Obama Administration Nominates Apple's VP of Worldwide Government Affairs for State Department Job

[MacRumors]

Apple's Vice President of Worldwide Government Affairs, Catherine Novelli, has been nominated to serve as Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, according to an announcement from The White House (via AllThingsD).

Catherine Ann Novelli is Vice President of Worldwide Government Affairs at Apple, Inc., a position she has held since 2007. Previously, Ms. Novelli was a partner at Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, LLP from 2005 to 2007. From 1991 to 2005, she served at the Office of the United States Trade Representative and from 1997 to 2005, she was the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Mediterranean.

From 1985 to 1991, Ms. Novelli served in the Office of the General Counsel at the Department of Commerce. From 1982 to 1985, she practiced law in the Washington D.C. office of Debovoise and Librman. Ms. Novelli received a B.A. from Tufts University, a J.D. from the University of Michigan, and a LL.M. from the University of London.

Novelli, who works in Washington D.C., currently heads up a team at Apple that handles the company's federal, international, and state government relations. She has been with the company since 2007, and it remains unclear if she will leave her position at Apple to take up the new post.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Obama Administration Nominates Apple's VP of Worldwide Government Affairs for State Department Job

 

[chromite]

Interesting...

 

[autrefois]

Are you sure this isn't actually for some post in Ireland? I thought Apple was an Irish company.

 

[PracticalMac]

First thing she'll do is replace agency BB's with iPhone 5S, slate, er, space gray.

 

[designgeek]

inb4 PRSI

I'm really getting tired of this whole "revolving door" policy in Washington. That said I don't know much about this candidate so I'll withhold judgement in this case.

 

[FelixAng]

Why would she leave? The pay can't be better. And DC bureaucracy is so not what she's probably used to being inside of. Although, public servants should ideally have some altruistic nature; too bad they rarely have any.

That's almost as bad as leaving Apple for Microsoft.

 

[needfx]

they're looking for backdoors on apple products and how to get away with it

/s

 

[bradl]

Why would she leave? The pay can't be better. And DC bureaucracy is so not what she's probably used to being inside of. Although, public servants should ideally have some altruistic nature; too bad they rarely have any.

That's almost as bad as leaving Apple for Microsoft.

That's one of the reasons she'd have to consider.. but I surmise this:

Why would she leave, when she would only have a little over 2 years in the position? Keep in mind that when the new POTUS is elected comes a new cabinet, and new nominations for positions in that cabinet. Her tenure there would be only as long as the inauguration of the next POTUS.

BL.

 

[Solomani]

Why would she leave? The pay can't be better. And DC bureaucracy is so not what she's probably used to being inside of. Although, public servants should ideally have some altruistic nature; too bad they rarely have any.

That's almost as bad as leaving Apple for Microsoft.

Wasn't Dick Cheney also Vice President of the USA at a time when he was also a business executive at some multi-national corporation? Haliburton and others?

Does anyone recall if then-Vice-President Cheney was actually FORCED to resign and renounce all ties to Haliburton as a requirement for assuming the office of the Vice President?

 

[koolmagicguy]

Good for her I guess...

 

[taptic]

She'd have to be crazy.....

 

[John.B]

Novelli, who works in Washington D.C., currently heads up a team at Apple that handles the company's federal, international, and state government relations.

I think I speak for everyone when I ask, "Apple has a team that handles federal, international, and state government relations?"

 

[bradl]

Wasn't Dick Cheney also Vice President of the USA at a time when he was also a business executive at some multi-national corporation? Haliburton and others?

Does anyone recall if then-Vice-President Cheney was actually FORCED to resign and renounce all ties to Haliburton as a requirement for assuming the office of the Vice President?

He had to resign before they forced him to because of that conflict of interest. Additionally, he had to move back to Wyoming from Texas (where Halliburton was located), to get around the provisions of the 12th Amendment.

BL.

 

[Small White Car]

inb4 PRSI

I'm really getting tired of this whole "revolving door" policy in Washington. That said I don't know much about this candidate so I'll withhold judgement in this case.

Well it's not like the government can just pick out someone whose never had any job, ever.

The problem you're talking about is specifically when someone from an industry goes into an agency that regulates that same industry.

I'm not entirely sure what this position entails, but I can't imagine the State Department is over Apple in many direct ways. This is a far cry from making a TV network president the FCC chairman or something like that.

 

[John.B]

First thing she'll do is replace agency BB's with iPhone 5S, space gray.

Fixed.

 

[chipchen]

There had to be a better picture of her...

 

[Solomani]

Well it's not like the government can just pick out someone whose never had any job, ever.

Quite true. I'd rather have a government filled with technocrats (industrialists), rather than a government run by career bureaucrats. Neither scenario is perfect, but I do prefer the former.

Technocrats/industrialists have useful skills and knowledge in industry, commerce, technology, economics, etc.

Bureaucrats only have trained skills in cheating, lying, stealing, coercion, bribery, theft, manipulation, demagoguery, etc.

 

[Glideslope]

Interesting.....

What is the connection?

 

[Klae17]

She looks as surprised as we are.

 

[Glideslope]

Bureaucrats only have trained skills in cheating, lying, stealing, coercion, bribery, theft, manipulation, demagoguery, etc.

Sorry, but I see it in the Global Cooperation I am employed with every day.

 

[ellsworth]

waiting to see how this thread turns out.....

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Wasn't Dick Cheney also Vice President of the USA at a time when he was also a business executive at some multi-national corporation? Haliburton and others?

Does anyone recall if then-Vice-President Cheney was actually FORCED to resign and renounce all ties to Haliburton as a requirement for assuming the office of the Vice President?

Cheney resigned prior to Bush publicly naming him as his running mate. His stock portfolio, including any holdings in Haliburton, were put into a blind trust at the time. Once the trust was created he had no information as to what securities were held in the trust.

 

[ladeer]

Why would she leave? The pay can't be better. And DC bureaucracy is so not what she's probably used to being inside of. Although, public servants should ideally have some altruistic nature; too bad they rarely have any.

That's almost as bad as leaving Apple for Microsoft.

How about the fact that her new boss (sec of state)'s boss could be the president of United States? To be one level removed from reporting to the president is probably the highest achievement for a career in the government/legal fields. She will be on the same pay grade as director of CIA, FBI, etc. it's also an honor to work for the president of United States and serve our country's foreign interests. After all she started her career in the public sector.

 

[rmatthewware]

Don't do it. The problem with administration jobs is that you risk losing your position every election.

 

[portishead]

That's the best photo you guys could find of her??