Hettinger out at TechAmerica

TechAmerica officials said Sept. 23 that Senior Vice President for the Public Sector Mike Hettinger has left the organization, and they announced the hiring of two veteran policy advisers to fill the gap.

TechAmerica, the public sector and public policy division of technology industry group CompTIA, said it has tapped Larry Allen, president of Allen Federal Business Partners, and William Greenwalt, former deputy undersecretary of Defense for industrial policy and now a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, as senior advisers.

Allen told FCW that Hettinger was no longer with the association but declined to elaborate. A CompTIA official confirmed that Hettinger is no longer there.

Hettinger became TechAmerica's senior vice president for the public sector in December 2013, capping a tumultuous few months in which CompTIA acquired the beleaguered association after TechAmerica settled a $5 million lawsuit with its rival, the Information Technology Industry Council. TechAmerica and ITI had been battling over three employees who had left TechAmerica for ITI in November 2013. The terms of that legal settlement were not disclosed.

Allen said he will remain president of Allen Federal Business Partners and will stay in his new role as long as needed. He added that he and Greenwalt have been "listening to members' thoughts on where to take the association." In the Sept. 23 statement, CompTIA said it has moved ahead with TechAmerica's core programs related to networking events, federal market research such as the CIO Survey, member education on international issues such as trade compliance, and state-level connections with government leaders and CIOs.

While that would seem to indicate a move away from lobbying at the federal level, a CompTIA spokeswoman said that over the last 4 1/2 months the organization has "moved forward full force with lobbying federal policymakers. In fact, CompTIA has added more expertise in federal commercial public policy efforts with a large suite of policy experts in taxation, small business, telecommunications, privacy, cybersecurity, workforce development and other key technology issues."

CompTIA said Allen brings more than 20 years of experience as a lecturer, consultant and president of the Coalition for Government Procurement. He will provide insight into various aspects of the federal market, including spending trends, market leaders, acquisition policy and opportunities to shape acquisition via coordinated government affairs campaigns.

The group said Greenwalt will also provide seasoned public-sector experience, having held senior positions at the Pentagon, in Congress and in the defense industry. His experience also includes serving on the investigations staff of the House Appropriations Committee and as a professional staff member for the Senate Armed Services and Governmental Affairs committees.