Wednesday, May 23, 2012

FCC Names New Senior Staffers

January 5, 2012 | 1:22 PM

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski named Zachary Katz as chief of staff on Thursday, to succeed Eddie Lazarus who leaves at the end of January. Genachowski also named a new chief counsel and senior legal adviser, promoting Sherrese Smith from senior counsel.

Amy Levine, currently a special counsel, will move to Smith's job and will keep her responsibility for the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, and Office of Engineering and Technology.

Michael Steffen will move to Genachowski's office as legal adviser from the Office of General Counsel.

"The agency is fortunate to have an extraordinarily accomplished senior team to lead an ambitious policy agenda as we start the new year. Building on the successes of the past few years, this team will be focused on unleashing the benefits of broadband, driving economic growth, and opportunity for all Americans," Genachowski said in a statement.
Katz helped create the FCC's Connect America Fund, a $4.5 billion plan to subsidize rural broadband that the agency says will bring broadband to 7 million people over the next six years.

Katz came to the FCC from the White House Counsel's office and was a lawyer at Munger, Tolles & Olson in Los Angeles.

Before joining the FCC, Smith was vice president and general counsel at Washington Post digital.

In addition, the FCC said Josh Gottheimer, currently senior counselor to Genachowski, will direct a new team on public-private initiatives, including a plan to bring call-center jobs back to the United States.

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Juliana Gruenwald

Juliana Gruenwald

Tech Writer

E-Mail: jgruenwald@nationaljournal.com.


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.


Adam Mazmanian

Adam Mazmanian

Tech Correspondent

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Adam Mazmanian reports on technology for National Journal. He comes to NJ from SmartBrief, where he was a senior editor on the advertising, media and digital beats. Before moving to Washington, D.C., he worked as worked in New York City as an editor at AOL, About.com and the alternative newsweekly New York Press. He’s contributed book reviews, pop music criticism and film writing to Washington City Paper, the Washington Times, the Washington Post, Newsday, Architect Magazine and elsewhere. He lives in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C. with his wife and son.


Josh Smith

Josh Smith

Tech Reporter

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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.