly. This is her second stint with National Journal. She was recruited by NJ in 1998 to help launch its first tech policy publication, Technology Daily. She left in 2000 to cover international tech and telecom issues for Ziff Davis Media's Interactive Week magazine. She started her career at United Press International as the wire service's first Helen Thomas Intern. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota. A Minneapolis native, she misses the lakes but not the cold.


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Josh Smith covers technology policy as a staff reporter for National Journal. He previously interned at National Journal Daily, a Senate press office, and the Deseret News in Salt Lake City where he covered the state legislature, courts, and crime. In 2009 he graduated with honors from Southern Utah University after managing an award-winning student newspaper as editor-in-chief. Josh has received state, regional and national awards for his political and policy reporting, including first place in CapitolBeat’s 2009 Best of Statehouse Reporting college competition. A native of drop-dead-gorgeous Utah, Josh lives in Virginia with his wife, Amber.