WASHINGTON -- NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith today announced that NAB Senior Vice President of Government Relations Kelly Cole has been promoted to executive vice president, where she will oversee all advocacy efforts of the department.
Smith also announced that Curtis LeGeyt, senior counsel to Sen. Patrick Leahy's Senate Judiciary Committee, will join NAB on Nov. 1 as senior vice president and legislative counsel in NAB's Government Relations department, where he will report to Cole.
"We're pleased to promote Kelly to this important position," said Smith. "She is well-respected by her peers at NAB and her former colleagues on Capitol Hill, and Kelly has the talent, temperament and intellect to help maintain NAB's stature as one of the leading advocacy groups in Washington. "
Cole joined NAB in 2006 after serving six years as Telecommunications Counsel to the House Committee on Energy & Commerce, where she was an advisor on legal and policy issues relating to communications and the Internet. During her tenure she was responsible for negotiating and drafting key communications laws, including digital television transition legislation. Prior to her work with the Committee on Energy & Commerce, Cole was an associate with the Washington, D.C. law firm Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds, which is now K&L Gates.
Cole, who comes from Oregon and California, is a member of the state bars of the District of Columbia, Oregon, and Washington state. She received her J.D. in 1996 from Willamette University College of Law, her B.A. from Mills College, and spent a year studying law at the London School of Economics.
LeGeyt joins NAB after serving on the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee since 2009 as counsel to Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and then as senior counsel. In that capacity, he advised the committee on a wide range of topics that included intellectual property, antitrust, and First Amendment issues impacting high tech, telecommunications and the entertainment industry.
"We're delighted to have Curtis LeGeyt adding depth to a bipartisan government relations staff that is committed to sustaining a bright future for free and local broadcasting," said Smith. "His credentials as a well-liked and respected Capitol Hill staffer, coupled with a command of communications law, speak for themselves."
"Curtis has done tremendous work on my intellectual property and antitrust agenda," said Sen. Leahy. "I am sorry to see him leave, but I know he will be a great asset for my good friend Gordon Smith and the NAB. I wish him all the best."
Prior to joining the Senate Judiciary Committee, LeGeyt was an antitrust/litigation associate with the Howrey LLP firm in Washington, D.C. from 2005-2009. He also served as a staff lawyer on the Obama for America campaign in 2008. He is a graduate of Cornell Law School and has a B.A. in Quantitative Economics from Providence College. LeGeyt is a member of the state bars of Washington, D.C. and Massachusetts.
About NAB
The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America's broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at www.nab.org.
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