Former Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) will be the new president of the National Association of Broadcasters, the organization announced on Friday.

“I am honored to have been selected as NAB’s new president and consider this an opportunity of a lifetime,” Smith said in a statement. “As radio and television stations embrace new technologies and new business opportunities, I look forward to articulating to public policymakers the unique and positive role played by local and network broadcasters in the fabric of American society.”

Smith fills a vacancy left earlier this year when Republican David Rehr left the organization. Smith, who now works at Covington and Burling, lost his bid for a third term to now-Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) in November.