Scott DeFife, currently senior managing director of government affairs at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, will take over policy and government affairs efforts for the National Restaurant Association in January.
In a statement, the National Restaurant Association said DeFife was selected after a national search led by recruiting firm Korn/Ferry International. The National Restaurant Association has spent nearly $1.9 million lobbying so far this year, disclosure reports show. The group has lobbied on a range of issues, including the estate tax, health care reform, food safety and handling, and immigration reform, reports show.
DeFife will oversee government affairs, public policy and advocacy communications. He starts work on Jan. 11, a spokesperson said, and could not immediately be reached for comment.
The National Restaurant Association parted ways with its previous lead lobbyist, John Gay, last April.
A spokesman for the securities association, Andrew DeSouza, said that the group wasn't yet ready to say how DeFife's role would be filled, but that Kenneth Bentsen Jr., the group's executive vice president, public policy and advocacy, and a former member of the House of Representatives, would decide.
"We continue to have a strong team here," DeSouza said.
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