Vicky Bailey, one of Washington’s top energy regulators, has left the Energy Department to join Johnston & Associates, the lobbying firm founded by former Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman J. Bennett Johnston (D-La.).

Bailey, a Republican, spent the past three years as a top energy aide to Energy Secretary Spence Abraham.

Previously, she served two terms on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission under then-President Bill Clinton.

SBC Promotes Two. Barry Hutchison and Sean Kennedy have been tapped by SBC Communications to lobby for the local phone company on Capitol Hill.

Kennedy comes to K Street after nearly a decade in the office of Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.).

Kennedy, a Delaware native who received a law degree at Catholic University, also served as deputy policy director for Gephardt’s 2004 presidential campaign.

Hutchison, who worked for then-Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) for six years, becomes an SBC lobbyist after working in the company’s communications office for the past year.

Hutchison was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Pittsburgh.

Reporter Joins AT&T. Teri Rucker, a former senior writer with National Journal’s Technology Daily, has joined the Washington office of AT&T after working for a few months with a public-interest group.

Rucker will work in the media relations office and will have responsibility over a range of telecommunications issues.

Home Depot Builds Office. Bryan Jacobs has joined Home Depot as a lobbyist in its Washington office.

Jacobs, a former aide to Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-Wyo.), leaves Duke Energy, where he worked on energy policy legislation.

CTIA Makes More Changes. The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association has hired Paul Garnett and promoted Christopher Guttman-McCabe to positions in the wireless trade group’s regulatory affairs shop.

Garnett comes to CTIA from the Federal Communications Commission, where he worked on wireline issues.

NFIB Hires Staff Attorney. The nation’s small-business lobby has hired Elizabeth Gaudio as a staff attorney for its legal foundation.

Gaudio joins the National Federation of Independent Business after working in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

From GM to McGinn. Steve Harris, a former communications official with General Motors, has joined the McGinn Group.

The McGinn Group is a strategic communications firm founded two years ago by Dan McGinn, a veteran of Weber Shandwick.

Housing Group Taps Help. Jeanne McGlynn Delgado has been hired as a top lobbyist for the National Multi Housing Council.

Delgado worked for nearly two decades at the National Association of Realtors.

And … Scene! In a move that shocked no one, Jack Valenti has formally announced that he plans to step down as president of the Motion Picture Association of America.

Valenti made it official last week during his annual state of the industry speech to Hollywood executives.

His job is considered one of the best on K Street, but there’s still no word on who will replace him.