Suzanne Clark to lead ‘enhanced government affairs team' at U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Marty Durbin to help direct American Petroleum Institute's advocacy operations

From left: Clark, Durbin and Finkel.

Two of Washington, D.C.'s largest business groups have retooled their advocacy operations following last week's historic elections, with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce appointing Suzanne Clark to lead the government affairs division and the American Petroleum Institute naming its former top lobbyist Marty Durbin chief strategy officer.

Clark, who is currently executive vice president at the Chamber, was promoted to senior EVP and will lead an expanded lobbying team at the $303 million-revenue organization. She will be second-in-command, reporting directly to CEO Tom Donohue.

The business group also hired Neil Bradley—a former high-level aide to two Republican House majority leaders—as senior vice president and chief policy officer; former Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin as senior policy counselor; and former Small Business Administration Chief Counsel for Advocacy Thomas Sullivan as vice president of small business policy and executive director of the Small and Mid-Market Business Councils.

"Our new government affairs team, under the leadership of Suzanne Clark, will ensure that the Chamber has the vision, the experience, the policy depth, and the grassroots lobbying and political clout to vigorously defend and advance the business community's interests as a new government take office in Washington," Donohue said in a statement.

Clark is a Chamber veteran, having previously spent several years as the organization's executive vice president and COO. She left in 2007 but returned in 2014 at the behest of Donohue, who appointed her to the new position of executive vice president and gave her a prominent role in leading the business group.

As head of the lobbying division, Clark will essentially take over the mantle currently held by Executive Vice President for Government Affairs Bruce Josten, who will retire at year's end after a 42-year career at the Chamber.

Sullivan will fill the role once held by Vice President of Small Business Policy Giovanni Coratolo, who retired earlier this year. Bradley's role of chief policy officer will be a new one at the Chamber.

In addition to the new hires, Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Jack Howard and Senior Political Strategist Scott Reed will continue their roles at the organization.

The Chamber was not the only high-power business group to restructure its advocacy operations this week.

The $233 million-revenue API announced Durbin would take on an expanded role as executive vice president and chief strategy officer. The organization's top lobbyist, Louis Finkel, will leave the organization "to pursue other opportunities," according to a press release.

The moves are a bit of musical chairs, replacing one lobbyist with Democratic ties with another. Durbin had been API's top lobbyist before becoming CEO of America's Natural Gas Alliance in 2013. A year later, Finkel left the Grocery Manufacturers Association in May 2014 to take on Durbin's former role at API. Then in January, with oil and natural gas prices plummeting, ANGA merged with API, and Durbin returned to his former association as executive director, market development.

Both Durbin and Finkel had worked on Capitol Hill for Democratic lawmakers earlier in their careers.