Lobbying World

• The Bond Dealers of America added Kelli McMorrow and Brett Bolton to its federal legislative and regulatory policy staff. The organization is also promoting Justin Underwood to a director of federal policy and fixed income research. McMorrow comes from the Insured Retirement Institute and has also served as chief of staff to former Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas). Bolton most recently worked at the National League of Cities and previously worked as the deputy director of the State of Florida’s Office of Federal Affairs and as an aide to former Rep. Steve Southerland (R-Fla.). 

• Kristen O’Brien has joined OFW Law and will serve as counsel in the firm’s health industry policy and regulatory practice. Before that, she was a senior legislative counsel with the American Medical Association and, on Capitol Hill, worked for former Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) while he served as the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

• The K Street firm Monument Policy Group is continuing to expand its public affairs practice, hiring Matt McAlvanah and Elliott Schwartz. McAlvanah has worked as assistant U.S. trade representative in the Obama administration and as communications director for Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Schwartz is coming from a research and communications firm he co-founded last year called QE Intelligence. During the 2016 presidential race, he served as the war room director for GOP contender Jeb Bush in Miami. 

• Applied Materials, a company that makes equipment and software involved in the manufacturing of semiconductor parts, is bringing on Taylor Sholler from the SEMI industry association. Sholler, who will serve in his new role as senior manager of government affairs, has also worked at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

• The Network Advertising Initiative hired Will Carty away from Twitter to serve as its vice president for public policy. Carty had been with Twitter for five years, including serving as its top lobbyist handling policy issues in the U.S. and Canada. He also spent more than a decade on Capitol Hill as the policy director for the Senate Commerce Committee and, before that, as a staff member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.