Edelman Global Advisory hired Everett Eissenstat, who previously was General Motors senior vice president-global public policy, as chair of North America and global trade lead, the company said in a news release. Before joining GM, Eissenstat was a White House deputy assistant to the president for international economic affairs and chief international trade counsel for the Senate Finance Committee. He also has been assistant U.S. trade representative for the Americas.

Max Vekich, a former president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, was sworn in Feb. 15 as a commissioner on the Federal Maritime Commission. Vekich, who was confirmed by the Senate five days earlier, worked as a longshoreman for more than 40 years and served four terms in the Washington state House of Representatives 1983-1991. “He understands port and supply chain issues from the perspective of a worker on the frontlines of making cargo move,” FMC Chair Daniel Maffei said. “I am confident he will have many important contributions to make to the work of the Federal Maritime Commission and I am happy to welcome him as a colleague.”

Ruchi Gill, former deputy chief counsel for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined Latham & Watkins as counsel in its Washington, D.C.-based white collar defense and investigations 'practice, the firm announced. Gill also will serve as a member of the litigation and trial department. She will advise clients on national security regulatory matters, including proceedings at the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., export controls and economic sanctions, the firm said.

Sahar Hafeez has left the Bureau of Industry and Security to begin a new role this week as National Security Council director of international economics. As a senior adviser in the office of the BIS undersecretary, she contributed to the agency’s work on semiconductor supply chain issues (see 2107280051) and other areas.

David Plotinsky, former acting chief and principal deputy chief of the Department of Justice's Foreign Investment Review Section, joined Morgan Lewis as a partner in the Washington, D.C.-based Federal Cybersecurity and Communications Reliability Division, the firm announced. In his new role, Plotinsky will work on issues relating to "national security, telecommunications, and foreign investment in the United States," including matters at the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, the firm said. While at DOJ, Plotinsky led the agency's work before CFIUS.

Torres Trade Advisory, a business and trade consulting firm, hired former export enforcement agent Donald Pearce as a senior adviser for its global risk, monitorship and investigations practice, the firm announced Jan. 20. Pearce previously served as a special agent with the Bureau of Industry and Security’s Office of Export Enforcement, where he helped in the prosecutions of “precedent-setting” export control cases and wrote the 2016 amendments to the Wassenaar Arrangement's Best Practices for Export Control Enforcement.

The National Foreign Trade Council named Tiffany Smith vice president for global trade policy. Most recently, she was a senior policy adviser in Mayer Brown's international trade and government relations practice. Before joining the law firm, she worked for 16 years in the federal government, including as a Senate staffer, and at the Commerce Department and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

Rufus Yerxa, previously president of the National Foreign Trade Council, is now senior adviser at McLarty Associates, the consulting company said Jan. 31.

CBP released the names of those serving on the next Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee.

Erik Autor, former president of the National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones, has joined customs and trade law firm Barlow & Co. as of counsel, he announced on LinkedIn. Autor's background includes a clerkship at the Court of International Trade and working at Skadden Arps as a lawyer in its international trade practice group. He will assist companies with their customs and trade matters, the firm said.