Lobbying world

• The Petrizzo Group hired Megan Perez away from Capitol Hill, where she serves as the legislative director and health policy adviser for House Republican Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.). She begins at the firm on April 30.

• Comcast NBCUniversal named Phil Tahtakran as the head of NBCUniversal federal government affairs and promoted Margaret Tobey to senior vice president of regulatory affairs. Tahtakran joined NBCUniversal in 2010 and Tobey has been with the company for more than 11 years. 

• Peter Matz is moving away from Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Matz, also known as OFW Law, and will now serve as the director of food and health policy at the Food Marketing Institute. He had been with the firm for more than eight years.

{mosads}• Jane Oates has been named as the president of WorkingNation, a nonprofit founded by venture capitalist Art Bilger. She’s been with the group since it began in 2016. Before that, she worked in the Obama administration as assistant Labor secretary for employment and training.

• Invariant hired Katie Wise, a former GOP aide on Capitol Hill who most recently worked as the vice president of legislation for the Federation of American Hospitals.  

• GoldsteinCope Policy Solutions is among K Street’s newest firms. Founded by Lon Goldstein and Maryam Cope, the lobbying firm will specialize in handling issues in the technology, telecommunications, travel and financial services spaces. Goldstein most recently worked in the Washington office of CIT Group and set up the office in 2010. Cope comes from the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s in-house lobbying shop.  

• Former Heritage Action for America CEO Mike Needham is now serving as the chief of staff to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).  

• Venn Strategies made three new hires to work on its health-care policy teams: Shanta Whitaker, Claire Badger and Kelly Ferguson. Whitaker most recently worked at consulting firm LMI. Badger previously worked as the associate director for the Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee under both Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and former Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.). Ferguson comes from West Health Policy Center and has worked for Republicans on Capitol Hill.