Washington, D.C. – The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) today announces Andy Halataei as senior vice president for government affairs and Vince Jesaitis as vice president for government affairs. Both Halataei and Jesaitis are being promoted from their current positions as directors of government affairs. Halataei will lead the government affairs team as it continues to advocate on behalf of ITI’s 57 member companies, and Jesaitis will take on additional leadership responsibilities as vice president.

“As ITI continues to build momentum, we’ve seen significant growth in membership and reach so we are investing more resources in our government affairs practice,” said ITI President and CEO Dean Garfield. “Andy and Vince make a great team and will continue to bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to ITI in their new leadership roles.”

Halataei came to ITI in February of 2011 as director of government affairs where he has been responsible for handling privacy issues, immigration, and cybersecurity for the association. Prior to ITI, Halataei was a government affairs consultant at the Stanton Park Group where he tracked legislative developments for clients on telecommunications, intellectual property (IP), immigration, and energy. Before his time at Stanton Park, Andy served three members of Congress, including Rep. Randy Forbes (VA-04) and former-Rep. Steve Largent (OK-01), where he focused on immigration and IP, and tax and environment issues respectively. 

“Andy brings 17 years of experience working in the public and private sector, is well respected among his peers in the tech sector, and is well recognized for his depth of expertise,” said Garfield. “I’m thrilled that he now leads our government affairs team.”

“The ITI government affairs team is known as the best in the business and it is truly an honor to take on this new role,” said Halataei. “I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues to advance our companies’ interests in the constantly evolving world of innovation.”

Vince Jesaitis joined ITI in 2010 as director of government affairs focusing on telecommunications, trade, energy, and environmental issues, as well as other policy issues affecting the high-tech sector. Prior to joining ITI, Vince spent eight years on the Hill, working for two members of Congress, Rep. Gene Green (TX-29) and former-Rep. Dennis Moore (KS-3), as well as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.  During that time he handled telecom, trade, privacy, energy, and environment, among other issues.

“Vince has been an indispensable part of our team here at ITI and I will continue to rely on his sound counsel and guidance as vice president,” said Garfield.

“ITI is a fantastic organization and I am honored to be part of the growth of our government affairs team," said Jesaitis. "Andy and I have a great track record of moving the needle for our members together and I am excited to continue working with him to build on our successes."

For more information on Andy Halataei and Vince Jesaitis, please click here

About ITI.  ITI is the premier advocacy and policy organization for the world’s leading innovation companies.  ITI navigates the relationships between policymakers, companies, and non-governmental organizations, providing creative solutions that advance the development and use of technology around the world.  Visit itic.org to learn more. Follow us on Twitter @ITI_TechTweets.