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In what may be the technology lobbying equivalent of the New York Yankees acquiring Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox, the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) has poached four of the top public-sector representatives from rival TechAmerica.
Carol Henton, A.R. “Trey” Hodgkins, Erica McCann and Pam Walker will now support ITI’s new Information Technology Alliance for Public Sector (ITAPS) initiative and concentrate on regulatory and procurement issues in government.
“ITI is increasingly at the forefront of a number of policy initiatives that shape how the U.S. public sector utilizes technology, and ITAPS will be an innovative complement to those efforts,” Hodgkins said in a statement.
Hodgkins was named senior vice president public sector for ITI, while Henton is vice president for state, local & education, public sector. McCann is now manager of federal procurement for ITI and Walker is federal homeland security director.
According to FCW.com, during a Nov. 5 conference call, Hodgkins told reporters his new responsibilities would cover homeland security, national security, procurement and acquisition and various other governmental issues.
In an interview with Government Technology, Henton said the group looks forward to continuing its work in the government market acquisition space for ITI.
“ITI’s persuasive commitment to appropriate staffing levels and resources being made available to the public sector team was the compelling thing that convinced us this was the right time to make this move,” she said.
The departures mark the latest in a string of setbacks for TechAmerica. The Huffington Post reported that the group has lost more than 75 clients since July. Henton added that TechAmerica still has two other public-sector lobbyists on staff. A message sent to TechAmerica for comment on the impact the moves will have on its programs was not immediately returned.
For the moment, however, it appears ITI has pulled off a lobbying coup that may shift the sphere of influence in the public sector.
“ITI’s mission is to be a global advocacy organization with impact, influence, and power commensurate with the dynamism and innovativeness of the tech sector,” said Dean Garfield, president and CEO of ITI, in a statement. “With ITAPS … ITI is positioned to enable governments to be wise in how it sets tech policy, and how it buys and uses technology to better deliver government programs and services.”
