Lobbying World

• Dr. Bruce Quinn has joined the healthcare lobbying practice of Foley Hoag LLP. Quinn most recently directed California’s Medicare Part B program. He worked in the health practice at the consultancy Accenture and was a physician-scientist resident at Northwestern University School of Medicine, where he created the university’s Alzheimer’s Research Center.

• David Marin has become a principal at the Podesta Group. Marin comes from the Hill, where he served as staff director to the Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He was the former press secretary to Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.).

• Denise Dunckel, a former Bush administration official, has joined Visa Inc. as senior director of global corporate relations. Dunckel comes from the U.S. Department of Education, where she was deputy assistant secretary for external affairs and outreach. She served previously as a top official in the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

• Samuel A. Simon and Robin Strongin have started a new lobbying firm, Amplify Public Affairs LLC. The founder of public affairs firm Issue Dynamics Inc., Simon will serve as chairman of Amplify. Meanwhile, Strongin, a former partner at healthcare lobbying firm Polidais LLC, will be president and chief executive.

• Dr. Johanna F. Polsenberg has joined Cassidy & Associates as vice president. Polsenberg was a legislative fellow to Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) and the top lobbyist for the National Center for Caribbean Coral Reef Research at the University of Miami. Most recently, she served as a top aide to Rep. Tom Udall (D-N.M.).

• Allen Chew has joined DIRECTV Group Inc. as director of government affairs. Chew comes from the Credit Union National Association, where he was a senior lobbyist. He previously served as a lobbyist for the American Chemistry Council.

• Ingrid Belton Henick has joined The Cohen Group as a lobbyist in the firm’s India practice. Henick served previously as vice president for Barbour Griffith & Rogers in India. She was an executive for MphasiS, an Indian technology company.